You did not indicate where your family lives AND, more importantly, how severe is your Grandmother's Alzheimer's? My Dad died last month of Alzheimer's (actually pneumonia brought on by the former)and spent time in 2 facilities. STAY AWAY from Belmont Village on Winchester (behind Santana Row). They offer several levels of care and my Dad was in their "lock down" ward for about 3 months. While the staff was very nice, they at times appeared to be novices caring for the very people they were supposed to have experience with. My Dad had several major falls and on two occasions the staff negleceded to call a family member and advise of his accidents. The one time they called, he had lready been taken by ambulance to the hospital. His stay there was the beginning of his end.
AS to your choices; it all depends on the level of care your Grandmother needs. Her doctor would best be the one to help you determine this. There is the lowest level of assisted care, where she takes care of herself with minimal help & meals provided; secondary care where help with daily necessities like bathing, dressing, meals, etc is provided; 3rd level is where someone needs help with most things but can get around with assistance and 4th level where the resident is confined to bed in a convalescent type situation. There are also "lock down" facilities where the resident can't get out because the unit is closed to regular access without a key or passcode. Residents who need to be confined are put in these units, specifically people who begin to wander and get lost in their old familiar neighborhoods. My Dad was in this category. Is your Gandmother still fully functioning and only in need of periodic senior daycare? If so Saracare would be a place I would condider. I'm sure it's listed in the phone book.
The level of care and facility you choose will dictate the cost, which can be outrageous. Belmont Village was $5400 per month just for Dad. Places range from $2500 to $9000 per month depending on the "status" of the place and the resident's needs.
Having said all this, I have heard wonderful things about The Terraces in Los Gatos. They are on Blossom Hill next to Kings Court Shopping Center near Los Gatos Blvd. We have known couples and individuals who have lived or stayed in 2 different areas of the facility and their families have talked about how nice the place is. One couple lives in a bungalow (lowest level of care), the other was placed in the convalescent center. It looks very inviting from the street. I have also heard good things about the assisted living facility off Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga, formerly the IOOF home. I don't know what it's called now, but I have former neighbors residing there and quite happy with the
place. My mother resides at The Meadows in Los Gatos, which is where my Dad moved back to a month before he died. She's (they) have been there 4 years and likes it well enough, however, the places looks like an institution and my brothers and I have been less than pleased with the way my parents have been treated by the staff during the 4 years. Moving there was my parent's choice.
Really do your homework before placing your Grandmother. One thing I learned going through this with Dad this year, was that Alzheimer's patients can do down hill very quickly and do not respond well to change. It will be a significant adjustment for your Grandmother no matter where you place her, but if you end up moving her due to problems with your first choice, it could make her condition worsten. Case in point: it was the management staff at The Meadows that gave my mother less than 24 hours to relocate Dad to a "lock up" facility because he wandered out of their bungalow and into downtown Los Gatos a second time in 1 year. He was also prone to getting "agitated" at times. This was on a Saturday and the management insisted Dad be placed by Sunday. The staff ultimately moved Dad to the place that caused him to spiral downhill, to that point he had been completely mobile, needed a cane for long distances, but was perfectly capable of dressing, feeding and bathing himself. Within weeks he could barely get out of bed and became totally dependant on assistance for almost everything, and incontinent as well. Know that sadly, all of this happens at some point to people with Alzeimher's. The key is to try to make them comfortable while retaining some level of dignity, if not their independance.
Good luck.
