Merrill Gardens at Rockridge

Christian S. gave me a realistic price for assisted living with LOW level of care ( $5750 for a studio, $820 for care, per month. See photo, Exhibit II, “Established Fees and Services.” Christian, the Community Relations Director at Merrill Gardens, highlighted in yellow “$820 per month”. That is HIS highlighting). I told Christian on 10/1/26 that the skilled nursing facility (SNF) is requiring my mom to leave on 10/7/26, so I am looking to admit her to assisted living on 10/7/26. Christian told me yes, it is doable to complete their intake process in time to admit her on 10/7/26. I spent hours gathering my mother’s medical documents, personal information, filling out Merrill’s forms, and meeting (along with my mom) for 45 minutes with Merrill Garden’s nurse, Parinda (who had forgotten our meeting and arrived 45 minutes late. And, she had no idea that my mom needs admission on 10/7/26, she was completely clueless about that. In retrospect, that was a warning sign). Then, later, literally JUST HOURS before the skilled nursing facility (SNF) was going to discharge my mom on 10/7/26, suddenly Christian at Merrill Garden informs me that no, actually, the cost is much higher that what he told me, because now their nurse, Parinda, feels that my mom needs a HIGH level of care. So now the cost is $5750 for studio, but a whopping $4950 for care. But, says Christian at this last-minute juncture, I can negotiate the cost downward! This means I may pay for assisted living according to 1) my inadequate negotiating skills about a topic (assistance with daily living) that I know enough about to know what my mom needs, but not enough to negotiate costs and 2) the level of urgency of my current circumstances (the more urgent one’s circumstances, the bigger one’s disadvantage in negotiating). Clearly, I'm not in a position to knowledgeably negotiate, and Christian S. knows this, or ought to. I will trust an organization that 1) provides accurate rates up front and doesn’t change those rates on the day that we all agreed was the day of admission 2) provides a needs assessment that factually reflects the person's actual needs, not inflate those needs to get more money; and 3) tells me up front when they cannot meet my timeframe, instead of telling me, for days, that yes they can admit my family member on the date that I am seeking, but then, on the day of admission, suddenly they cannot admit unless I engage in a negotiation about costs. Merrill Gardens jerked me around, big time. Bait and switch. Christian S., Parinda, and the general manager overseeing this bait-and-switch are clearly untrustworthy. Christian S. told me he has been Community Relations Director at Merrill Garden for 3 years. Presumably, he has experience dealing with people trying to admit their family member under tight timeframes. But, probably, a tight deadline is his professional weakness; he is helpful and sensible only when the client has no time pressure to obtain assisted living care. Even though he should be able to do so, in fact he has no ability to foresee how the process does not fit a tight timeframe, so I, the cilent, had to find out for myself the hard way. So much for Christian S.'s professional experience. In my very first email and voicemail to him on Friday 10/1/26, I said and I wrote that I am seeking to admit my mom on 10/7/26. Christian should have told me, when he replied on 10/2/26: “Sorry, it is really unlikely we can meet that timeframe. We can aim for a later admission date, but 10/7/26 is too soon.” I would have appreciated it. Instead, he said yes we can absolutely complete the admission process in time to admit on 10/7/26. I proceeded to waste hours and my time and energy to this fruitless goal, when I would have been better off spending that time preparing to take care of Mom at home. Now my mom is at home and it will be at least 3 business days without home health care, because it takes that long to set it up. I hope I have a better experience with home health care, but who knows.

I will be moving into Merrill Gardens at Rockridge soon. I chose this place because of it's convenient location near Rockrdge BART, Rockrdige library, along with many shops & cafes along College Ave. I have been working with Christian S., Community Relations Director, for over a year to secure an apt. Christian has been my advocate to secure the type of apt. that I wanted & has been helpful whenever I had any questions. He was wonderful to work with. Residents that i have spoken with said the best thing about Merrill Gardens at Rockridge is the community of residents living there. I am looking forward to my move.

I rarely leave long reviews, but I had to make sure that people know this one. So I took my time to write a well deserving one. I am a frequent visitor to a friend at Merrill Gardens Independent Living, and during a recent visit, I had the opportunity to tour the memory care community. I was truly impressed by the environment and the level of care provided. Christian, the Relations Director, was incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and compassionate. He took the time to thoroughly answer questions and explain the programs and services in a way that was both informative and reassuring. His genuine care and dedication were evident throughout the tour. I would highly recommend Merrill Gardens to anyone exploring senior living options, especially memory care. My experience was very positive, thanks in large part to Christian’s guidance and the overall atmosphere of the community.

Merrill Gardens is truly a magical place. I love how the residents have a lot of say in their activities, so much so that they converted one of the outdoor garden areas into a place where residents can work on their own projects. Christian is incredibly thoughtful and helpful, and the price point here is much more affordable than other locations. Ultimately, it wasn't quite the right fit for my mom, but it is definitely worth checking out.