My husband moved into Raksha Care Homes. He's rehabilitating, and there are some people there too that have some memory problems, and they do physical therapy. I've gone there twice a day every single day, and I can walk there. Everything about it is very, very nice. They have a beautiful patio out front where they take him out, and my grandchildren can stand on the sidewalk, talk to him and stuff like that. He has a very nice room. He really likes the food, everything is homemade food, organic, so it's really a top place. They're all very, very nice. The day before I went to see him, and they were helping him, they have like a ballet bar on the wall, they have him grab the bar, get up out of his wheelchair and then sit down again. If he can transfer like that it's so much better even if he's wheelchair bound. Hopefully he can get stronger and do that better.

My friend who is now a resident of Raksha was originally at home. Afraid to transition from home to an assisted living community, he found comfort in being able to stay in Albany, close to his long-term friends and relatives that are close-by. The homes have a distinct feeling of home, friendly staff, and a comfortable, at-home feel. Management and staff are incredibly supportive and attentive. Most importantly, they listen and actively work to support their residents in providing the best possible care. I have tested this first-hand. Making several requests on behalf of my friend, any other AL would probably have been annoyed, but not these people. They are always accessible by phone, email, in-person. That mattered most to us. They are actively involved in their residents and you can actually see they want to serve them. I would highly recommend this place as I visit this care home on a regular basis and my friend is a happy resident. We only wish more AL facilities offered this kind of care and attention to to detail.

Before you decide to place your loved one at raksha be sure to call Alameda County Dept of Social Serivce (this Dept has oversight over assisted living facilites in Alamedda County) to see if there were any complaints filed against raksha. Alameda County Dept of Social Service phone: 510 286 4355; 510 286 4201. raksha has been investigated by DSS for multiple issues & complaints filed by family members. I would not have given it any star. It does not deserve any star. One star was given just for rating references. The rating should be negative - and no stars at all.