Stoneridge Creek

So it’s been almost a year since my last update…
I think the dining issues are pretty much worked out at Stoneridge. Whether or not you end up liking the food is obviously a matter of individual taste, but the service and quality issues are not issues any more. In fact, the dining rooms are pretty busy and my parents, while picky, don’t complain about dining at Stoneridge much these days.
We’ve also had to deal with some health-​related challenges in the last year and overall Stoneridge has been up to the task. The one caveat is that we had some very serious concerns with the availability of skilled nursing through the Creekview facility that is bundled with residency at Stoneridge Creek. At the time, my father was recuperating from surgery and Stoneridge management sent out very mixed messages as to whether Creekview was operational. The bottom line is that we felt that Stoneridge management wasn’t forthright about the problems they were having getting Creekview operational and they were not ready to take in Stoneridge residents even though they were advertising that they were.
Notwithstanding some difficulties dealing with Stoneridge management on this issue, in the end everything worked out and I have to give kudos to Stoneridge’s staff, especially the EMT folks who are on call ²⁴⁄₇. Our issues are probably pretty common when you are one of the first residents in a new continuing care facility and from all I’ve seen, the early problems have been resolved. As it is, I don’t think there is a safer place for older folks around and I sleep well knowing my parents have the care and security provided by the very capable staff of Stoneridge.
The only REAL issue with Stoneridge at this point is outside of the control of Stoneridge… it is the rampant overdevelopment of the area (both residential and retail). The local cities have created a traffic and congestion nightmare locally and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight… in fact, there’s yet another shopping center going in across the street. So with all the new housing and the outlets down the street, traffic is going to go from being bad (especially around Christmas shopping season, when the backups can stretch miles) to unbearable. But this is not within the control of Stoneridge Creek, so the only solution can come from local government.

Full disclosure: I work at Stoneridge Creek. However, the reason I work here is because my mother lived in a ccrc in the DC area and I understood the concept and value of continuing care. I compare everything that Stoneridge Creek offers to what my mom’s place offered, and hands down– it is 5 star. Where her movies were shown in an auditorium with folding chairs, the SRC movie theater seats almost 100 people and has cushy seats with drink holders and popped popcorn! The art classes are college-​level and my mom’s was more like crafts. The food at her place was more like deluxe cafeteria-​style and SRC has restaurant-​quality food. The restaurants did have some initial hiccups (as all new restaurants do) but the food is really good and the service is friendly and accommodating. Many of the seniors who live here wrote great reviews, but because Unilocal only considers «regular reviewers» before posting, their reviews don’t show up. No one asked me to write this, I just happened to see Unilocal and decided to write from a former customer of a ccrc’s point of view. I honestly feel that this community is an asset to the northern CA retirement scene and I couldn’t resist reviewing it as a daughter who can compare it to other similar places – and would have loved for my mom to have lived here.

We moved my mother-​in-​law into Stoneridge Creek in January this year. We and she love it. What a big relief for her to no longer have to try to care for her old home and yard. She no longer has to worry and cooking if she doesn’t want, and always has plenty of things to do and lots of new friends to see during the day. Having the residents press a button to check in every morning is such a big relief to us. We no longer have to play phone tag with her and each other on who last talked to her and when. It is a pet friendly place and has beautiful surroundings with lots of classes and such to keep her entertained. She is now centrally located to all of her kids and we enjoy being able to see her on a regular basis. Also knowing that Assisted Care is onsite if she ever needed it, is a big relief to us and to her as she always worries about us spending money on her and the cost of Assisted Care can be quite overwhelming if not financially planned for. Since her monthly fee would cover this extra care if ever need, it is one less thing we all have to think about. We love Stoneridge Creek and even more importantly, mom loves Stoneridge Creek.

My husband and I moved into Stoneridge Creek Retirement Community the week it opened. I am familiar with most of the luxury retirement facilities in the Bay Area, and this is, by far, the best buy. The architecture is stunning, with many choices available for different floor plans and buildings. The landscape is beautifully maintained, and irrigated with recycled water. We have found the residents to be highly educated and very accomplished, and have made many friends. Together, we have formed a warm,
stimulating and satisfying community. Best of all, we have the assurance of being cared for if and when we need it, either in the assisted living facility or the skilled nursing home.

We had no intention of moving to Stoneridge Creek. Then 18 months before SRC was due to open my husband and I drove to Pleasanton from Sunnyvale to visit friends and look at the model of the apartment they would have.
Three days later we signed up! It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We’ve loved it here from the day we moved in, back in September of 2013.
Not only do we have a wonderful life here, but by moving to a continuing care community we’ve also given a gift to our children. If we should ever need assisted living or full-​on nursing care, those facilities are here for us.
I’d encourage anyone who thinks there’s even a small chance they might be open to moving here to pay a visit to the sales office and take a tour. Because SRC is still new, there’s still availability. But the company’s three facilities in Southern California — the first started in 1991 (a long successful track record) — all have long waiting lists.
As I said, we love it here. It’s kind of like living on a cruise ship that stays in one place.

The reply that was posted just adds to the mystery. Just post the range for the monthly rent here, then we will all know. Be up front about it.

This place is trying to be super high brow for the upper crust, but until it can get its kitchen together the best metaphor I can think of is that you’re staying at the Hyatt in the middle of nowhere, but the only restaurant onsite is Denny’s.
I can’t figure out what gets them to skimp on such a super-​important thing while overdoing several others. Clearly they have a big budget (passed on to the customers) but it doesn’t feel balanced with such nice facilities and such horribly atrocious food.
For instance, there’s a state-​of-​the-​art theater that’s a DREAM for anyone in black box or even above black box having to raise funds and put theater on anywhere in the bay. Did it really need to be this nice? Does the PA system have to be so state of the art? Actually, no. Same with the movie theater, gym, pool, and activities rooms. They’re so over-​the-​top nice that many subtle features will be lost on the majority… while the PAINFUL piece, something that everyone has to contend with every single day, is the food. It’s atrocious. Not sure whether they contract with a separate food service company or not (and if not maybe they should!) but in this world of fresh, abundant food that is the Bay Area there is no excuse for the food here to be so bad. The salads taste like they were prepped last week and left in a very cold refrigerator to dry out and lose flavor for days. The fish isn’t fresh and it’s overcooked. I could go on and on.
In addition to how inedible I thought the food was, my friend got horrible food poisoning here, so bad that they’re lucky he wasn’t an elderly resident whose poisoning could have caused much more serious harm. The same friend got «poisoned» again when he ordered tofu on his vegetarian dish but was given chicken instead. We caught that in time after only a bite or two. Our friends who live here complain that it’s the same thing day in, day out, especially the brunch buffet, and they would like to see more variety. I would like to see more quality, which I’d place higher than variety on the priority list.
There’s a lot of drought-​tolerant landscaping, and there’s a lot of green grass, but apparently the water is recycled and not fresh water, so that’s a good thing.
And, the condo units are nicer than I expected based on the restricted choices (choose from this limited list of countertops, cupboards, tiles, etc.), and most people who work there seem genuinely committed to service.
Overall it’s a five-​star establishment with a one-​star food plan.

Funny, I had a totally different experience from the other reviewer. I got the same plastic card in December and went to their office to get my box of See’s candy. I didn’t sign up to move to their community (though it looks like it will be nice) and got the candy as promised.