GROSSMONT GARDENS SENIOR LIVING

A few months ago, my 94-year-old mother-in-law decided on her own to sell her house and move into Grossmont Gardens Senior Living. My wife and I had almost no involvement in that decision. We were, of course, concerned that the change would be difficult and that she would be disappointed by her new living arrangement. What a relief! Moving to Grossmont Gardens has been the happiest decision she could have made. She loves it. She has made many new friends and spends hours every day socializing. Her one-bedroom apartment is perfect for her. She is largely blind and requires some assistance to move about the beautiful grounds. The staff provides that assistance daily, and supports all her other needs well. Beyond that, we needed some modifications made to her apartment to support her vision deficit, including much brighter lighting, augmented entry hall lighting, and voice-activated heating and cooling. Facilities head Marsha and customer contact Gemma worked together to help solve all our problems quickly and effectively. We could not be happier about the decision my MIL made to move to Grossmont Gardens!

I waited 2 years to send this review to ensure it wasn’t purely emotional. I still stand by this. Things were O.K. while my mom and dad were in independent living for 4 months and they fit their model of the kind of residents they are equipped to handle. When my mom’s health status changed, they had to be separated. My dad was moved to assisted living and mom to their "skilled nursing" (Health Care Center), paying more than double. We thought Grossmont Gardens had the most to offer & where we could keep our parents together because of the multiple living situations, BUT this is NOT the case. Elderly Couples get separated. It will be difficult work moving them, emotionally exhausting to all involved, and it will COST. In general, GG is Not the place if: -Have 2 parents with declining health, maybe at different stages, and want to keep them together -Don’t want their last level of care to be an impersonal environment with no privacy -Have Kaiser (even though it is next door, still doesn’t work) -Kaiser cannot come to their “skilled nursing” (Health Care Center) -Want more personalized care included. -Management is unempathetic, not proactive. There is no real vested interest in residents' success in their care journey. No orientation/education/guidance for families navigating this difficult time & during the intake process. GG “Skilled Nursing” (or Health Care Center) is NOT the place: -*Skilled nursing is not really skilled. Their brochure claims therapies and special activities, it’s really tv and meals in a room. Their medicare PT is an assistant and only 1 person. -For a lot of $$, my mom was sharing a room with 3 beds and getting none of the therapy. They tried selling us a separate “ incontinence package” for an extra $350 a month on top of the thousands we were paying.. Isn’t that WHY she’s in skilled nursing? That wasn’t included?? -Constant Rotation of staff were unaware where my mom’s items belonged or where her dirty laundry should go. They just wanted to get through their shift with no issues. My sister and I were stressing over doing laundry or purchasing my mom more clothing. Her clothes not coming back from some massive laundry center even with identification clearly on them. Your mom’s blanket will end up on other people’s beds. We left GG without 2 of her blankets and we don’t want them now anyways after being used. -No weekly communication set up with family. That’s a special request. -We also started having complaints about my dad trying to walk on his own to see my mom. It was a huge inconvenience to them. My dad sometimes waited hours to get back to his apartment right across the way. No help. My sister & I felt we did entirely WAY too much filling in the spaces that the system doesn’t fill, while we still were paying SO much and had our OWN jobs, and while navigating the minefield of the medical system. We were constantly worried about my mom in one place and my dad in a completely separate place with all their little, but significant separate issues. We did not feel like it was being completely handled. For less $ than Grossmont Gardens, a residential care home turned out to be a MUCH better option for them to be together in a private room, get more personal care, more meaningful interactions, and people more invested to handle all the little things. At Grossmont, my dad was also very lonely in his assisted living apartment without my mom. Now if one passes away before the other, at least they won’t be all alone, they have 5 other residents and relationships with 4 close nurses.

Grossmont Gardens is unlike any of the other assisted living communities that I have toured and had loved ones living at! They are very professional starting with the initial tour conducted by Gemma. She personally took the time to answer every question, email and text and if she didn't have the answer she would immediately get help. I couldn't ask for a more compassionate, intelligent, energetic and funny person to rely on than Gemma! I feel as though she and the other team members were as concerned about my brother getting the very best care as I am. Ana Navarro was a godsend in helping me navigate the ALW program and the Medi-Cal program and always took the time to ensure that I understood the process. Reggie the Executive Director is a force of positivity and energy unlike any other. He is an incredible resource for understanding the options available to his residents as well as being a very kind and loving friend to them! Stephanie and her team of caregivers are very warm, friendly and compassionate with the residents AND their families. Grossmont Gardens is always clean and smells fresh when I visit my brother. The management and the staff always have a smile to share and if you've visited other facilities, you know that isn't usually the case. I would without hesitation recommend Grossmont Gardens to anyone looking for a wonderful home for their family member. As a side note, my husband's grandmother lived for years at Grossmont Gardens in the 70's and thoroughly enjoyed her home there!

We made the decision to move our mother to Grossmont Gardens from another assisted living facility. We have been so impressed with the administration and staff here. Very communicative and helpful throughout the whole process. Grossmont Gardens is very clean, any staff member I encountered always said hello, or asked if they could help in any way. Gemma and Anna were amazing, they helped coordinate everything that we needed to handle, from the doctor check up to the installation of cable and phone. We had stuff delivered there prior to our mom going to her room and everything was taken to the room waiting for us. They had maintenance help install her TV and mount, and they took care of the empty boxes. I'm sorry but we did not receive that kind of help or welcoming from previous facility. She needed more care and the prices at Grossmont Gardens is so much more affordable. I was informed the staff roll over is almost non existent. Her other place was constant roll over, and because of this her services were not always taken care of like they should be. We would be told, "I'm sorry we are having a staffing issue." However they wanted their money from us without issues. I am so very happy we found Grossmont Gardens. We feel, and so does our mother, that she will do so much better here. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND Grossmont Gardens.

Placing my grandmother in Memory Care was one of the toughest decisions we’ve had to make, but seeing how happy she is now has brought us so much peace of mind. It truly was the best choice for her. What really stood out was how genuinely happy the residents seemed. The entire experience has been wonderful. I had the chance to speak with both members of the marketing team, and they were incredibly informative, making it so much easier for us to make this decision. We're so grateful for the wonderful team and the care they provide.