RN3 Loving Care Homes

This review is long overdue. My Dad had the good fortune of living for over 4 years in two wonderful homes operated by Meina Wu. She is an incredibly compassionate RN who has built a team of equally caring and compassionate caregivers. My Dad needed 24×7 care following a stroke. He spent 3 weeks in another care facility that did not meet my high standards (I am also a nurse). With the help of a geriatric specialist, I found Loving Care Homes. What a difference! Meina is very proactive in caring for her clients. She made sure my dad got up and walking several times a day. They cook homemade meals 3 times a day and all the clients eat together in the dining room. I know that Meina’s proactive care absolutely made his quality of life better and also prolonged his life. She was also very proactive in helping me obtain hospice services for him which also made a big difference for him by getting an electric hospital bed and helped us out financially with his medications.
Forever grateful. Thank you Meina.

I am always happy to communicate with people who are going through the very difficult task of finding a place for their parents. There are so many considerations. Here are a few of my thoughts on Buckingham (RN3 Loving Care Home IV).
The care is exceptional as far as bathing, dressing, food, and upkeep of the facility. The people who work there are compassionate and caring. The food is nutritious and adapted to individual needs. Meina Wu is a excellent nurse (RN) and manages meds, small cuts and bruises with exceptional skill. There is no nickel and dimeing for bandages etc.
I had both of my parents in care and we changed to several facilities due to change of their status and the unsuitability of care. It has been very difficult. My mother has been with Meina and her health has improved. She had type II diabetes when she went there and with proper diet she no longer has to use any insulin etc. Mother had a very uncomfortable vaginal rash. The site she was At charged $ 15 each time they applied cream. When she moved to Meina’s care home I asked about the cream as I didn’t see it on her bill for meds. Meina told me mother didn’t need it. I was quite surprised as it had been a persistent problem. I asked Meina about it again and she told me that mother had a shower every day and that problem had gone away. I was astounded. How could the other place not showered an incontenent woman every day?!
I would be remiss if I didn’t add the only thing I find lacking there and that is activities. In other places mother has been they sang songs, played with balls, etc. I have spoken with Meina about this many times. I thought I was going to be able to help out but I have had serious health problems in the last several years and could take nothing on.
But no place is perfect and good care is paramount. I find Meina and Enjie’s pricing is very fair, the care wonderful.
If you would like to call me I would be happy to talk to you. 510−540−8321. Good luck with making your choice.
Sincerely
Muffett Grahsm

My mother passed away in July, 2015. She lived for the last five years of her life at the RN3 Loving Care Home where she was exceptionally well cared for in her final stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The owner of RN3, Meina Wu, took wonderful and thoughtful care of Mom through personal attention and the efforts of a dedicated and loving staff. Our family was impressed with how well staff made sure all residents were always clean, well groomed and eating properly; and that the facility always felt — and smelled — like a real home.
We have the highest regard for Meina for the way she manages RN3, and for providing a caring environment under difficult circumstances for families trying to ensure a safe and loving place for aging parents who need the right kind of support. We highly recommend RN3 Loving Care Homes for prospective residents and their families for whom it’s a good fit.
Mike G.
El Cerrito, CA

My wife’s grandpa is 85, and he had a stroke a few years ago, and never recovered. RN3 Loving Care Homes was highly recommended by the agency, and after we visited the place, I have to say we were so impressed by how organized, clean, and neat they are. This is our first time to look for a care giving home, not the easiest of things to do, and we felt RN3 went above and beyond.
First, a description of the living environment. The house is on a very quiet street, with flowers all around the house. Every elder has their own room, and the living room is very big, and able to accommodate all the elders at once. The house is very clean and neat.
Second of all, the staff, they are super nice and warm. Meina Wu is so sweet to our grandpa. She used to be a nurse, so she’s familiar with lots of medical stuff which made us feel very reassured when we put our grandpa there. She is very patient answering all questions, caring, and remembers all of elders’ birthdays. She always arranges a little party for them, and I feel she really treat them as her own family. The staff also makes sure to give the elder a bath every day to keep them really clean.
Thirdly, they prepare and cook a variety of food for different elders, since their conditions are different. My grandpa gained over 10 pounds after he moved in! I can’t believe how good they took care of him.
Over all, I would not hesitate to recommend RN3 Love Care homes to others. The staff are super professional, knowledgeable, caring and excellent communicators. They know strategies to deal with the demented client. Because we have them on board, my family feels a peace of mind, reassured that our grandpa is being taken cared of with love, respect and dignity.

I have great experience when I was working at RN3 Loving Care Home in El Cerrito. The overall facility is presentable, comfortable, and secure. When I worked there, the most feedbacks I heard from the elderly are as followings: I love the food here. I enjoy the tea and popcorn staying outside. It is such a pleasant place to live.
We do care our presidents from the heart. Meina does such an excellent job. She knows each president and caregiver’s birthday. Almost every other month we celebrate birthdays with cakes, cards, and gifts.
I enjoy working there. It is not only a job for me but also my self satisfaction is fulfilled when I see my residents are getting better, getting strong, and being happy. RN3 Loving Care Home is the best place for your loving ones.

Re: RN3 Loving Care Homes, 917 Elm St., El Cerrito, CA
Our mother is 96, and this is the third time over the past few years she has gone to RN3 Loving Care Homes in El Cerrito for rehabilitation, as El Cerrito is her home town. The first two times were temporary as she had taken a couple of falls, but now that she has developed dementia, and her needs have increased, she is anticipated to remain.
After living at home with her two sons, she was admitted to the hospital for a skin condition, which couldn’t be treated at home. Between that, and the onset of dementia, when she was ready to leave the hospital it was suggested she be placed in a home where she could be cared for full time. We did not hesitate to contact RN3 Loving Care Homes. Since Meina Wu is a registered nurse, and although this is not a skilled nursing facility, it is comforting to know there is someone knowledgeable close by who can properly handle an emergency situation. Meina, Enjie, and the rest of their staff have worked with our family to make sure our mom has continued to make a full recovery. As nurses and physical therapists visited her over the course of a few weeks, I got nothing but positive feedback, and as her physical therapist put it, «This facility is one of the cleanest, well run places I have ever visited, and be assured your mother is in the right place.»
Since the Elm Street location is only three blocks from her home, it is very convenient for the family to visit often. Each time we visit, we can see our mother’s continued improvement. She will not recover from dementia, but overall, she looks healthier and happier than she has been in a long time. The staff is always cheerful and it is very clear they are attentive to her needs. What our mother is able to share with us is that it is peaceful and quiet, the other residents are well behaved, she enjoys the staff, and she really likes the food. I don’t think we could ask for more.

My 98 year old mom has been living at the Buckingham site for the last two and half years and has been thriving. Previously she lived in a reputable assisted living facility where I paid a lot more money, and we were constantly having to meet her in emergency room because of falls and a couple of very serious illnesses. I had to be constantly vigilant. Since mom has been at Loving Care, she has just had a mild cold and it went away quickly because of Meina’s care. I also have felt comfortable for the first time to go on vacation without worrying. Also, since she has lived here, she doesn’t take any medication, just vitamins.
My mom is always clean and beautifully groomed. I feel that she is treated as a loving family member.
I should add, that this is not a place if you want activities and outings. It’s more like having your love one living at home.

Our Mom stayed here for 6 weeks from mid November til the end of the year, 2014. This review is intended to inform folks considering this place, which is actually a few different homes in same area under same management. Meina Wu, the RN who runs these homes, has a domineering stubborn streak which makes communication difficult, and readily admitted that they «do not give medication» — which in her own unique way says that they cannot handle elders who have a very detailed medication list or have significant care needs. Yet she DOES care about her residents and can handle those with simple needs such as feeding, cleaning, peace of mind, and simple medication.
Unfortunately I cannot recommend RN3LovingCareHomes. 921 Elm was the location that our Mom stayed in, among 3 board and care houses in a row where workers shifted from one to the next.
The good: the CNA’s, caregivers, and helpers are all well intended, caring, sincere, and very hard working people, so again: if your Mom or Grandpa does not need much medication or medical help of any importance, this could be a great place to take them.
The bad: if your loved one is in need of important, detailed medicine or has care needs that might include bandaging wounds, physical therapy, intensive care, or simply night care that involves changing a diaper, taking to the bathroom often, or has falling issues, etc, then this is NOT the place to take them.
We had to constantly monitor these people: it took numerous visits by Kaiser Home Health Care nurses and PT’s just to scratch the surface. They had to train the workers in many basic medical practices such as dressing and bandaging wounds and giving medication properly. In fact I personally had to instruct each caregiver how to dispense my Mom’s meds and I do not work in the medical field in any way. The understanding of the English language is so poor here, most of them could not even understand the medication list even when it was clearly revised twice by the HHC nurses !
On so many occasions, I caught them about the give the wrong dose because they could not simply understand adding a 10 mg pill to a 2.5 mg pill to make a total dose of 12.5 ! Again there were major road blocks because of language comprehension.
Also of concern is they give medicine by hand, often not washing hands between activities (!)
On the first night that we hired night care, Meina told this person to stand outside the room, and we reported this to the agency. Meina told us that her caregivers could sleep on the couch and «hear» if my Mom was having any problems and then take care of it. Beyond the idiocy of this idea, there is the simple fact that on most nights the in house caregiver sleeps way down the hall. If a resident needs help they are out of luck and up a creek without a paddle. The one caregiver provided needs to sleep at night to function the next day and only gets up a couple times to check in on residents.
In fact we ended up hiring a night sitter from a 24 hour care company to stay with my Mom. There is no way that an elderly resident with anything like Alzheimer’s or recovering from a stroke with a fall-​risk or maybe just has to use the bathroom or get changed often, can be safe and comfortable. This extra help costs were about $ 1000 per week, so that brought our bill for the month to about $ 10,000 when added to the board and care rent.
The upshot is that it is incredibly difficult to find ANY board and care facility that has the medical knowledge and staff to handle ANYONE with significant needs, and Meina’s RN3 LovingCareHomes are not exception. Unless your loved on has very simply care needs such as being fed and cleaned, this place will not be safe. I give two stars for the things they do well for simple needs elders, and again they all were really wonderful people, but as described here-​in, for our Mom that was by far not nearly enough.