Chaparral House

My mother stayed at Chaparral House for 8 weeks for rehab following a 2 week hospital stay where she was treated for a severe leg infection and septic shock. We had shopped around a few skilled nursing facilities in the area that had gotten good reviews but were disheartened by the general depressing atmosphere of those facilities and were thrilled when we found this one.
When she arrived at Chaparral House she was completey non ambulatory and had to be taken in and out of bed with a Hoyer lift, but after 8 weeks of working with the fantastic PT and OT staff she was able to walk out of there with her walker last week. While she was there my sister and I visited every day for several hours at a time, and saw operations in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings on both weekdays and weekends. I can’t say enough good things about the staff here, just that I was impressed at every level — from admissions to nursing assistants to therapists to activities staff and even laundry and custodial, everyone was incredibly helpful and empathetic and made her stay here very comfortable and effective. Therapists Linda and Corrine were absolutely fantastic as was director Deanna who was very involved in my mom’s care plan every step of the way. The only thing that would have pleased me more with her therapy was if it could have been on a somewhat more regular schedule, but my understanding is that they didn’t have enough residents requiring therapy at the time my mother was there so the therapy staff were all part time and had to be at other facilities at fluctuating times. The consistency did improve in her last few weeks though and she could generally count on seeing her therapists each weekday before noon. The nursing staff were also great, tolerating my constant pestering questions about all her medications, changes in dosage, requests to switch pain meds until we finally found the perfect one that worked quickly and effectively without making her too groggy for therapy, etc. The largest complaints that we had were a couple of incidents where she had to wait upwards of an hour for someone to change an overflowing diaper so she could continue with her physical therapy session. It only happened a couple of times over an 8-​week stay and when we voiced our complaints they were addressed immediately and it never happened again, so my review stands at 5 stars.
Aside from the fabulous staff, Chaparral House also has a lovely organic vegetable and herb garden which is used to supplement resident meals and very large, beautifully maintained grounds that we walked around every day and ate lunch in many times. Pretty much every day the activities team had something engaging scheduled such as live music, little outings to nearby venues, book readings and crafts or games in the main activity room. My mother rarely participated in these until the very end of her stay because she focused most of her energy on therapy and then preferred to relax in her room the rest of the time, but I was impressed enough that I thought it needed a mention here. Overall I’m extremely satisfied with our experience at Chaparral House and would recommend it to anyone looking for a skilled nursing facility in the area.

I have visited many skilled nursing facilities in the Bay Area, and Chaprral House is right at the top of the list. Caring staff, many wonderful volunteers, nice grounds, the whole package.

Better place for a loved than any of the others around. I just don’t want to write names of the helpful people because I don’t remember all the names and it’s unfair to them.

A dear friend came to Chaparral House after a bad fall. The team there was warm, professional and extremely helpful. They all seem to have an extra degree of patience for their guests and a tender way of communicating. I can’t say enough great things about the staff! Thank you!

Our 83 yr. old mother just spent almost 3 months at Chaparral House following a car accident. The overwhelming benefit of this establishment is the staff. Every last one of them is incredibly kind, loving, and patient with the clients. i visited 6 days/​week and observed gentle and tender treatment of people who couldn’t care for themselves. Their competent nursing staff alerted our doctor when things didn’t look right. they have daily activities available for entertainment. We are grateful for the care they gave our mother.

Investigations are proceeding: CA Dept of Health, and Board of Vocational Nursing. Please read my primary review that this follows up for details of major problems and horrendous medication mistakes. Those of you reading other reviews please note the difference between weak reviews supported by comments based on very limited experience and what you are reading now: Me and my Sister spent so many hours advocating for my Mom here we should have been paid by the Dept of Health. One will never know what goes on in the deep hours unless they stick it out and fight for their parent, or grandparent like we did, (if you have to, or are otherwise lucky enough that he or she is very low maintenance and can speak for themselves).
Unfortunately, but like many of those we observed at Chaparral, our Mom was more or less helpless and at the mercy of whomever was the caretaker of the moment, most of whom were wonderful, (Vern, Ogen, Norbu, Tsering, and CNA’s Mary, Nordu, and others) but with a nurse like the aptly named (Bad) Karma, breaking time release capsules, nearly choking the patient by laying her flat immediately after giving meds with food, and playing the role of Doctor by making his own decisions on NOT giving the crucial heart medicine Cardizem that went against instructions, no one is safe.
The sad part is we thought this would be the place where we would NOT have to work so hard to get things right. Before we plunked down our 12K for the first month this is what we were led to believe. Probably worse is the fact that so much happens under the radar here that is missed by the average family member who drops their Mom or Dad off and expects everything to be taken care of. You want to believe this is a cut above the sad places where Grandma slumps in her wheelchair at the nursing station in her drool or waste on the weekend because of low staffing levels. Guess what; this IS that place for 3 times the cost, and NOT covered by insurance, unless your lucky enough to qualify for Med-​I-​Cal. (But you’d be unlucky here).
We noticed that the large majority of patients at Chaparral did not have anywhere near the level of advocacy as we for our Mom, in fact we saw few visitors. That leaves a lot to go unnoticed. For every mistake made with our Mom during her stay, we could only imagine how many mistakes were and are made with others. The fact that they have a better choice of activities and volunteers (but only on weekdays) than the typical nursing home does not make up for the mistakes and bad communication. For God-​sakes, it took a month for them to fix the medication list so that nurses could read it properly. It took a month for diet preferences to be fixed. We were NOT ever told there was a weekly menu that we could pick from or add to. I found out ACCIDENTALLY…“Hey what’s this ?” On my Mom’s first day there, they could not even use the meds we got from the pharmacy as we’d arranged and set up with them so they had to order meds they did not have in stock, some of which did not come in that day ! On my Mom’s first night the on call nurse forgot to give her the sleep meds and she was a wreck the next day. They could not ever get the proper heart medicine on order and had to give a substitute. They finally realized their mistake and fixed the problem but not til mid week.
To note: we loved MOST of the nurses and CNA’s. But unfortunately, with poor management (KJ and Sue), seeing now many emails it took to get any changes and needs communicated, and with just ONE terribly careless nurse, the safety and health of patients can be greatly compromised. We were also disappointed with the therapists; Deanne the director had a very poor rapport with the PT, ST, and OT, all of who were limited in there skills and effort. After a month and a half, there was barely a clear plan. The terrible nurse, ironically named Kamra, who’s should have his license stripped, is still on the job there, for now, pending investigation as noted. At worst my final hope is that he, and management will be scared into doing things correctly, carefully, better, clearer. Ultimately a nursing home is only as good as its weakest link. 10– 15 amazing nurses and CNA’s cannot make up for the one who is putting lives in jeopardy.

We moved my father here after much research and with high hopes. We chose the Chaparral House because it was independently owned and we were attracted to its promises of a stimulating environment and a staff and set of interns and volunteers who would keep up my father’s spirits and treat him with respect. We also chose this place because we thought my father would be safe and physically well cared for – he had advanced Parkinson’s and was prone to falling. The Chaparral House came through in terms of safety and, with some prodding, making sure he was clean and well-​kept, but in terms of his emotional health it was a complete failure. Promises of interns or volunteers who would engage him in his sets of interests (art, music, languages) never materialized – he spent most of his time in bed, or was parked in a common space. The nursing staff did not seem to communicate with one another and no one seemed to be coordinating his care, and whenever I called to see how he was doing, I was made to feel like a bother and I know he felt this way too – the frequent checks made of him that kept him safe were always perfunctory. In scheduled phone conferences to discuss his care (including the introductory conference that they delayed for months), the staff was often late and then cut me and my siblings off early. My father took a while with his speech and no one seemed to have the patience or desire to try and talk with him and he became profoundly depressed. The food was sub-​par (scandalously so given the expense of the place) and reflected the general lack of care. Granted, my father was not easy at this point in his life, but I also know that this was in part because he felt uncared for by the staff – at the prior assisted living place which could no longer meet his physical needs, the staff was loving and patient and he had good relations with them that brought him pleasure and lifted his spirits.

Overpriced. I believe they are understaffed. The nurses or cnas do not spend quality time with residents, instead they just hand out meds and document numbers all day. What happened to the warmth in nursing, have we fallen so far? Luckily they have an activity department, but even then, your loved will most likely end up lying in bed all day.

My father has been at Chaparral House for a month’s stay to continue rehab from a fall. The loving and professional care at Chaparral has made me change my mind about skilled nursing facilities. I used to think of nursing homes as pissy smelling places of despair, but after this experience at Chaparral I now know that they can be just the opposite! Chaparral House, embodied by P.A. the administrator, the nursing, dietary, and rehab staff, the energetic volunteers and the resident kitties are all like a loving extended family in a great big home with (41 at capacity) grandparents to dote on. There is even a lovely organic garden outside. The best compliment I can pay Chaparral is that if I am in need of a skilled nursing facility later on in life, and if Chaparral is still run the way it is today– SIGN ME UP!

I recently helped out at their Christmas party: Reading appropriate stories to the assembled attendees. The care and attention the staff gave these wonderful folks was touching. Although I was an outsider I felt a warm and welcoming embrace as I worked with the staff to put on the event. Erika, the events planner, was especially helpful, serving as an interim emcee.

It has taken me awhile to write this review after loosing my Mother on October 13^th. Even as i start this review, I am finding it difficult to write. My mother spent her final days on this earth at Chaparral House and overall the experience was truly wonderful. I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the entire staff of Chaparral House. The team from the Director of Admissions P.A. Cooley, to the Nursing and rehab team, the Kitchen Crew, namely Stephon, and the residents are truly amazing and caring people. Everyone I came into contact there was professional, kind and welcoming. The facility is clean and well ran.
If you or anyone you know needs a skilled nursing facility for an aging parent, this is the place.
Bless you all and the work that you do…
Sincerely,
Shelby Dantzler

You wouldn’t expect such a lush green place between Sacramento Street and San Pablo Ave — but there it is, almost unreal, a pretty, modern, lively site that takes care of older people for whom this haven has become home. Although relatively small, the inside has wide hallways, and the main area, where the nurses sit — the hub of life — is especially generous. A very thoughtful extra: the desks, where the nurses are sitting and working and answering the residents’ questions are low so that you, in a wheelchair, come face to face with them. A unique and very good idea!
While this is a non-​profit home, it is not cheap, their daily rate is among the highest in Berkeley and Oakland. Another thing to keep in mind: In order to be accepted, you need to bring a lot of money up-​front. Not that you have to «buy yourself in», but if you are privately paying (and show that you can do just that for a couple of years at least) you will move to the head of the line for a space. If you only come with your Medi-​Cal card, you’ll probably won’t make it in — although it’s not impossible.

Yet another special «only in Berkeley» place. My mom spent her last four years here. I always referred to it as being like a summer camp for fragile elders. Although a 5 star rated Skilled Nursing Facility, you won’t find tedious institutional paint nor the odor of antiseptic wafting about. The grounds are lovely. Great programs, reliable care services and an extraordinary area from which to draw its eclectic band of volunteers combine with a caring staff to make the best possible environment for our family members who are no longer safe in their own homes. If you are making these difficult choices with/​for someone in your life, do take the time to ‘vette what’s available at Chaparral House!

Non profit skilled nursing center with many activities for their residents. The numerous volunteers, staff, nurses that do an excellent job in maintaining the comfort of the residents. The facility itself is very Berkeley, diverse in colors, bright, friendly, with mini gardens, piano, and activity rooms. Definitely a rewarding place to volunteer.