San Carlos Elms stands as a non-profit senior community located in the town of San Carlos, with nearby shops, cafes, a library, and public transportation within safe walking distance, and you also see Sequoia Hospital and the San Carlos Center close by for medical needs. The facility is not part of a chain and is operated by the San Carlos Development Corporation, which means the community focuses on being reliable and responsible rather than making a profit. There are 89 apartments, including studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units offering private suites, shared rooms, and furnished accommodations, and most apartments come with kitchenettes, full baths, and some feature balconies or patios for a bit of fresh air, wall-to-wall carpeting is standard, and you get air-conditioning, internet, WiFi, telephone, and cable in every apartment. Residents can live independently or get different levels of help as their needs change, so if someone starts needing more care or even hospice services, there's no need to move elsewhere, and there are services for activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and medication management.
The staff's available around the clock, and they're described as polite, flexible, patient, and always ready to help, ensuring safety with the Vigil Integrated Care Management System and a 24-hour call system, and they handle housekeeping, laundry, linen service, home maintenance, and even cooking, which includes organic food and ingredients. Meals are served restaurant-style in a formal dining room, where residents enjoy three nutritious meals daily, snacks, and there's special care for different diets with options for personalized menu planning based on resident input, and sometimes there's a home-cooked feel that reminds one of family meals. San Carlos Elms offers transportation services with its own shuttles and sedans to appointments, errands, or trips, which adds to ease and peace of mind for those who no longer drive, plus free underground parking is available for those who still do.
The community encourages an active life with scheduled excursions, entertainment, craft activities, a broad social and events calendar, gym access, wellness programs, and a range of group activities to foster friendship and fun, and it's common to see groups in the resident lounge sipping coffee or catching up on the news, while others might be in the recreation room, fitness room, billiards room, or salon. There are lounges, libraries, private gathering spaces, balconies and patios, and even pet-friendly policies letting people keep their furry friends with them, and the environment is known for being clean and odor-free with elegant home-like furnishings. Memory care has its own dedicated unit called The Grove at San Carlos Elms, which provides custom care plans, safety features, and activities to keep cognitive health as strong as possible, and family members can stay in touch with Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime, and follow along with frequent updates, newsletters, and even live or recorded events that give a window into daily community life.
San Carlos Elms tries to help people stay as independent as they're able, with personalized care plans, a broad menu of assistance levels, and structured programs for those needing more support, along with organized social, cultural, and educational events, so it's a place that meets people where they are and works to help everyone maintain their dignity, health, and connections as they age.