Royal Garden Estate II

I was going to go with this community after a good tour. When they went to see my mom they said they would not be able to provide care for her. I was told that her hospital bed would be a fire hazard due to having narrow hall ways. I felt they could also update the place it seemed a little run down. However the people were good but the house itself was not good.

The Royal Garden estate II has taken good care of my mother. The place is kept clean. The meals are good but could use some variety, the few times that I have eaten with her I've noticed that most of the time all they provide is rice and some kind of ground meat. I have never seen any chicken or fish and my mother is an avid fish eater. Also one of my biggest concerns is that they eat dinner too early. On my last visit, i noticed they were having dinner at 3:30pm and when I asked why they said it was because they had breakfast and lunch so early. In my opinion, they could have spaced it out with a snack or something. My mother always smells really well when I visit her so I know they are giving her baths when needed. The staff needs to do a better job of giving her pain meds and other things I provided when needed. Overall they seem to be treating her well.

I did not want this review to come from a place of anger or frustration, so I waited...until now. This narrative may be a little long, but I believe it will be helpful to other 'newbie's" to Board and Care facilities. Allow me to share our experience... After my dad passed, my mom came to live with me. For the first year, she was able to stay alone while I went to work. But after a fall which resulted in a broken hip, my brother and I decided to hire a caregiver. For 5+ years, the caregiver and I handled my mom's needs (bathing, dressing, meal prep, med management, etc). The CG was with her during the week, and I took over on the weekends. This one-on-one arrangement worked well up to about 5 months ago. But there was no denying it, it would now take two people to assist her. In April, I made the heartbreaking decision to move her to a board and care. We looked at several facilities before deciding on ROYAL GARDEN ESTATES. At first, it seemed like a good fit...WRONG!!! During the second month of her stay, virtually every time my brother, I or another visitor went to see her, she was in bed. And there was ALWAYS a reason..."she wanted to lie down"..."she seemed sleepy"..."she missed her nap today", and the reasons went on and on. The first clue should have been when a fellow visitor told me the staff does not interact with the residents, they simply do not. But we were new this, and decided to give it a chance to work. As time went on, we found her in bed more and more often. We made suggestions repeatedly (to owner and staff), of ways to keep her awake for as long as possible during the day. We suggested they give her a magazine to read, play a simple card game with her, put a game show on the common area television. STILL NOTHING CHANGED. We met with the owner to voice our concerns of my mom's constant stay in bed; possible bed sores, pneumonia from lying down for hours at a time, her loss of interest in just about everything. STILL NOTHING CHANGED. As a matter of fact, she tried to justify every reason her staff gave us. Keep in mind, my mom lived with me for MORE THAN SIX YEARS. I know her every habit, every like and dislike, every mood, everything about her. She did enjoy sleeping, but when she lived with me, we were able to regulate it by engaging her in activities that kept her awake and active. We strongly suggest that before you place a loved one in ANYONE'S care, investigate it thoroughly, read ALL available reviews, visit the facility. A weekend visit is best, as that is when most visitors see the residents. ASK BOTH RESIDENTS & VISITORS QUESTIONS!! Interestingly enough, the owner wasn't present the day we moved my mom out of her facility. We were told she was in 'Las Vegas' for the weekend. She must have known...

Royal Garden Estate II is worth every penny. I'm at peace with it. As far as I'm concerned they are doing a good job. They pay attention to her and love on her. I am completely happy with this facility.

Friendly, supportive board & care. I would definitely recommend this home to anyone who needs a warm and caring environment.