My husband and I moved to Pacific Grove Senior Living on September 7, 2023.

We moved from The Sea Ranch, a remote community on the north coast. I am 68 and living with Multiple Sclerosis and use a mobility scooter and walker to get around. My husband is 76 and mobile. We are both very active and engaged in our own ways, but…well…we are both aging! Like many in our situation, we moved to be closer to our kids, services and accessible activities.

We looked at senior living residences in Salinas, Monterey and Pacific Grove. We fell in love with the historic building that houses PGSL. It truly is a one of a kind grand building, built in the 1920s as a hotel in beautiful Pacific Grove on the Monterey Bay. Think vaulted ceilings, beveled glass, solid wood paneling and old hotel mailboxes in the lobby. Our apartment looks out over the Salinas hills and blue waters of the bay.

To be honest, we were warned about the new owners at PGSL. We heard about the new corporate owners who had taken over from the bankrupt nonprofit that had run it since the 1950s when the hotel became senior residences as part of the Methodist church. An anonymous outside worker who was serving clients at PGSL actually came up to us and urged us to talk to staff and residents before signing on the bottom line.

However, we were anxious to get going with our move and get our new life started. We knew that our contract would be month to month after the initial commitment and we decided to move forward.

Our first month was extremely difficult here. To the cut to the chase, here’s what happened:

1. We spent several months working with a salesperson to secure the apartment we wanted. We completed and submitted necessary paper work.
2. During one of our visits, she introduced us to Executive Director who was “too busy” to meet with us.
3. Just before we moved in, we got a text from our experienced salesperson that she had been fired.
4. We were never contacted by management about her departure.
5. We had an “in person appointment” with new salesperson to go over voluminous paper work required to move in.
6. When we arrived, we announced ourselves to receptionist (these folks are a rare bright spot in the office) who then notified her. She was not available and did not show.
7. We then told receptionist we had to talk to someone about our move and paperwork. We insisted and would not take no for an answer.
8. The salesperson then showed and gave us another packet of same paperwork to do again. We refused and asked to meet with person who could review paperwork we had already submitted. We were then escorted to person who oversees medical paperwork (a phlebotomist by training) for entrance to facility.
9. She went over our paperwork submitted previously with us in her office with salesperson looking over our shoulders. It was approved.
10. We moved in with help of professional movers and our adult sons.
11. We did NOT receive any paperwork, orientation, manual or safety information about our apartment. We did NOT receive any welcome or personal contact with anyone from management. We still have not received any of the above items, 10 months later.
12. Shortly after we moved in, the Executive Director was fired.
13. An interim administrator was put in place. We never heardy from him with a welcome or apology.
14. The experienced Activities Director went out on medical leave and then resigned abruptly several weeks after we arrived.
15. Our fellow residents welcomed us, to be sure, and also shared their dismay at what was happening to their community. See my next post for how residents are working together to build a new reality for our “village”.

California requires CCRC owners to release a disclosure statement prior to taking a deposit on a property. We’ve asked the AG to require Pacifica Senior Living to attach the Monitor’s Report in the Disclosure statement. No one should be asked to move here without understanding the status of the issues in the report.

All State & Fed.

CALIFORNIA CODES•••

Article 6 – REPORTING AND RESERVE REQUIREMENTS

Section 1789.1 – Disclosure statement

Cal. Health & Saf. Code § 1789.1

Current through the 2023 Legislative Session.Section 1789.1 – Disclosure statement(a) Before executing a deposit agreement or continuing care agreement, or receiving any payment from a depositor or prospective resident, a provider shall deliver to the other parties in the deposit or continuing care agreement a disclosure statement in the form prescribed by the department.(b) The department shall issue a disclosure statement form that shall generally require disclosure, at a minimum, of the following information: (1) General information regarding the provider and the continuing care retirement community, including at a minimum all of the following: (A) The continuing care retirement community’s name, address, and telephone number.(B) The type of ownership, names of the continuing care retirement community’s owner and operator, the names of any affiliated facilities, and any direct religious affiliation.(C) Whether accredited and by what organization.(D) The year the continuing care retirement community opened and the distance to the nearest shopping center and hospital.(E) Whether the continuing care retirement community offers life care contracts or continuing care contracts, and whether the continuing care retirement community is single story or multistory.(F) The number of the continuing care retirement community’s studio units, one bedroom units, two bedroom units, cottages or houses, assisted living beds, and skilled nursing beds.(G) The continuing care retirement community’s percentage occupancy at the provider’s most recent fiscal yearend.(H) The form of contracts offered, the range of entrance fees, the percentages of a resident’s entrance fees that may be refunded, and the health care benefits included in contract.(I) Any age and insurance requirements for admission.(J) A listing of common area amenities and other services included with the monthly service fee, and a listing of those amenities and services that are available for an additional charge.(K) The number of meals each day included in the monthly service fee, the number of meals available for an extra charge, the frequency of housekeeping services, and additional cost, if any, for housekeeping services.(2) Income from operations during the most recent five years for which audited financial statements have been completed, including all of the following:(A) Operating income (excluding amortization of entrance fee income).(B) Operating expense (excluding depreciation, amortization, and interest).(C) Net income from operations.(D) Interest expense.(E) Unrestricted contributions.(F) Nonoperating income or expense, excluding extraordinary items.(G) Net income or loss before entrance fees.(H) Net cash-flow from entrance fees, that is the total deposits less refunds.(3) The name of the lender, outstanding balance, interest rate, date of origination, date of maturity, and amortization period for all secured debt.(4) Financial ratios for each of the three most recent years for which audited financial statements have been prepared, including all of the following: debt-to-asset ratio, operating ratio, debt service coverage ratio, and days cash-on-hand. The formulas for each ratio shall be determined by the department after consultation with the Continuing Care Advisory Committee.(5) The average monthly service fees charged during the most recent five years, and the percentage changes in the average from year to year, for each of the following: studio units, one bedroom units, two bedroom units, cottages and houses, assisted living units, and skilled nursing units.(6) Comments from the provider explaining any of the information included in the disclosure form.(c) Each provider shall update its disclosure statement at least annually when it completes its annual audited financial statements. Each provider shall file its updated version of the disclosure statement with the department not later than the final filing date for its annual report.(d) The form prescribed by the department under this section shall be used by providers to comply with the requirements of this section.

Ca. Health and Saf. Code § 1789.1Added by Stats 2000 ch 820 (SB 2077), s 53, eff. 1/1/2001.

We just received this copy of a monitor report regarding our senior living community.  A year ago,  Pacifica Senior Living purchased the bankrupted Forest Hill (now called Pacific Grove Senior Living) and Lake Park in Oakland in a single deal and the Attorney General approved the sale with conditions.  It took the AG a year to appoint the monitor and the monitor just released this scathing report.  It finds that Pacifica Senior Living has not met the conditions.  So, our complaints have now been verified by a neutral third party.  Some residents have been holding back on legal action awaiting this report and will use in breach of contract  filings.

The report is thorough and impressive.  It does a great job of providing the ’so what’ context to a host of decisions and policies that were made in the name of short term profit and at the expense of seniors.  It’s clear that these owners are investors as opposed to business people who know you have to balance profit with customer satisfaction. We suspect, as your reporting is revealing, that most of the big owners are doing the same kinds of things, but this is unique because of the AG involvement and insistence that this owner live up to legal conditions of the sale.

california-nevada-methodist-homes-monitors-report-march-2024Download

We are an independent group of seniors living at Pacific Grove Senior Living in Pacific Grove, California. We want to share our experiences as residents here so that the true “customer experience” of Pacific Grove Senior Living is in the public domain. We are volunteers and have donated our own time to bring you this blog.

MODERATORS: Annan Paterson and Bob Sadler

Our organization is entitled “Forest Hill Residents Association” and we are a 501 (c) 7. The original name of our building was “Forest Hill Manor” for the neighborhood in Pacific Grove.

MORE ABOUT FOREST HILL RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION a “501 (c) 7”

As residents, we have an independent association in place for ongoing dialogue about matters that concern us directly here at Pacific Grove Senior Living. Meetings take place on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 in the Fireside Lounge. Currently, Joanne Kelly presides as president, with Bob Boydston serving as vice president. Carolyn Boydston is secretary, and Marshall Moore is treasurer. Agendas are provided to all residents prior to each meeting and minutes are distributed afterward. Any questions or concerns can be communicated to Joanne, and there is always a space in the agenda for new questions or concerns to be raised. Our next scheduled meeting will take place in April, 2024. Joanne Kelly, President 

Welcome to our site! Here at Pacific Grove Senior Living in Pacific Grove, CA, we aim to keep residents, families, and prospective residents up to date on the quality of services and life in our community. This information may also be valuable to the community’s owner, Pacifica Senior Living, which owns numerous senior communities nationwide.

Through our blogs and surveys, we provide an honest, independent view of resident opinions. This transparency can help seniors considering our community to make an informed decision. Additionally, feedback from our blogs and surveys can be utilized by Pacifica Senior Living to enhance features and continually improve our community.

We believe that individuals should have access to unbiased information when making important decisions, especially concerning senior living. Our community’s unique history of resident advocacy, through the Forest Hill Residents Association, ensures that resident voices are heard and shared openly on this platform.

We invite you to explore our site to learn more about life at Pacific Grove Senior Living and to see firsthand the perspectives of our residents. Thank you for visiting!