Diversified Health Services Inc.

The Terraces at Park Marino was a very nice place. Out of all of the facilities that I toured, I liked the programs that they had to offer the best. The facility itself was not as nice as another few we saw, but I think the price for what you get is the best here. Unfortunately they did not have any availability at the time that we were looking.

I'm a new resident at the community. I'm 101 years old and I' a very active person. I like to participate of a lot of activities. The reading club is so far my favorite activity, along with the walking club every morning. The caregivers are well train and so kind. The best part here are residents so welcoming and nice.

I toured the facility a few days ago around non time (lunch time). I got to see the dining room with most residents. It was magical. The facility is very clean and the employees are all so friendly. The rates are fair and the services are fantastic.

Me and my brother toured the community a few days ago. [name removed] (marketing director) was very professional. He explained the event on the calendar and told us about the happiness program me and my brother really enjoyed the tour, we even got to try the special of took some homemade chocolate chip cookies.

My name is [name removed] and I'm fairly new to The Gardens. So far I had a good taste of the community, the staff is very good. [name removed] the buisness office director and the marketing director [name removed] are very friendly. The community is very quiet, and some activities are fun. (except bingo im not a fan) But the painting class is good.

This is a really nice community and I was impressed with the tour we were given, the staff took their time showing us around and answering our questions. My dad really like it here as well. The staff was friendly and there seemed to be a lot of amenities offered for the residents to choose from. The grounds were nice. I would suggest a tour of the community.

Moved my mom in recently as she is no longer to be safely on her own. She is having her moments and wants to go back to her "old life" but overall she seems to be doing well. The staff is great always friendly have a smile on their face. Her first event was the Luau and she loved it. She even met a woman who's husband she used to work with 50 + years ago! GAPB has given me a peace of mind that I haven't had in months. I realized I was running myself into the ground. I am so lucky to have had the help of Michelle from A Place for Mom and the ladies at GAPB Klara and Vickie. Thank you all so much

My mom seems to be very happy here so far. Great food, lots of activities, and transportation to nearby places, as well as special trips. Love the size of the apartment rooms and the general layout. Beautiful gardens.

They're terrific, they really intereact with the people. They really try to do stuff with them. I had a list of five places, two of them were just too far away and out of the other three I liked park balboa the best and its actually a reasonable enough distance so I can go visit. She's doing well there, she has dementia so she's confused but we're happy with hte care she's getting and the people there.

The absolute best thing about The Gardens is the staff. Everyone, from the head people to the maintenance people to the caregivers, is wonderful. They really care. Especially the caregivers. They vary, but a lot of them really care about my aunt. I visit my aunt every week, and I regularly see their interactions with her. She is always genuinely happy to see them and is forever introducing me to them after I've already met them many, many times. And some are really sweet to her. I see some of them stop by to say goodbye to her on their way out at the end of their shift and give her a hug. One time I arrived and found one of the caregivers sitting next to her, showing her a music video of a '50s song on her phone, and they were both singing along to it. My aunt is always telling me how much she loves living there. Plus, they celebrate birthdays and holidays and decorate for the holidays. They also have big events every few months. They had a "Senior Prom" about a month ago. The staff dressed up, they encouraged the residents to dress up, they had a live '50s band, they decorated, and they had a photo booth where they took pictures and printed them out for everyone. They are planning a Halloween party next. They really talk these things up with the residents. My aunt gets really excited about them, and it gives her something to look forward to. They also have outings almost every week. They take them out in a van to get donuts, to see a movie, to go to a Mexican restaurant, etc. My aunt loves these outings. All of that is priceless to me and makes up for all of the little annoyances that crop up. Their communication is pretty bad. I would really struggle with this place if I weren't able to visit every week and find people and talk to them in person. I call about things and can't get through to the person I need to talk to most of the time, and I leave messages which get answered very late—days later. Of course, I don't keep calling or try to talk to someone else because I know I will be there in person soon. And they have one meal that they give to everyone for all the meals, and it often doesn't work well for my aunt. She doesn't have very many teeth and can't chew most of the meat. They serve a lot of rice, which she doesn't like and won't eat. They offer alternatives, but only hot dogs and hamburgers, which she doesn't like. So the food can be a struggle. Her room is shared with one other resident, and it is pretty small. The other shared rooms that I have seen are larger—not huge, but doable for two people, I think. I think they turned a single room into a shared room in her case, and it is a tight fit, but it works and she is fine with it. Note that all of this is for the memory care unit. They do the events together with independent and assisted living, and the front desk staff serves both parts. Some of the caregivers switch between the two areas. But most things are separate. The independent/assisted living side has a dining room where they have a good selection of food. So I can only speak about my experience with the memory care unit. Even with some annoyances and struggles, this place is a huge blessing in all of the ways that are really important to me. Oh, and everything is always very clean. I've never seen anything there that wasn't clean. It must be a struggle to keep the bathroom in her shared room clean, but they manage to do it.

My mom is very happy at Gardens of Lake Balboa. Since she moved from a single to a one bedroom apartment she absolutely loves her apartment. She's made friends and the staff always says hello with a smile whenever I come to visit. Overall she's very content with where she's at. The building is old but they keep everything clean and tidy.

The caregivers are really caring, consistently and very genuinely. My aunt loves them. The caregivers are better than I ever thought they could be and that is one of the most important things to me. They have activities about once a week which my aunt loves. One time they took them out in the van to watch the planes take off at the small local airport and then went and got ice cream. They never got out of the van, but my aunt still loved it. It can be very hard to get a hold of anyone to find out what is going on with my aunt. It is pretty sporadic getting information about how she is doing and whether she needs anything. Sometimes my aunt tells us that she only has one diaper left before the facility notifies us. I wish the communication were a lot better. Once she told us at 8pm that the rail on her bed wasn't working and I was worried about her falling out of bed (which has happened). I called the front desk and finally got someone to go check on it. But they just decided that there was no one who could do anything about it until the next morning. The communication and response to problems can be frustrating.

I really loved the idea of independent living for my parents who were at the mercy of themselves & the enabling care of expensive caregivers while living in their OC home for their 15th & final year there. [name removed], Community Relations Manager, e-mail MAGICALLY Appeared n my hand when I'd just about decided on a [community removed] assisted living home for my parents. However, 2 days away from signing w/[community removed], Balboa Gardens, I booked a tour & instead of signing w/[community removed], I was able to give my parents a CHOICE, so THAT meant the WORLD to me! My Parents were ok w/the [community removed] facility, but were Highly moved w/"The Gardens @ Balboa! When we 1st drove up to the "Gardens", my mom was impressed w/the exterior- which having been owners of a variety of properties meant a LOT. The recently painted building n warm colors had a welcoming feeling along w/the lush green surroundings. Post tour, we finished w/a VERY appetizing salmon dinner. We were hooked! We moved in the following week & feel we couldn't have made a better decision!

We were only there one month and it proved to be the last month of dad's life. The facility is clean and staff welcoming and accommodating. The building although on the older side was well kept. The food seemed good per my dad. He didn't participate in any activities, but I saw others actively doing yoga, volleyball... I would recommend this place with ease.

[name removed] is so helpful and made the transition for my mom easier. My mom is very happy there. She's not crazy about the food but she's very picky. She's waiting for the one bedroom to open up and currently in a single but she doesn't mind it.

Overall we were happy with The Gardens, but care/service was inconsistent. Friendliness of the residents stuck out over other places.

Most of the care staff was very friendly, buy many of the dining room staff was not well trained and unfriendly. My sister complained, but she was limited in what she could eat and , I think, picky. I thought they had a good selection. There are a lot of activities for the residents to participate in.

I was just in there at orientation. Looked comfortable, attractive, not at all like a "nursing home." Faculty and staff are excellent- friendly, caring, helpful, knowledgeable and extremely accomodating.

I don't have much to compare it to. Ultimately, it has been serving my loved one, though at times I do feel like the staff could be more attentive. I would possibly recommend them to other families who are looking.

The cleanliness is exceptional in the dining room. The servers are outstanding. Lastly, I LOVE THE CHEF!