2023 LA Family Choice Awards

Sarah OrdoverJan 8th, 2024

Assisted Living Locators Los Angeles is proud to present the top 10 independent, Assisted Living, and dementia/Alzheimer's facilities chosen by our clients for 2023. Los Angeles boasts a multitude of exceptional communities. This list does not necessarily comprise all the best senior living facilities. The list does represent the ones that our clients most often selected based on their needs and after touring a carefully curated selection of options that met their criteria.

In 2023, in total, we helped find new homes for over 150 seniors in more than 60 diverse Los Angeles communities, ranging from cozy board and care homes specializing in dementia care to luxurious independent living spaces featuring pools and an array of amenities. These selections represent the preferences of our clients throughout 2023. As for the winners of 2024? The decision lies with you. Please contact Assisted Living Locators Los Angeles for a complimentary evaluation of your needs and personalized recommendations for the ideal senior living facility for your beloved family member.

10. Ana's Residence Care, North Hollywood

We love Ana! She is full of energy, engaged, and involved with her residents. Ana operates two six-bed board and care homes in North Hollywood, both exceedingly well-maintained and pleasant. Board and care homes are suited to residents who have high physical care needs or advancing stages of dementia who are unable to benefit from the amenities of a big facility. Ana's staff does a great job taking care of both and her purpose-built homes provide a cheerful, intimate environment. The clients we've placed at Ana's all have substantial care needs that could not be met in a larger environment. At Ana's, they are treated attentively, served truly delicious home-cooked meals, and cared for with loving kindness.

9. Sunrise of Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills

Location! Location! Location! Our clients love the location of Sunrise of Beverly Hills, an assisted living and dementia care community right on Crescent Drive, next door to Whole Foods, and steps from everything Beverly Hills has to offer. The clients we moved to Sunrise in 2023 were primarily independent, maybe needing some basic assisted living care such as medication management or standby shower assistance, but still able to enjoy the amenities of this upscale community, as well as the surrounding area. 

8. The Watermark at Westwood Village, Westwood

The Watermark at Westwood Village is a luxury new independent and assisted living property featuring apartments that offer floor-to-ceiling windows, some with spectacular views of the hills, the ocean, and Westwood Village. Every apartment comes with a stovetop and washer and dryer. They have all-day dining in their three restaurants and some of the best food in LA senior living. The clients we've moved to the Watermark Westwood are on the younger side, wanting the walkability of Westwood and proximity to UCLA, without the hassles of keeping house. 

7. The Watermark at Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills

The Beverly Hills Watermark is the gracious, smaller cousin to the Watermark in Westwood. An assisted living in a boutique-like setting, the Watermark Beverly Hills provides a full schedule of classes from yoga to philosophy, bridge, and book club. Our clients love the studios at this assisted living because they are as big as one-bedroom apartments with a studio price tag. Generous windows, balconies, and mini-kitchens round out the appeal of the Watermark at Beverly Hills, a comfortable, upscale community in the flats just east of Robertson Blvd.

6. Sweet Home Senior Living, Van Nuys

New construction of four six-bed board and care homes surrounding a beautiful, fruit tree-filled outdoor courtyard with private and shared rooms.  Lusy, the owner, and Marina, who manages the property, are hands-on managers, on the property daily to oversee care. A great find in a convenient neighborhood for older adults who need the 24/7 supervision found in a board and care environment but do not want to be limited to a single six-bed house. Because Sweet Home can accommodate up to 24 people across the four houses, Marina and Lusy provide more activities than one would usually find in a single board and care home. They, themselves, are a lot of fun. Our families adore them!

5. Kingsley Manor, Hollywood

This four-acre continuing care community in the heart of Hollywood provides independent living and assisted living on a historical campus built in 1912. Separate buildings for independent and assisted living, rose gardens, walking paths and a large quad-like lawn make Kingsley a surprising respite in the heart of Hollywood. We've moved a ton of clients into Kingsley over the years. Transplanted New Yorkers who find the commodious one-bedroom apartments similar to those you'd find in NYC. Internationals and foreign-born seniors who enjoy the diversity. We are particularly impressed with the resident-driven activity calendar. Residents lead memoir writing workshops, exercise classes and even publish a newspaper. Kingsley is part of the Front Porch organization, a non-profit that supports older adults through a variety of programs. As such, their pricing is some of the lowest in Los Angeles.

4. The Variel of Woodland Hills, Woodland Hills

The Variel in Woodland Hills brings the wow factor to LA senior living.  A newly built large community of 400 units offering independent, assisted living and memory care, it is best described as "next generation" senior living. The one and two-bedroom independent and assisted living apartments are equipped with full kitchens and washer/dryers. The community offers an abundance of amenities including a full-size indoor pool, spa and gym, a sit-down dining room, Starbucks-style cafe, tavern, and smoothie bar, Once our clients walk into the Variel, it's usually lights-out for any of their competitors.

3. Silverado-Beverly Place, Mid-City

Silverado is one of the national leaders in memory care, but even among the many Silverado communities nationwide, Beverly Place stands out. The design of the building allows the property to segregate individuals by floor, with the top floor reserved for early-stage memory loss in "The Loft," an intermediate program on the first floor, and those with more advanced dementia or Alzheimer's residing on the second floor. What you notice when you walk into Silverado is the abundance of staff. Caregivers. A social worker. Music therapists. Nurses. PT and OT specialists. It often seems there are as many staffers on the floor as there are residents. Everyone, down to the maintenance men, is trained in dementia care. We highly recommend Silverado Beverly Place to potential residents who are in the early to mid stages of the disease and who would benefit from a wide-ranging activity program specifically designed to promote cognitive well-being.

2. The Gardens at Park Balboa, Van Nuys

Shh! Don't tell anybody! The Gardens at Park Balboa is our favorite secret. A family-run business with independent living, assisted living and memory care, the Gardens at Park Balboa is a fun, clean, and honest community with great pricing. It ties for our #1 in most picked communities for 2023. It's got great outdoor space and excellent food (we've eaten there). They do have a nurse on staff, as well as caregivers, but the people we've placed there tend to be independents with limited budgets. Their one-bedroom apartments are oversized for senior living, a great find if you can get one.

1. Belmont Village Encino, Sherman Oaks

There are five Belmont Village locations in our coverage area, but the one where we place the most clients is Belmont Encino. All of the Belmonts provide upscale assisted living and memory care to a high standard. The reason we place so many clients at Belmont Village communities, and Belmont Encino, in particular, is because of their unique Circle of Friends program. Circle of Friends is an intermediate program for seniors experiencing cognitive decline but who do not need a secure memory care environment. The resident can live in assisted living, receiving wellness support and a full day of mental fitness. The Belmont Encino Circle of Friends program is particularly robust. We also recommend Belmont Encino to our clients who live in West Los Angeles. The few really good senior living communities from Beverly Hills to the beach are at the priciest end of the market. Belmont Encino has all the upscale amenities one expects from the Belmont organization at a price point more palatable to many.

Whether these communities are right for your loved one depends on many factors. The trusted experts at Assisted Living Locators Los Angeles will take the time to understand your needs and make the best possible recommendations. We'll tour with you and help you throughout the entire transition. There is no charge for our service. Don't try to figure it out alone. Call Assisted Living Locators at 310-853-8282.