FAQ

Our community is dedicated and structured to help older adults maintain and enhance their lifestyle while remaining as independent and active as possible. Our apartments, dining options, activities, staff, management, and environment provide the freedom to relax and enjoy life in a safe, secure, friendly, and welcoming community that focuses on Living Well With Assistance. Your level of health and the level of services needed are all taken care of. This is true for memory care, as well.

Located in the heart of San Francisco, we provide a warm environment, built on strong Jewish values, welcoming residents of all faiths. Residents are afforded not only the freedom to relax and enjoy life while building new friendships, but also the opportunity to strengthen their minds with lifelong learning livestreamed from the Fromm Institute, on site lectures, and cultural events. We feature spacious, bright, private apartments in a variety of floor plans, each designed for ease of mobility.

As a resident, your monthly fees are typically subject to adjustment on an annual basis. Annual fee increases are publicized 60 days in advance, are based on the costs of operating the community and historically have been between 2-3%. This is an important question to ask all communities as you are doing your research.

• Your apartment
• Three meals a day
• Weekly housekeeping and linen services
• Interior and exterior maintenance of residence and common areas
• 24-hour security and emergency call and response system
• Utilities including electricity, gas, water, sewer, trash removal, community Wi-Fi
• Scheduled transportation
• Reception services
• Access to secured parking (fee)
• Care management and coordination
• Weekly wellness clinic
• Access to beauty salon services including hair and nails, and massage/reflexology/acupuncture/podiatrist (individual fees per service)

Because everyone requires different levels of care or personal assistance, we develop your very own plan and all care is provided by our professionally qualified health services staff. However, we are not a hospital or a medical clinic. We do offer a wellness office on every residential floor. (If you are new to the Bay Area, we will even provide assistance with selecting a new primary care practitioner.)

• Health Services — your wellness plan personalized
• Weekly Wellness Clinic — we take vitals and answer health questions
• Fitness Center — state-of-the-art exercise equipment

Wellness at our community means making the most of your day and finding the best ways to enhance your physical, emotional, and mental health. We know that exercising your mind and body, and yes, your spirit, is important to getting the most out of life.

Yes, we do have a Wait List for both Assisted Living and Memory Caring. It is a two-page form and requires a $500, 100% refundable fee. The larger the apartments, the longer the wait. Because inventory becomes available through health events over which no one has control, it is very difficult to state an “average” wait time. For convenience, we say up to 8 months for an Assisted Living apartment, but it can be much less – or longer – depending on the specific requests an individual makes. You can transfer to another apartment once you are a resident, if you wish.

Memory Caring apartments are all private, many being private with shared bathrooms. Turnover is very low on this floor as there is an exceptionally high resident to staff ratio and all ADL care is included in the monthly fee. It is imperative to get on the Wait List and it could take up to a year, again depending on the specific requests a family makes on behalf of their loved one.

Our wide-ranging activities are designed by therapists to enrich daily life and the well-being of your loved one. We encourage and invite memory care residents to participate in programming and to really get to know each other and the staff. Memory care comprises one floor of Rhoda Goldman Plaza and its residents and staff are a tight-knit community within a community.

Our residents often surprise families with new interests — watercolor painting, clay sculpture, and storytelling. We have parties, music therapy, art therapy, dance and movement, baking, excursions, discussion groups, games, and more — there is something for everyone to enjoy every day. And because we maintain a high ratio of staff to residents, we’re always available for friendly chats and earnest heart-‍to-‍heart conversations.

Our staff are carefully trained to address difficult behaviors and to promote a sense of safety and well-being for residents. In addition, our treatment model validates each resident’s unique personality, emotions, and life story.

Studio, alcove, and one- and two-bedroom apartments include a kitchenette, roomy closets, and a large bathroom with a walk-in shower. Additionally, our dedicated staff takes care of the weekly housekeeping, linen service, and apartment maintenance.

Our kosher menu is “made from scratch” and continually offers new choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, from 7am to 7pm.

• Entrées made from fresh local ingredients
• Selection of local wine and beer
• The Café serves beverages, Peet’s coffee, light snacks, homemade pastries, desserts, breakfast, and lunch
• Tray service and meals for special diets

The calendar of programs and events changes daily and the items below present only some of the opportunities available. There’s a lot to do and enjoy in the surrounding area — residents have countless choices to get connected and get involved.

• Planned regular lectures, music, and classes
• Resident committees and volunteer opportunities
• Extensive exercise and fitness options
• A variety of social connections, such as dinners, dancing, bridge, cards, games, reading, and book discussions
• A variety of cultural excursions

• Level 1 – Residency
• Level 2 – $700
• Level 3 – $1,200
• Level 4 – $1,800
• Level 5 – $2,400

Each of the following are counted as one level of care:

• Medication management and/or wound care, and/or daily vital signs*
• Transferring and/or escorting within the building only
• 3 times a week showers and/or dressing assistance, including standby assistance
• Toileting assistance and/or incontinent care

*Any Physician-ordered daily assistance with wound care or vital sign checks are an additional level ONLY if resident is NOT on medication management.

The following is counted as two levels of care:

• Daily showers with/or without dressing assistance
• Two person assistance for any of the daily activities above

Rhoda Goldman Plaza was established in 2000 by Jewish Family and Children’s Services and the Mt. Zion Health Fund in order to create a community where older adults can live well with assistance and with ease of access to a wide variety of services to the Jewish community.

Additional home care and other services are available through JFCS, Jewish Family and Children Services, our partner-in-care with offices conveniently located right next door. Individual home care, escort services, care management, fiduciaries, Medicare certified physical therapists and more can be individually contracted through JFCS.

The Plaza Social Club addresses people who live in their homes who want more socialization by offering a weekly lunch, programming and socializing for a small fee. To learn more, contact AlanaG@jfcs.org.