Almond Road Senior Estates

I have had my father at the above facility for approximately five years. During the last year his decline was rapidly but with the wonderful care of the staff at the facility and with the guidance of [name removed], who is a family nurse practitioner but also the owner of the facility , my father’s care was impecable. She could tell me, with some accuracy, when my father would no longer be able to verbally communicate. She warned when time was running short for important conversations. “Have you said what needs to be said?” She asked more than once. “Has your father seen everyone he would want to see?” Or Don’t worry about cleaning his room, or changing his diaper because her staff will take care of that but to spend the quality of time with my father that I most needed because I will not have that time anymore after he has gone! I finally understood what [name removed] was saying even though was hard in the beginning but it was really nice not having to worry anymore about the physical care because the staff was taking care of that and I got to hold my fathers hand and reminisce about all the good times we had over the years. She explained what was happening, and what would happen. During the last few days, Dad was able to converse with me even eat a bit. A steady stream of family and friends came to visit. During one of those visits, my father was actually joking around, which prompted a visitor to wonder why we didn’t reduce his medications and get him to eat a little more. The answer? Because he was dying. I didn’t have the courage to say that. What I did say was that the pain would have been unbearable had we done that. My father hung on to independence for dear life and tried his best to retain a quality of life during these last few years. But when he decided it was time to go, it seemed he couldn’t get out of this world fast enough. He had a brief hospitalization prior to his passing and the nurses in the hospital who came were awakening him to put liquid morphine into his mouth but were regularly met with this reaction: “Leave me alone, I’m trying to die.” Dad calmed down when they told him it was simply pain medication they were giving him. While there’s nothing funny about Dad’s response, it did bring a smile to all of our faces. It was as if he was concentrating with all of his might to make the exit. Standing at the precipice waiting to jump. Trying to figure out what to do to make it all happen. Ever the impatient guy. Ethical debates aside, dying is a waiting game – not just for the person lying in the bed, but for the rest of us too. And if your spouse or parent is in a acute care hospital like my dad, and the waiting game continues, you may be faced with the decision to return to a skilled nursing facility or a residential care facility. Those discussions and decisions can add stress to a family. They did for ours. But I understand. It’s the way our system works. If you’re not actively healing or dying, you must go somewhere else, such as a residential care facility. So we returned back to his home that he had known for the past five years and we were very thankful that he did. Because In the end that was my fathers home. Dad made his exit on the morning approximately a month after he returned back to Almond Road Senior Estates in Castro Valley. [Name removed] has changed the way I viewed dying. The experience personalized a process that most of us don’t want to think about. Some of the fear and stigma are gone for me. And while goodbye was as tough as I had imagined it would be, the care [name removed] and her staff provided made all the difference.

We're very happy with this place. It's a lovely, clean environment, and the staff have been wonderful. Everyone is very kind, and the staff are calm and softspoken. It's a very nice change compared to the noise and chaos of locations we have had experience with. The food is also very good!

This is a very lovely place with 3 levels of care. Elegant, roomy beautifully decorated. Met 3 of the lady residents. Property is gated. Activities as desired. 2 caretakers there 24 hrs a day and the owner most of the time. Out of our price range. Mom would be in the 2nd level of care. The owner came out to meet Mom in the van. Very pleasant lady. My ratings are based on what I saw and in relation to Mom's situation.

Loved this home. I spoke at length with Olivia and she was charming. She spent a lot of time with me and she and her husband have a wonderful 'place for mom'. Would love to have my mom here if there was ever a need. The question would be if we could get additional funds from Veterans. Ultimately we want to keep my mom at home but wouldn't hesitate to have my mom at this location. Just lovely.