The Point at Rockridge

I’m very happy with the care my mother received at the Point. The staff were outstanding and considerate. Nursing director Amy Lund is outstanding, and there are so many caregivers on staff who really do care. My mom was in a comparable facility in LA that was not nearly as well run, and that gave me great appreciation for the Point. The staff treats the residents as you would want your family to be treated, with love, respect and integrity.

First, let me make clear the review is about our experience trying to get a place for my mother, and not about the care, as my mother never did enter the facility. My wife and I took a tour of the place from a director, at the end of which we were told my mother would need to be assessed and he would call within a week. He didn’t. We called and left a message which was not answered. We called again on another day and got him and he said he would get back to us by the end of the week. He didn’t. The next week we called his boss. She said she would call us by the end of the day. She didn’t. Instead, the next day, the original director who had given us a tour called us, expressed displeasure that we had spoken to his boss, and said we could tentatively set an appointment for the following week. After a couple of days we decided we did not want to work with an administration that was as unreliable as this one. We made this decision despite that just to get a tour we had to have my mother visit a doctor and get a TB test.

I am amending my review from one to two stars. I have been told that the Director is now working with the family regarding the food and Mom’s lost laundry. I would still love to see the staff in Generations get selected more carefully and for them to get ongoing training in memory care. As for the behavior issues on the part of the staff, that should be «one strike and you’re out.» The people living in Generations deserve only the best of the best.
***********************************************************************************************
The Point at Rockridge has a relatively new memory care unit called «Generations.» Call and have the receptionist put you on hold so you can listen to the spiel. It’s all a pack of lies. There is no individual program designed for anyone. They herd them around in groups during the daytime and sit them in front of a movie, often one they’ve seen over and over again, after dinner. There is no spiritual care there, as they claim. The caregivers are underpaid and undertrained. With a few exceptions, they are dismissive, condescending and patronizing. I have personally witnessed how absolutely uninterested in and disrespectful of the residents some of them are. Some are abusive. My mother has gone days without having a meaningful conversation with anyone working there. The food is unappetizing most of the time and the alternative menu that they supposedly offer never gets produced for the residents. The food is often cold by the time it gets upstairs from the kitchen. Residents are refused seconds. My mother has had caregivers steal from her and mentally abuse her. Her laundry has disappeared and not been replaced. The facility director, Kirsten, cares more about the facility’s reputation than about the residents. Don’t expect any cooperation from her if you have a concern. She’s all sweetness and light before you move your loved one in. After they’re in, it’s a different story. Life seems to be much better in assisted living but forget about omelets made to order, an array of desserts, not to mention Mimosas, in Generations. The residents of Generations are treated like second class citizens in the facility despite the exorbitant fees they are charged. If you do decide to put your loved one there, drop in often, at different times of the day and night. And expect to be extremely vigilant in terms of how they are treated and cared for.

I cannot say enough about The Point and the lovely, genuinely compassionate people who work here. They went way, WAY above and beyond to help my me and my Dad during a profound crisis that was initiated by a malfunctioning fire sprinkler and snowballed into a totally insane disaster (I could write a novel about it. And might).
My Dad is not your average cat. He is an old Berkeley hippie with rough edges and not everyone’s cup of tea. We were referred to The Point by Mona at Exceptional Senior Placement (please see my review — 5 stars!) and he was embraced by The Point’s marketing director, Tyler, who has impressed me as a generally exceptional human being. At every step along the way I have been bowled over by The Point’s compassion and willingness to help families in crisis.
Tyler and the Executive Director, Kristen, worked with me patiently while I triaged legal matters, my dad’s temporary homelessness, water damage repair work, oh and my own full time job and life on top of it. They were gracious, kind, generous, and really did me a huge solid, working with my Dad to find a unit that would be a good fit and accommodating our needs and limitations (including letting him bring his adored senior kitty cats).
My Dad just moved in this week. After nearly 30 years of living in the City, he is finally back in his beloved East Bay and I’m hoping it will be a new lease on life for him. I can’t tell you what a HUGE DEAL this is for him and what a relief it is for me. I’m really looking forward to visiting him there and updating my review on the facility itself.
THANK YOU, TYLER (and Kristen!), and everyone at The Point (and Mona)! You have no idea how much your help means to me.
People, if you’re looking for a spot that has genuine compassion and embraces all, please run, don’t walk, to these guys!

I have been going to The Point since 2011 when it was called The Monarch. A close family friend moved here from LA after his wife passed away to live closer to his son. On Sundays the family brunch is quite a delight. Mimosas and omelets made to order as well as Italian and a great array of desserts! My grandpa, as I refer to him, was not much for going on the outings, but he did mention the friends he made and one female resident who was a not-​so-​secret admirer. His room was always clean and tidy. But the most important and best thing about this place is the staff. I always found them to be attentive during brunch and on his 92^nd birthday they surprised him with a cake and sang to him. Sadly, my grandpa passed away last week and his funeral was in LA for him to be buried next to his wife. A celebration of his life was held at The Point for local family and friends including residents and staff. A couple residents said very genuine things that made me realize he developed true friendships and around 5 staff members shared very touching memories of working with him and cried with us. Their stories of him showed that they really listened to his stories and cared for him. I didn’t really think that the staff would be so heartfelt seeing as there are many residents and they are probably busy, but they were and this brings me so much comfort knowing his last years were spent here.

Mixed experience. Both parents live here. Under new management and now called the Point at Rockridge. High turnover of employees, especially those involved in running activities and preparing meals, in the name of saving money. Some activities are now run by one woman who speaks to seniors as if they were retarded, when the attendees are smarter than she is. Some laundry machines broken. Some food is unhealthy– one day I was there, lunch was pepperoni pizza followed by very fatty spare ribs (50% fat). There is not much in the way of healthy fruit and vegetables, one exception being the slices of oranges in the salad bar, which are superb. Valet parking has been eliminated as too expensive and it is not so easy to park in the basement garage, so this is a shame. The transportation has been a problem– there is ONE town car and ONE van, often ONE driver on duty so only one vehicle is available. This is insufficient for the needs of the residents and often rides are not available. One driver recently was relocated to a desk job when it was discovered she was driving the van on an expired driver’s license. There was an outbreak of a GI infection last year (when it was under different management still, as Monarch), and all activities were cancelled for a month. PROS– very nice residents, occasionally a meal is good and there are options off the standard menu when the daily offering is bad, there is a good brain– exercise class offered now. The apartments are a nice size with good sunlight and there is an on-​site hand yman to fix things. Weekly housecleaning does a good job. Outings to Oakland As and San Francisco Symphony are fantastic.