Marian Oakland

Malinda

My mom is all set. She has moved into Marian Oakland. She is settled. It's independent with their own private apartments. She doesn't need assisted care or anything, so it was right where she needed to be right now. However, I would prefer that they have a more vigorous workout space and group activities. It is extremely clean. The staff is nice, but it's limited because it's a smaller facility. I think they only have 40 apartments. They come together for communal eating, but they have to walk outside. Like they have breezeways and things to get to the cafeteria and community space. So they have to be pretty ambulatory and pretty independent, but that's what we were looking for. It's very interesting because everybody I talk to is like, 'Oh wow, I've never even heard of them.' For my mother's price point and what she physically needs, they are like right on spot. They supply meals, all of her utilities are covered, and they have day trips. They have group activities, but they're limited. They said they have like a fitness room, but they're just a couple of pieces of equipment in a shared space. My mother is still able to get to her gym, and she can still drive, but only within a five-mile radius, and her gym just happens to be in that area that she is familiar with. It just works out great for us. They have a nursing staff that is contracted there, that's a la carte. We could get medical management and assistance in the shower, but my mother is not there yet. My mother is happy there. They're all kind, caring, and attentive. However, she hasn't had an emergency yet to see how they respond in that environment, which could be the deal breaker. We've only been there a month, but she likes some food, so I think we're in the middle of the line. The facility is pretty darn clean. I'm pretty impressed. There are no odors, but it's mostly because they all live independently. They don't have classes for activities, but you can volunteer to be part of the gardening team. My mother walks with a group of four other women, but it's those women who put it together. So their activities are not staff-led, but there are things to do.

Provider Response

ReviewerFC042025A

My father currently lives in Marian Oakland. He had just started to lose his mobility, so moving him into a ground-floor community that had a dining room that was going to prepare meals for him three times a day was great. His condition deteriorated, and COVID happened, and they weren't letting anybody come over to the dining room, and they were delivering everybody's meals. When they stopped delivering meals and opened the dining room, my father could no longer transport himself over there safely. They said they'll continue to deliver his meals, but it's going to be $3 every time. Over the past six years, there have been management changes. They start cutting staff and benefits, but they raise the rent. He's paying for meals that he can't eat because he can't go to the dining room, and he doesn't want to pay an extra $3 for every meal every day. They had stopped billing him for the delivery fee, but then they realized it and sent him a mega bill that had all the delivery fees in it. He argued with them, and the manager who was there was just like a puppet for the management. She doesn't care. There's no compassion. Part of the rent includes for somebody to come to his apartment once a week to do light cleaning. They've changed it now to every two weeks, but they haven't reduced the rate. If the housekeeper is sick on the day she comes to your apartment, then you just don't get cleaned for those two weeks. They don't do anything to replace that person or have her come back on another day. They don't compensate you financially. They can't keep a chef because the management is so stingy and awful, so they keep quitting. He also will hear his next-door neighbor yelling all the time, and my dad's solution is just to turn up his TV so he doesn't hear it. His apartment is a decent size. It's like a living/dining area, almost like a studio. The kitchenette is on the far end of the wall. It is just a counter with cabinets. They've got a sink, his microwave, a small fridge underneath the counter, and cabinets. Past that area is where his bedroom and the bathroom are. The kitchenette works well for him the way it is because he can wheel or use his walker to go up just to the straight counter and do what he needs to do. The facility is not rundown. It is fine. The lower-tier employees who help my father are very nice. It's the management and the corporation behind it that make things difficult.

Provider Response

Ronald25

I visit my relative here. I observe the interactions between all the tenants and the staff at the facility, and the staff seems to be on top of everything. Everything seems to be nice. The rooms are studios. They are not very big, but they are good enough for one person. For the most part, the amenities meet the needs of the residents there. The staff seems to be very friendly and helpful.