St. Anthony's Residential Care Home IV in San Leandro, CA

Pros

• The staff are very caring.
• Their loved one receives the care she needs and is attended to regularly.
• The staff are accommodating to families.
• The staff make a positive first impression, and the loved one is happy and cared for.
• The staff are wonderful and very caring.
• It is a nice place to work.

Cons

• The service is described as feeling like a kidnapping.
• The physical therapy is described as the worst, with exercises felt as torture.
• Visitors are described as being treated like criminals for simply coming for a check.
• They allege staff use fear-based tactics and imply unlawful behavior by staff.
• They report poor communication, especially given pandemic visitor restrictions.
• They report a language barrier among some staff that makes an eight-hour shift uncomfortable.

Review

St. Anthony's Residential Care Home IV in San Leandro is best suited for seniors who want a small, home‑like setting where care staff are consistently attentive and genuinely warm toward residents and families. The core strength here is a hands‑on, personable approach: residents tend to receive regular attention, and staff are described as very caring, with families feeling accommodated and welcomed from the first contact. This is a place that rewards routines built on personal rapport, where “good vibes” at intake often translate into day‑to‑day reassurance that someone is looking out for their loved one.

That said, families should explicitly assess whether the community’s strengths align with their needs, because alternatives may be a better fit for several priorities. For anyone seeking robust nutrition programs, a richer calendar of activities, or seamless across‑shift communication, this home may fall short. The reviews repeatedly flag nutrition options as a concern and point to inconsistent communication, which can be problematic when coordinating care, meals, and daily schedules. For residents requiring stronger clinical oversight, more dynamic programming, or multilingual support across the caregiving team, looking at other options with a more assertive care management culture is prudent.

The most persuasive positives center on the caregiver culture. The staff’s willingness to attend to needs and to engage with families builds trust and can offset some limitations in programming. Several reviewers describe feeling comfortable at the outset, with loved ones being happy and cared for, and the facility feeling like a welcoming, well‑intentioned place to call home. These dynamics matter, because in settings this size, the daily vibe and the quality of direct interactions often drive overall satisfaction and perceived safety more than anything else.

Yet the negatives are not trivial and require careful weighing. Communication gaps emerge as a recurring theme, especially given visitor limitations and what appears to be uneven support from social work and care planning staff. Language barriers on certain shifts further complicate clear, timely information exchange about needs, preferences, and changes in care. And while “nice staff” and “nice place” references recur, several reviews peg nutrition as a weak link, with residents potentially missing meals or not receiving tailored dietary options. One profoundly troubling review also describes a PT experience framed as coercive and fear‑driven, a red flag that cannot be ignored. Although this appears to be an outlier in the overall mix, it underscores the necessity of direct observation and verification of therapy practices before committing.

In practical terms, the pros, genuine care, family‑friendly responsiveness, and a warm, intimate environment, do offer meaningful value for residents who prioritize personal attention and a quiet, homey atmosphere. However, these advantages do not fully compensate for photos of inconsistent communication, limited nutrition choices, and potential safety concerns raised in serious but isolated reports. Language barriers and staff turnover can amplify daily challenges, particularly for families navigating medical or dietary needs and for residents who rely on precise, understandable care instructions. Those factors can erode confidence over time if not actively managed.

The bottom line is clear: St. Anthony's can be a strong fit for families who prize warmth, a close‑knit staff culture, and a home‑like ambiance, and who are prepared to actively vet and monitor therapy practices, nutrition options, and language‑support arrangements. For families prioritizing rigorous clinical oversight, robust meal programs, diverse activities, and consistent cross‑shift communication, it makes sense to consider other options and compare broader care networks. A disciplined approach to next steps, schedule a tour, observe how staff interact with residents, ask pointed questions about therapy protocols, diet customization, and language resources, and speak with multiple residents and families, will reveal whether this community can meet the specific, practical needs of the individual considering it. If lingering concerns persist after firsthand evaluation, pursuing alternatives with broader clinical support and clearer communication infrastructures is a prudent course.

Places of Worship

• Bethel Presbyterian Church Of San Leandro (0.7 miles)
• First Baptist Church Of Castro Valley (3 miles)
• Bay Area Chinese Bible Church (6.1 miles)

Parks

• Chabot Park (0.9 miles)
• Lake Chabot Regional Park (1.4 miles)
• Castro Valley Park and Community Center (2.2 miles)
• Parsons Park (2.3 miles)
• Bay Trees Park (4.1 miles)
• Redwood Regional Park (5.7 miles)
• Lincoln Park (6.3 miles)

Pharmacies

• Rite Aid (0.9 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (2.3 miles)
• Walgreens (2.4 miles)
• Walgreens (3.2 miles)
• Walgreens (3.2 miles)
• Safeway Pharmacy (3.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.5 miles)

Restaurants

• Top Hatters Kitchen & Bar (1.4 miles)
• In-N-Out Burger (2.3 miles)
• McDonald's (2.8 miles)
• Chipotle Mexican Grill (3.2 miles)
• McDonald's (3.9 miles)
• McDonald's (4.4 miles)
• Sonic Drive-In (8.6 miles)

Hospitals

• Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Labor & Delivery (2.2 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente Post-Acute Care Center (2.2 miles)
• Eden Medical Center (2.6 miles)
• Highland Hospital (7.9 miles)
• Kaiser OB-GYN (10 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (3.2 miles)
• Starbucks (4.1 miles)
• Si Si Caffe (7.9 miles)
• Starbucks (8.9 miles)
• Bicycle Coffee (9.6 miles)
• Philz Coffee (9.6 miles)
• Joe & The Juice (9.7 miles)

Transportation

• Castro Valley BART Station (3.5 miles)
• JSX (4.3 miles)
• Terminal 2 (4.7 miles)
• Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter (4.7 miles)
• Oakland International Airport (OAK) (4.7 miles)
• Escape Lounge (4.9 miles)
• Fruitvale BART Station (6.5 miles)

Physicians

• Dr Mark Mandel M.D. - Optima Medical Assoc (4.1 miles)
• Kaiser Medical Offices (6.3 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente Pediatrics (6.3 miles)
• Reproductive Science Center (8.4 miles)
• Luxor Dental Prosthodontics & Implant Surgery (9 miles)
• One Medical (9.3 miles)