My mother is in Byron Park, and they're very attentive to her needs. They go the extra mile to make sure the residents are happy. The employees seem happy, even the maintenance workers and the people who serve the food and the receptionist, so that makes me feel like they're treated well. There's a largely residential part. The assisted living is only a small portion of the facility. Many people have sold their homes because they don't want to live alone or cook anymore and they live there voluntarily, but they have their cars and maybe little jobs. It's not like the usual assisted living with lots of wheelchairs and walkers. There's some of that, but there's also a lot of activities. My mother feels very comfortable there and very content. The only assistance she needs is medication. Even though she has dementia, she doesn't wander. She doesn't need bathing assistance. She's ambulatory. She doesn't have a loss of bowel control or anything like that. She's in good shape. She is just very forgetful. She is not a social person, but she is now. Every day at 3:00, people gather at the fireside and just talk. There's bingo and volleyball where they don't have to get up. There is weekly live entertainment and happy hour. There are lots of activities that I'm not even aware of yet. They'll have a cooking class or historical subject that's streamed and if people are interested, they can attend that. There's a heated swimming pool that has water aerobics, but it's not open yet because of Covid. They have a gym and personal trainers. It's for rich people and even though she's not rich, there's some money left and my dad provided for her, so that's what the family decided to do. It's elegant on the inside, too. The grounds are spotless and very tasteful. It's just a gorgeous place. Her room is gorgeous. She's got a full kitchen. Although it's a small kitchen, she has a full-size refrigerator. It's beautifully tiled. She's able to bring her cat and all her furniture. It's beyond what I could ever expect. It's expensive, but I don't think it's that much more expensive than the other places and I think they work with you. I don't feel like they're trying to nickel and dime us.

On the upside: Nice residents, beautiful building, beautiful courtyard, nice staff. On the downside: A bait and switch approach to pricing. My mom moved to assisted living several years ago, thinking she would be safe and cared for. It was expensive, but she had saved for it. However, within two years, even the basic services were cut, while the prices DOUBLED!!! She has to count every item of clothing and put it on a list in order to have the laundry done. The consequence is that they do almost no laundry for her. The brunch that we heard so much about was cut to every other week. Bathrooms are not renovated to be handicap accessible unless you pay for it. Twice we pushed her button for help and NO ONE CAME FOR 45 MINUTES. Residents who need help with socks or other minor things, end up just doing it themselves, because no one shows up for 30-40 minutes. But the worst part is that the cost for care is absolutely unpredictable and every little thing adds to a points system that even the managers have trouble explaining without a computer. My mom feels like she can't breathe differently without being charged for it. This was not what we were sold. Imagine planning for your future and having the costs double in a year! It has put her in a state of anxiety and we are thinking of moving her again. Not what you want for your aging parent.

Byron Park is very friendly and attractive. The food is good. As long as our mother was in Independent Living, we had no complaints. However, when she moved to Assisted Living, the services we were paying extra for-- dressing, hygiene, bathing-- were only inconsistently provided. We had to badger BP on several occasions and finally had to hire outside help in addition to the BP package. On the day our mother died, it took me two hours to get there. When I arrived, I found my mother uncovered, sprawled on the floor, her limbs twisted, her clothes hiked up from the fall. She was alone except for the cemetery driver who had just arrived without a helper because he had not been warned to expect a body on the floor as is normal. No one met me or warned me. I helped the cemetery driver get my mother onto a gurney. The bracelet she always wore-- of some monetary value and great sentimental value-- was not on her wrist. We never found it. When we complained to friends who had parents in various Assisted Living facilities about the level of service BP was providing, or not, they would tell us, "They are all the same. Perhaps, but if I were looking again, I would not choose Byron Park. It takes more than lots of smiles.

When I could no longer care for my husband alone we moved to Byron Park. We chose an appartment that has 1 Bedroom one bath and a Den. The appartmen in Assisted Living had just recently been renovated and is very comfortable. We have a new Executive Chef and the food is great. There activities all day long, as well as outings for shopping, dining out and entertainment and bus/van service to appointments. There is also a heated swimming pool and a great hot tub. My husband received excellent care from the Assisted Living Staff. Since he passed away I have had loving support from the staff and the many friends I have made here. I plan on staying here and highly recommend to you and/or you loved ones.

Generally, Byron Park was very pleasant. The staff member who showed us around was great. She gave us a lot of time, a lot of details, and she answered a lot of our questions. The food was good. The dining area looked nice and very pleasant. They have a pool, a small gym, a nice courtyard garden, and a library. They also have multiple classes.

I really liked Byron Park, it was clean. The people who did the tour and the receptionist at the desk were right on the ball and had a lot of good information. The facilities were very nice and the rooms were spacious. It had more of what we were looking for and it was well-kept and had a good layout. They have an exercise room, gardening, swimming, water aerobics, and free dining. You can go anytime, you don't have to go at certain times for the meals. The hallways and the rooms were spacious. They had movies, exercise classes inside and outside, and they have trips to different places in the community. They offered a lot.

My father-in-law was at Byron Park. He was in the assisted care, but he had full time care. The food was not that good, but the staff was excellent. The facility was nice. The rooms were nice, and you had a choice of different sizes. It was clean. They had a pool and nice outdoor grounds. It was on a busy street, but it had grounds at the back. They needed to improve on the food, but I thought they were working on it.

I thought Byron Park was lovely, very professional looking, and clean. The facility was just lovely. I would have moved there. We did take a tour and had brunch there -- the food was fine. It was nice and clean, the staff was friendly and professional, and we were very impressed. We were hoping that my mother-in-law would stay there. The rooms we looked at were the one and two bedrooms. Nice facility, and I don't have anything negative to say about them.

My father is at Byron Park, and he's very happy there. He chose it. It's pretty much top of the line. His insurance pays for everything. He is totally taken care of. He can go down to the restaurant for 3 meals a day. He has an apartment, a kitchen, a den. They're beautiful. He's quite content, and he can afford it. My father has exercise classes. They have entertainment, readings, movies, and lectures. I can't be there every week, but I'm comfortable knowing that he's being taken care of.

I thought Byron Park was also an excellent facility, and I thought the staff was very good.

The staff was very hospitable. They actually were just recently acquired by another company and I was actually there the day before the new management was coming in so I cannot even begin to comment on the new management. The owner of the property sold it to another company because he was an old gentleman who was retiring. The old management was definitely okay with me and my visit went well. The place was clean, but the actual building was maybe 20 years old. Over the years, as people moved out, they basically changed over the apartment. I saw one apartment where kitchen and cabinets are mismatched, so that kind of turned me off. But despite how the years were showing, it was well kept and organized. I love the place and I hope the new management would renovate it and put in improvements, so it would be better than it was when I visited. I heard they're planning to do that. I think the new management should definitely invest on renovating the place.

This facility is located right off of Tice Valley Boulevard, which is a nice and central part of Walnut Creek. Originally, Byron Park offered only independent living, but last year, added assisted living, too. This has been a very welcome development for residents already there, since now there are more options for them to stay and age in place. There is no dedicated memory care. Visitors encounter one strange detail at first: There's no parking right outside in front"”although there's valet set-up so people can be dropped off near the front door. The parking is next to the building, and it's not clear how to get in. This could be a drawback for those who are not able to ambulate easily. There's a courtyard with a big yard that's nicely landscaped. The building is distinctive, as it looks kind of like a castle; some of the rooms even have turrets. It looks small from the outside, but that's a mirage. In the back, it opens up onto a courtyard, with many buildings for housing. There are 17 different kinds of floor plans for residents to choose from: studios to two-bedroom, two-bath units. The living spaces are quite spacious and well-designed. Once inside the main building, there's a reception desk with mandatory sign-in, overseen by a friendly and personable staff member. There is no grand foyer, but a room of more intimate scale that feels more like a regular apartment building. Throughout, the place is clean and elegant, but not ostentatious or overwhelming huge"”although it does have a spacious feel and open feeling. The common spaces include a family room, living room and dining rooms, with menus that allow residents to pick and choose a combination of foods daily. The hallways are a bit narrower than most newer buildings, so sometimes, there is a bit of traffic congestion when several residents with walkers are getting to the dining room at the same time. Best of all, the residents seem happy"”and many of them are out and about, going to meals, talking with one another. There seem to be more active individuals here than at many other such facilities. The staff is attentive. In independent living, they contract out with an agency to provide in-home service, which residents can buy at an additional cost; that helps many people bridge the gap between independent and assisted living. This facility may be an especially good fit for couples who are still active. Byron Park maintains a good website, which provides lots of information including costs of care and housing, which starts at $3,165 for a studio and $4,970 for a two-bedroom, two-bath unit.

Walnut Creek is a eastern suburb of Oakland, Ca. and is a lovely area. Byron Park is an approximately 21 year old facility that is a four/five story complex with a little under 200 apartments. It has recently been licensed for a large portion of these apartments to be assisted living. Currently under ownership changes, the facility is having a new facelift with a new kitchen being one of the biggest changes. Staff is friendly and courteous.

Byron Park offers independent living and assisted living. I've had clients in both. The assisted living part is on its own floor with a separate dining room. It's a very nice facility located in a mixed commercial/residential neighborhood, with limited parking and an outdoor pool"”though I've never seen anyone use it. The apartments are lovely; Sunny. Large. They have both studios and 1 bedroom, and the 1 bedroom units are very large. The staff are very nice, caring, knowledgeable. They know the residents well, and they offer good management of medications. The ownership seems to be in transition, but the manager of the assisted living part is very nice and professional. Residents often complain about the quality of food. They have a good activity director and lots going on"”speakers, religious services, games, music. They also offer transportation to nearby stores. Highly functioning residents do well here.

I was impressed with a lot of the details at Byron Park on a recent visit to scope out possible homes for Mom and Mom-in-law. In general, everything seemed clean and well-maintained and the staff friendly and helpful. Residents seemed active and independent. Nice mountain views from most units, and a fairly quiet location. Particular pluses included: -- A greenhouse where residents can do year-round gardening. Seems like a great therapeutic idea. -- Document-shredding service provided. Most of the seniors I know are pretty concerned about privacy. What a great idea! -- Regular rummage sales for charity. A neat way to help with those accumulation challenges. -- A separate bus for medical appointments makes transportation more flexible. Of concern: -- Location is a bit out-there. You'll need their bus or a taxi to get to BART, entertainment or major shopping. -- Swimming pool isn't heated, and Mom-in-law likes to swim year-round.