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AgeSong at Lakeside Park
Category: Health and Medical Retirement Homes Retirement Homes [Edit]
468 Perkins StOakland, CA 94612
(510) 444-4684
- By Appointment Only:
- No
One review for AgeSong at Lakeside Park
1 review in English
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Review from Claire v.
Updated - 4/10/2012 1 photo
Part 1, see part 2 in my review under this one. (I ran out of space and thought Agesong deserved a better review)
I just noticed that Agesong Lakeside Park didn't have any ratings yet, and that is a great injustice. This memory care nursing home is truly "as good as it gets" and I will eternally be thankful to them for everything they do for my grandmother. And because our decision of a nursing home was incredibly difficult, I would like to share our experience here in the hope that it may help make your decision a little bit easier.
Background:
My grandmother had been in an Avamere assisted living facility in Oregon for three years when she suddenly became critically ill. She was taken to the hospital, though her caretaker/family friend was not informed, and the only person who notified me (the second family member on her emergency file) was the surgeon himself, not her care home. After going through lifesaving surgery, my grandmother went to a place called Mirabella, in Portland, OR, to recover. The level of care was so high there, and the employees were so sincere and kind that we began to rethink our choice of Assisted Living.
Nevertheless, my grandmother went back to her apartment after five weeks. As her already failing memory had regressed rapidly from the surgery, it soon became apparent that we would have to look for a memory care facility instead. One evening she tried to 'run away', and Avamere decided right away that she MUST go into their memory care unit the same evening, without so much as a chance to get photos etc in her room or have one of us come up there (at a two and a half hour drive, I was her nearest relative). I drove up the next day and saw the saddest, scariest facility I've ever seen. The residents were like zombies who just sat there, staring ahead all day, with only a few pitiful, not very involved activities. The rooms were unlocked so any other resident could wander into my grandmother's room, and take stuff or harass her. With all of them having dementia, it was impossible to assess how well they were treating her in our absence. I knew I had to get her out of there, as soon as I could.
The search:
We began searching for care homes in Portland (near her friends and the town she'd lived in all her life) and in the Alameda/Oakland area (where my aunt lives). Realizing Portland had no great carehomes with openings, we narrowed down our search to a number of East Bay homes, including a Lutheran one and some other traditional places. My aunt and mother were leaning towards the Lutheran one, but as it sounded much too similar to my grandma's old home, I decided to do some more searching on my own. That's when I found AgeSong.
My very first thought was "hmm this is a bit new age-y sounding...". My grandma grew up on a farm in a small town in Oregon, would she really fit into a place like this? Would she really do yoga and participate in all these activities? Would she be receptive to cultural diversity? But despite my grandmother's background, she was always an intelligent, engaging woman who loved to read about history. I felt like she would thrive in a community of diverse and often well educated people. So I read more about AgeSong's philosophy. Soon it became clear to me that they had a well thought out, progressive approach to aging and memory care. And the fact that it's a non-profit made me feel much more comfortable about the motives of the staff and owners. At my grandmother's previous home in Oregon, the manager was horribly insincere and clearly didn't know or care about my grandma. AgeSong was clearly in every way the opposite.
After extensive research and checking out some interviews with the founder, I proposed AgeSong to my aunt. She was VERY skeptical initially, saying it sounded "a bit too Asian for my grandma". I urged here to check it out anyway, and she did. I'm so glad that she did. My aunt was very impressed right away with the level of care, the approach to dementia, and the sincerity of the staff. The facilities are beautiful with a lovely garden and fairly spacious rooms divided into a 'cottage' system that allows one person to be responsible for a small set of rooms. (A great way to ensure accountability and keep a close eye on all residents) Once my aunt had visited, it took us very little time to decide that AgeSong was the place for my grandmother. And this was probably the best decision we've ever made.
(Continued in "previous" review)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/8/2012 First to Review
Part 2
Life at AgeSong:
My mother and I drove my grandma down to California, and the AgeSong staff… Read more »
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Specialties
Alzheimer's Care, Dementia Care, Assisted Living, Hospice Care, Respite and Transitional Care.
History
Established in 1995
AgeSong has five communities located throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Offering a full continuum of senior care including independent living, assisted living and forgetfulness care, AgeSong offers vibrant, beautiful surroundings, specialized programming and community integration to move beyond the traditional medical model of care.
Meet the Business Owner: Dr. Nader Robert Shabahangi S.
Nader received his Doctorate from Stanford University, is a licensed psychotherapist, and is cofounder of AgeSong. His multicultural background has fueled his passion for becoming an advocate for marginalized groups and for creating programs with the purpose of caring more comprehensively for elders. As CEO, Nader ensures that the company's vision drives its decisions and plans for elder care services. In 1992, Nader also founded the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit organization that defines its mission as one of helping elders live meaningful lives. Nader is a frequent guest lecturer, including presenting at international conferences focusing on aging, counseling, and dementia. In 2003 he authored Faces of Aging, a book challenging stereotypical views of the aging process and of growing old. In 2008 he co-authored Deeper Into the Soul, a book aimed at de-stigmatizing and broadening our understanding of dementia.
