The Gardens of Riverside — Local services in Riverside

I had to make one of the toughest decisions of my life when I decided that it was time for my grandma to go into memory care. My grandma raised me like her own child, so she has been a mother to me since I was too young to remember.

When searching through my options for placing my grandma, I came across The Gardens of Riverside. I immediately took notice to the immaculate landscaping how modern the care center looked. I scheduled an in-person tour of the facility and I was pleased to see that the pictures didn't do the center justice. The center looked even better than the pictures showed. The grass is perfectly cut, the trees are perfectly pruned, and the rooms are immaculate and clean. The rooms are great, and the bathrooms are amazing. The walk-in showers are extremely accessible. I wish I had a shower for my grandma at home like the walk-in shower that she now has in her room. There are also no odors in the care center.

I also love how reassuring the staff are about the placement process. Stephanie, the executive director, has been wonderfully supportive about the entire process of placement, and even after placement, she has stayed communicative and reassuring.

I love how the staff has done everything in their power to help acclimate my grandmother to the center, even though my grandma does not fully understand what's going on because of dementia. The staff has done an amazing job redirecting my grandma when she wants to leave. The unfortunate result of my grandma's dementia is that she is often confused about what is going on, but the staff are pros at redirecting her. The center also has timed and alarmed exits that can only be opened immediately by staff, which means that I don't have to worry about my grandma wondering away and getting lost. This was a real concern of mine when I was deciding to put my grandma into memory care. Knowing that she's going to be safe makes me so happy.

I love how The Gardens of Riverside does activities with the residents. There is even an activities director that coordinates the various activities that are conducted at the center.

I noticed some of the prior complaints on google reviews and I don't think that they were fair reviews. They seems to be from disgruntled employees. One person said that the management is terrible. I think that the management is amazing in numerous ways. The management is amazing, communicative, and reassuring. Another person said that the staff leaves the floor unattended but has time to sit together and talk about personal life. I disagree with this statement. I see the staff supporting the residents needs. Just because the staff isn't with every single resident at every moment doesn't mean that the residents are not cared for. The residents have the ability to move about the facility as they desire. Although the residents are in memory care, they still have their own rooms, bathrooms, and freedom to do as they desire. The staff is supportive and tries their best to engage the residents, but they can't be expected to follow around every resident at every moment. They regularly check on the residents, especially if they're a fall risk.

I'm glad that I ultimately chose The Gardens of Riverside as my grandma's new residence. She now has more care at the center than she could possibly be given at home, and...

My mother moved into the Gardens of Riverside in September 2020. She had previously lived in a memory care unit at a nearby facility since December 2018. Because of changing life situations, a change in facilities was necessitated. In preparing for the eventual move of my mom, I researched memory care homes in the Inland Empire. The Gardens of Riverside was most appealing in terms of proximity and environment. Their website really had a strong impact on my decision to investigate further. Since I was unable to visit as there were Covid-19 restrictions, the video tour and photos were tremendous help. In addition, the Community Representative was instrumental in helping me make the decision and later the move to Gardens of Riverside. Without her warmth, kindness, and helpfulness, my mother may be living some place else. Since September, I have become more familiar with the Gardens of Riverside, and I can see three main components, three Cs, are evident, cost, care, and compassion. The cost is obviously a very important factor. Memory care is expensive, there is no debate. Depending on where you look, there are facilities that charge double what the Gardens costs. At the Gardens, the cost was within our budget. Furthermore, the Gardens also work with a P.A.C.E. program which by extension works with Medi-Cal recipients. Both of these were instrumental in moving my mother to live at the Gardens of Riverside. The care is a factor that is not readily apparent when researching assisted living facilities. Only until a resident has moved in, can the care really be discerned. I can say that the quality and nature of care my mother has been receiving is wonderful. The attentiveness to her well-being such as her clean clothes, hair and trimmed nails, and cleanliness is obvious. The food she is served looks like something I would enjoy eating. In addition, I receive phone calls from Med-Techs whenever there is something that is need of attention. I feel the quality of care is a reflection of the facility culture. Lastly, the compassion of the staff members that I have come in contact with is readily evident. The staff seem to enjoy working there and approach family as associates, not outsiders. From the Director, to the Activities Coordinator, to the Med-Techs, to the Community Relations, to the Office Manager, to the Front Desk Staff, these are individuals who reaffirm my decision to relocate my mother to the Gardens of Riverside was a truly positive life changing decision. Overall, finding a facility for a loved one is no easy task on several levels. I was happy with my mother’s prior facility but after 6 months move-in to the Gardens, actually, after 1 month, I had wished I found the Gardens first. It is a nice, down-to earth, and comfortable facility. Being situated in a residential area also provides a home-like ambiance. If you are looking for a place for your loved-one, consider the Gardens...

I am writing this review based on my personal experience with the Gardens of Riverside, where my mother lived for the last four years of her life. Initially, everything seemed fine, and my mother was happy and active. However, things took a turn for the worse after Gracie Garcia took over as Director. I noticed that some caregivers seemed unqualified to care for Alzheimer's patients.

In June 2024, I started noticing marks and bruises on my mother, but Gracie and Joanna refused to explain why, citing that I was not the power of attorney. Her power of attorney did not visit. My mother's cognitive state began to decline rapidly. I stopped receiving updates and photos of her activities, and during my weekly visits, I saw many residents, including my mother, left unattended in wheelchairs with no stimulation.

In August, my mother was left standing unattended and fell, hitting her head and causing a brain bleed. Despite my persistence, the facility delayed sending her to the hospital for five hours. Gracie claimed it wasn't an emergency because she didn't see a bump on my mother's head, demonstrating her lack of qualifications. My mother's doctors' notes indicated that she needed follow-up care, but both the facility and her power of attorney failed to provide it. My mother passed away two months after her fall, and her death certificate listed a subdural hematoma as the cause of death. If my mother had received proper care, she might still be alive today, as she was not in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease. I am sharing this review to warn other families about the Gardens of Riverside and the leadership of Gracie Garcia.

I've documented my observations of my mother through photographs from June to November. Although I was currently involved in a lawsuit with her power of attorney, her passing ultimately brought relief from my daily concerns about...