I have read the criticisms and I would just like to add that many people remain in Assisted Living Facilities hoping to receive Nursing Home care in private apartments. That is not an appropriate expectation. Assisted Living is exactly that. I have an aunt I oversee in Assisted Living and I expect her to be served nice meals, I expect security, housekeeping and assistance with her shower twice a week. I also expect someone to call me if there is a problem. And I am totally satisfied. If she needs more, she will eventually come to my nursing home.‎

Carlton Plaza San Leandro is both a well-kept and beautiful setting and a frustrating and unsafe environment for loved ones. We have had many good and seriously concerning experiences there over the years. Though they allow many residents to live there with slight memory problems (or serious ones in the separate downstairs memory care unit) and quite challenging physical disabilities, should your loved one require care in any evening hours or on weekends, there are times when there are only two non-licensed, non-professional aides for the entire community of over 150 people! Feels extremely unsafe.
The dining room has rather good food and very well-intentioned staff, however, my relatives normally wait for more than 1/2 hour to be waited on and served. This is unconscionable for elderly, confused, hungry people.
Lastly, billing is confused, inconsistent and opportunistic. We know of 3 families who have left for the manipulative surprise billings they've received. Costs always rise, and changes to costs are sometimes 200% and unexplained.

Despite what you might expect from a nursing home, it is not as dependable or safe as it should be for dependent seniors. It is reasonable to suggest that there is adequate care and number of staff during the day and business hours, but at night it is also important to have medical staff on stand by or at least a few extra staff for assistance. There was an unfortunate incident in the news earlier this year that a man had unnecessarily died because no one had been checking on him for a few days when he ran out of medicine and suffered an attack.

PROS: good care most of the time
CONS: accidents still occur