Silverado Berkeley

Quality of Life and Dignity The Short: Silverado offers truly amazing care, service, and engagement with their residents - they are always treated with respect and dignity. Staff are also communicative, understanding and proactive when it comes to engaging you the family member(s). The level of care is worth every penny spent. The Long: My Mother was diagnosed with Dementia last year which progressed quickly to a moderate level. She had lived independently up to this point. She is a retired corporate exe who is extremely stubborn, self reliant, and fiercely independent. Leading up to the move to Silverado, family and friends made several attempts to transition her into a memory care/assisted living community with no success. Before the move, her paranoia and fear had become 90% of her daily focus, she was not able to care for herself. Quick action was required and Silverado responded in kind with diligence and sensitivity. Being an only child, living out of state and not prepared for the gauntlet I faced was more than overwhelming, it was terrifying. The executive staff showed compassion while delivering strategic support every step of way in navigating the malaise of bureaucratic red tape with health care providers and legal documents – I could not have done any of this without their support and intelligence in dealing with the who, what, when, how of getting everything necessary to move her. There is no play book for moving a fiercely independent woman. With all of that add two cats – without them she never moves. Silverado not only agreed, but embraced the cats – they are her children and her safety net – Silverado gets that. My mother has been there now for just over four months. Her paranoia level is 10%-15% of her mindset, her fear is gone, she feels safe, she sleeps through the night (before she rarely did) and regularly states how happy she is. She is a highly social person who had become isolated, depressed and fearful to leave her house or cats. Now she actively engages and has a multitude of friends – residents and staff members. So here are few insights that are worth sharing – please note that the week after she moved and the ensuing trips I have taken, I have spent 6-10 hours at a time with her in the community so I have had an opportunity to observe and engage on several levels. Engagement: This is perhaps one of the most notable aspects about Silverado – their programing provides for constant, daily engagement on various levels – exercise, socialization, mental stimulation and one on one interaction. My mother who was never one for much of organized activities loves participating – they have social events to get folks to chat and engage with each other. I have watched several of these events and find it remarkable how they get a bunch of folks to sit down and interact - truly special. Staff: The resident to staff ratio is high and varied – caregivers, nurses, management and support staff all regularly engage the residents. There is a sense of cohesive support and mindset (everyone is on the same page). If there is an issue staff actively work to address it, I have not witnessed “not my problem or someone will be there to help” situations. Keeping in mind that there three levels of care and different needs depending on where residents are at. Execution seems seamless. The staff know everyone’s names and appear to understand the needed level of care of each individual. Philosophy: It is worth noting that they just don’t provide lip service to their philosophy they execute. Their onboarding process was extremely thoughtful and strategic for getting her adjusted – they know what they are doing and how do it based on the individual. At no time was there a call from my mother I want to go home or I’m not staying here – visiting the first full week and half also helped. The background info about likes dislikes and idiosyncrasies is shared with the staff to ensure success. The Staff don’t act like they are treating memory care patients, rather regular everyday human beings. The level of dignity giving to residents is truly noteworthy, especially when you realize the range of care needs they serve. I visited many other assisted living and nursing care facilities in my life and have never seen the consistent level of care displayed here. Environment: This is not your average memory care community (assisted living /retirement/etc). There are no smells one associates with assisted living communities. The place is immaculate, the food good – different menu every day for each meal, there are standard everyday options, and open seating. The rooms are well appointed and the overall facility has undergone a complete remodel. Heating and cooling works, dining and common areas are well maintained. Final Thought: My mother feels safe, happy and enjoys being there. As I’m sure most people expect Staff to come and tell you how great your family member is, as part of the MO for any organization in this field. What is truly amazing to me was staff at every level engaged me about my mother and how well she was doing and what a great person she was – most commentary was unsolicited and unexpected, even from staff how do not directly over see her. But here is what really brought home what a great place this is – the residents themselves! Over the course of my visits not less than 20 different residents have approached me about how happy they are she is there and how much they enjoy her company and/or how well she has adapted. This happens over and over – you don’t see unhappy or unattended people here, everyone genuinely appears to be happy that they are at Silverado.

The Short: Silverado offers truly amazing care, service, and engagement with their residents - they are always treated with respect and dignity. Staff are also communicative, understanding and proactive when it comes to engaging you the family member(s). The level of care is worth every penny spent. The Long: My Mother was diagnosed with Dementia last year which progressed quickly to a moderate level. She had lived independently up to this point. She is a retired corporate exe who is extremely stubborn, self reliant, and fiercely independent. Leading up to the move to Silverado, family and friends made several attempts to transition her into a memory care/assisted living community with no success. Before the move, her paranoia and fear had become 90% of her daily focus, she was not able to care for herself. Quick action was required and Silverado responded in kind with diligence and sensitivity. Being an only child, living out of state and not prepared for the gauntlet I faced was more than overwhelming, it was terrifying. The executive staff showed compassion while delivering strategic support every step of way in navigating the malaise of bureaucratic red tape with health care providers and legal documents – I could not have done any of this without their support and intelligence in dealing with the who, what, when, how of getting everything necessary to move her. There is no play book for moving a fiercely independent woman. With all of that add two cats – without them she never moves. Silverado not only agreed, but embraced the cats – they are her children and her safety net – Silverado gets that. My mother has been there now for just over four months. Her paranoia level is 10%-15% of her mindset, her fear is gone, she feels safe, she sleeps through the night (before she rarely did) and regularly states how happy she is. She is a highly social person who had become isolated, depressed and fearful to leave her house or cats. Now she actively engages and has a multitude of friends – residents and staff members. So here are few insights that are worth sharing – please note that the week after she moved and the ensuing trips I have taken, I have spent 6-10 hours at a time with her in the community so I have had an opportunity to observe and engage on several levels. Engagement: This is perhaps one of the most notable aspects about Silverado – their programing provides for constant, daily engagement on various levels – exercise, socialization, mental stimulation and one on one interaction. My mother who was never one for much of organized activities loves participating – they have social events to get folks to chat and engage with each other. I have watched several of these events and find it remarkable how they get a bunch of folks to sit down and interact - truly special. Staff: The resident to staff ratio is high and varied – caregivers, nurses, management and support staff all regularly engage the residents. There is a sense of cohesive support and mindset (everyone is on the same page). If there is an issue staff actively work to address it, I have not witnessed “not my problem or someone will be there to help” situations. Keeping in mind that there three levels of care and different needs depending on where residents are at. Execution seems seamless. The staff know everyone’s names and appear to understand the needed level of care of each individual. Philosophy: It is worth noting that they just don’t provide lip service to their philosophy they execute. Their onboarding process was extremely thoughtful and strategic for getting her adjusted – they know what they are doing and how do it based on the individual. At no time was there a call from my mother I want to go home or I’m not staying here – visiting the first full week and half also helped. The background info about likes dislikes and idiosyncrasies is shared with the staff to ensure success. The Staff don’t act like they are treating memory care patients, rather regular everyday human beings. The level of dignity giving to residents is truly noteworthy, especially when you realize the range of care needs they serve. I visited many other assisted living and nursing care facilities in my life and have never seen the consistent level of care displayed here. Environment: This is not your average memory care community (assisted living /retirement/etc). There are no smells one associates with assisted living communities. The place is immaculate, the food good – different menu every day for each meal, there are standard everyday options, and open seating. The rooms are well appointed and the overall facility has undergone a complete remodel. Heating and cooling works, dining and common areas are well maintained. Final Thought: My mother feels safe, happy and enjoys being there. As I’m sure most people expect Staff to come and tell you how great your family member is, as part of the MO for any organization in this field. What is truly amazing to me was staff at every level engaged me about my mother and how well she was doing and what a great person she was – most commentary was unsolicited and unexpected, even from staff how do not directly over see her. But here is what really brought home what a great place this is – the residents themselves! Over the course of my visits not less than 20 different residents have approached me about how happy they are she is there and how much they enjoy her company and/or how well she has adapted. This happens over and over – you don’t see unhappy or unattended people here, everyone genuinely appears to be happy that they are at Silverado.

The care for my mom here is very good. The staff is very attentive. The menu is very good and we like the clean environment for my mom. They have a lot of activities and she likes the small ones that are outside of the community. We would recommend this community for the care of a loved one with a nice value for the care that is offered.

Transitioned my mother from living independently to memory care at Silverado Berkeley. It was a tough move - even though Mom is definitely not able to take care of herself and was deteriorating rapidly while on her own, she really fought being placed in an "old folks home". After the first week, however, it was clear that the environment at Silverado Berkeley - especially the staff and residents - were just what she needed. The difference in her responses and levels of agitation are marked - dementia, of course, can't be cured but the symptoms were greatly eased for her. The facility is quite expensive, but the physical, mental and emotional care given are worth it. I appreciate that they are not just supportive of my mom, but also of me as mom's primary caregiver/responsible party. I'm relieved to have mom in a place that's helping her to maintain the level of independence she still has for as long as she can, while keeping her in a safe, active and pleasant environment. BTW - mom loves the food here - she comments on it every time I visit, and is always trying to get me to eat there.

We like the smaller size of The Berkshire, the main part of the community is based all on the ground floor which is also nice. Staff and nurses are great, good communication, and we've felt secure having our dad there.

My mother has a lovely apartment, the caregivers are all very friendly, the food is good

Cost is very high, when nursing functions like medication supervision is added to monthly fee.

They are wonderful. Because they're in Berkeley, things are more expensive and because they are a smaller facility there is not as much variation in options but The Berkshire is wonderful. My parents were there for a little over 2 years. We went the full range from independent living to hospice service for my mom. They did a really nice job and the staff were really devastated when she passed. They were all very good staff members.

small rooms; studios only, some don't have private bathrooms; H's former co-worker liked it; more assisted living than independent living

Lunch was delicious! 3 meals/day is a perk! Very close to dwntn Berkeley. Place is a boutique style, very small. 1-bedroom's are too small even. Feels a bit depressing for Mom and she's aware of the age difference from herself (as she has at most others)

I visited and I liked the location and the staff. The rooms were the smallest, with the least amount of amenities. The courtyard was small and pretty.

I like

I toured several weeks ago. Pros: independent, assisted and dementia levels of care; several "with it" men; lots of activities; and a youthful feel to the place compared to Aegis of PH above. Also in Berkeley which from where I live now is great. Cons: facility older; not so nice but OK; in an urban setting with a very limited outdoor area. Residents with dementia hanging around the front desk. Pricing pretty good, though studios seem small. Dad may prefer the hotter, dryer climate in Contra Costa County. Will keep this one on the list to re-visit.

This home is awesome

Very homey, berkeley through and through. I personally liked the vibe a lot but I can't imagine my father there. Since they also don't have formal diabetes management, not clear how that might work.

Nice, but I get more of a nursing home vibe from the setting. Rep says it has a "Berkeley vibe" which my mom would like a lot.

My sister toured this place last Fall. She did not love it, but it was not horrible. I would be willing to revisit if they could accommodate our needs.