My husband moved into Westmont of Pinole. Everyone was very welcoming. Everyone had smiles. They gave directions when it looked as if I was lost. They seemed to support one another in the different duties that they were performing. Some asked for help, and others volunteered. The administrative staff was quite congenial and they asked lots of open-ended questions. I didn't feel any pressure. It was one of three times that I visited before making a final decision. And each time that I visited or talked with someone on the phone, they provided the answers to questions that I had concerns with. I wanted to make sure that this was the best fit for my husband and our family. And we decided to go forward. His room is a room that was divided into two parts, A and B, and formerly it was a large room. Some time ago he was in the B section, which is the larger of the two portions. The room is divided by a wall that does not go all the way up to the ceiling. It's maybe about ten or 12 inches. So that there is an opportunity, I guess, for some discussion, If my husband and the gentleman chose to do that. He has two large windows that let in lots of light, but there were, I guess, pulled-down screens that provided light filtering in the evening at night, but it raised during the day. I was happy to see in another apartment that there was a hummingbird feeder that was in front of their window. We have hummingbirds that come to our house. So in trying to make his location as home-like and memorable as possible, I did purchase a tall shepherd's hook that will be placed in front of this window. They haven't done it yet, mainly because I haven't asked them. I plan on asking the manager that operates the facilities to place it, and so he can get hummingbirds to come to visit him. He has a large bathroom with a shower that has a fold- down chair and toilet and sinks. It's easily accessible. And there is an emergency alarm button that is available. He has indicated that he has enjoyed taking the showers there because it's open, so he doesn't feel claustrophobic. They have a calendar of activities, of scheduled things to do, three or four that I remember. He has been out a couple of times from his room, still getting acclimated since it's only been a week and a half. They have bingo. They had a happy hour on Thursday, and the residents seemed to enjoy that. They did have a Mardi Gras on Fat Tuesday. He had not moved in at that point, but we had been invited to attend. Last Wednesday they did give him a bouquet of welcome balloons and some Mardi Gras beads and a couple of other little trinkets. They have access to Direct TV, which he was happy about because he had been watching a lot of TV at home. So, that was available right away. It was hooked up, and so even on the first night, he had access to television, and we were able to set up his Roku. So, he was able to get Netflix and some of the other channels.

I visited the memory care at Westmont of Pinole about 3 years ago but we have some relatives that recently moved in too. The employees were very, very friendly and the place had a warm feeling to it. The only thing that I don't like about it is that the rooms were small. The property is very nice. They had a birdcage and you can sit there and watch the birds lay eggs, then eventually the eggs hatch, and the birds come out. It's very nice. I know my cousin there is very picky but she eats the food. They have very nice people, are very warm, and the employees are very good.

Westmont of Pinole looks like a very nice community and the gal who did the tour, her name was Jennifer, was very helpful, very professional, and very informed. We did a short tour of the assisted living and the memory care facility. I don't know what the quality of care is yet because my mom hasn't moved in, but the facility itself seemed very good. My mother is in another assisted living facility right now and we were talking about moving her into the memory care but theirs is on the second floor with absolutely no outdoor access at all. What impressed me about Westmont is that they have 2 outdoor areas for memory care. From what I saw, the cleanliness is very good too. The memory care has a separate entrance and it's down below on the first floor, sort of backs up against the hillside. The assisted living on floors 2 and 3 has a separate entrance up the hill. It's a very well renovated building. We saw 2 rooms, a large studio, and a small studio, and we also saw a shared studio. I was very impressed with the shared studio because it was very large and it was designed with the 2 beds on separate walls so the individuals have quite a bit of privacy while still being able to share their space with someone else if they wanted to talk to you or not feel alone. The shared studio layout was very impressive. I don't know what the level of staffing and level of care is but just from looking at it, walking through it, seeing the residents, it was excellent. Jennifer was very responsive to my emails and when we showed up in the morning, she had answers to all our questions about it. She showed us both sides, was very knowledgeable and was very approachable. We also met some of the supervisory staff and they seemed very friendly. Of course, everybody's friendly. The people that work there seem to be doing their jobs. I know for this economy, it's tough to maintain staff at these senior facilities because it's not an easy job. The grounds were kept up well, and all the quarters and rooms were nice. The rooms, especially in memory care, came with built-in modern furniture for their use. The bathrooms were fully handicapped-accessible with grab bars.

I went to Westmont of Pinole. They have a separate memory center in a different building. I was invited to come in for an orientation to review their brochure and get information (kind of an assessment of my husband and his current condition). It was in the office area where they have the senior assisted living. When it was time to take the tour of the memory center, we came out of that building and walked a few feet to another building; that's where they have the memory center, so it is more secure. You can tell the difference. I really enjoyed what I saw. The staff was really very engaging as we were taking the tour. I really liked what I saw there. They showed the activities. They have a calendar, and they have an exercise room inside. They have the TV room where they do movie nights. They had along the walls all the different paintings of the birds and animals and just really brilliant pictures. They were doing activities with the big bouncing balls. I didn't see the activities for the assisted living. I saw the activities for the memory care when we walked in. It was nice. I saw the rooms. Some you bring your own TV, some you have to bring your own furniture.

I went and looked at Pinole Senior Village. The staff was very polite, friendly, and helpful. The facility was nice. It would've been a good place if we could afford it. The rooms would've been comfortable for my father. It was kind of a short visit because after we looked at the prices, there wasn't any reason to go forward. It would be a good facility for someone who needs memory care.

My friend moved into Pinole Senior Village, and so far she's been fine. Her room is fine. She doesn't have a lot of furniture and the bathroom is kept clean. The staff has been very helpful, we get along with them, and they're really good. As far as I've seen the food is fine. They have an outside area that's contained, and the facilities are well maintained. They work with her and it's very good.

We toured the Pinole Senior Village. The memory care was down in the basement and it was kind of dark, but they had some outdoor areas where they could go. They didn't have levels of care in the memory unit. The residents were more wheelchair bound and had walkers and had to have more assistance. They weren't level 1 like my dad. They were more level 2s and 3s. The staff was very nice, very friendly, followed up, and called me a couple of times. The dining area was fine.