When we moved my mother from Arizona to Oakland so that she could be closer to us, we looked at numerous continuing care communities in the Bay Area before deciding on St. Paul's. However, while we weighed all of my mother's options carefully (I actually created a grid rating each one in numerous areas), my sister and I knew the moment we walked in that this was the place we hoped she would select - and she did! The difference in the energy and alertness levels of residents was immediately apparent - even people using walkers and wheelchairs were energetic, welcoming, and "present." If you can afford to live here, we would say go for it! Not only was the staff always kind, polite, and attentive, the St. Paul's Towers structure is one that encourages social interaction and engagement - residents have a say in running the facility, the number and quality of political, social, and cultural events and exercise classes had no rivals, and the food was fantastic for institutional food (we ate there with our mom regularly) - an important consideration for our mom (plus, even during her last year, when she was less active, it was within easy walking distance of Whole Foods). After our stepfather died (Alzheimer's) and my mom's friends had begun to move away from Prescott, AZ in order to be closer to their own children, she has started to become isolated and we had begun to see a decline in her mental acuity. However, she developed some close friendships while at St. Paul's (again, activities and resident requirements all are conducive to building relationships), and she had become herself again within 6 months of moving there. We credit St. Paul's with extending her life. My mother lived at St, Paul's for a little over 6 years, and was very healthy until the last 6 months before she died. She received excellent care during her short stints in the onsite nursing facility, where we and her new friends were able to visit regularly). During this last period, she was in and out of the hospital frequently - we repeatedly were told by the doctors who cared for her that they hoped to retire to St. Paul's because they saw such a difference between the folks who lived there and those who lived in other facilities. When she passed, about 6 months ago, staff was very kind to us and helped us to plan and execute a beautiful memorial service onsite so that the wonderful people with whom she spent her last years could easily attend.

We think St. Paul's Towers is a nice place that didn't have a smell. It's clean without smelling like Pine-Sol. It had an interesting group of people there, and the food was delicious. They had the medical component, library, gym, and activities. The doctors were right downstairs, and the hospital was on the top floor.

St. Paul's Towers was a little more expensive. The other thing was the fact that it was more like a hotel and everything was one building, which was kind of a negative for me. But my friend who has moved into this place has been there for four or five years.

I visited St. Paul's. It looked too small. The rooms were too small. The staff was nice. St. Paul's was nice, but it wasn't for me.

We attended a conference at St. Paul's Towers and a number of residents spoke to us. The staff were very helpful and we were really impressed. They provided a nice luncheon and gave us a tour. There were one bedroom, studio and two bedroom rooms available. The rooms were well laid-out and there were extra storage spaces available. There were also a number of activities and various rooms like wood shop room, libraries in each floor. The only downside was the lack of other shops around. There was only one grocery store in the immediate area.

This is a CCRC (continuing care retirement community) that offers independent living, assisted living, dementia care, and skilled nursing. I've had a client there for four years who started in independent living 15 years ago, then moved to assisted living, and is now in skilled nursing. I've not been at all happy with the care they provide. They park people in the activity room--and little happens in between activity periods. Just this past week, we discovered bed sores on her buttocks--the third time we've seen that kind of thing in the last few years. And the staff in each case was unaware.They're just not thorough in their care. It's a warehouse situation. They dress the residents and put them in a wheelchair for the day. They're dressed, fed, and that's it. They offer minimal care beyond that. There's not much interaction, no attempt to engage them...just the bare minimum. We've offered to provide dementia care instruction and were declined. The meals are fair, nothing special. There's just no attention to detail.

(I wrote this for ST. Paul's under another category, probably "assisted living". My experience with parents there has been very positive.) This is an excellent facility offering independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing all in one large building. My mother-in-law moved into a two bedroom apartment with my post-stroke father-in-law the year the facility opened. He died within a couple of years and she transferred to a one-bedroom apartment, where she lived for four decades. She repeatedly said how glad she was to have made the move and how happy she was with the facility. St.Paul's is next to Oakland's Lake Merritt Park, where one can listen to band concerts in summer, walk the three miles around the lake, visit the bird refuge, rent small boats, watch children play. For the active retiree it is an easy walk to BART (the rapid transit system with trains to San Francisco.) There are various lectures and other activities, and a movie once a week. Limousine service to city events. Driver to bank and to medical appointments. Family and friends may be included (for a fee) at the meals in the large dining hall. The meals are varied and there is a lunch buffet and a Sunday night buffet. For couples, it is convenient to visit a partner who is in a room with a different level of care. The atmosphere is welcoming. There are some gay couples and some members of racial minority groups. All are well treated by staff members and residents. DO check the price structure directly with the facility as prices on other web sites are not always up to date.