live your life - Carlton Senior Living

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Life at Carlton

Why Carlton?

We help residents live their lives with attractive senior housing options, acclaimed services and our legendary “culture of care.”

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Our Mission

We’re a family-founded, family-focused company, and taking care of you and your loved ones is our mission and our passion.

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Service Principles

We aim to love, honor and care for our residents with exceptional service, enthusiasm and integrity.

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San Jose Senior Apartments and Assisted Living

Carlton Senior Living San Jose, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Strives to create an atmosphere that supports and enhances the individual lifestyles of our residents. We offer a wide range of services for seniors including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, On-Site Nursing, Medication and Diabetic Management. Residents can enjoy participating in various enriching, tailored activities led by our very own CALA Outstanding Department Director recipient. Carlton Senior Living San Jose’s Executive Director, with 37 years of senior living experience and 8 years of Carlton experience, leads a team that is committed to Love, Honor and Provide for our residents Our Communities are designed to provide a rich environment where being valued, respected and loved is a natural daily occurrence. We invite you to see why 99% of Carlton family members would recommend us. (Formerly known as Carlton Plaza of San Jose)

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From the Carlton Senior Community Blog

Rose and Joe's Secret to Love

February 23, 2019 06:30

Rose and Joe Girimonte Established 1955 "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." VIctor Hugo Rosalie “Rose” was born in Richmond, California, where she and Joe first met. Joe’s family had relocated to Richmond and Joe became friends with Rose’s older brother Ray. Joe paid Rose no notice except as his pal’s kid sister. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight given the circumstances. However, after high school graduation Joe joined the Navy and while on leave in Richmond he saw Rose’s high school graduation photo and couldn’t believe his eyes. It of course is only fitting that their first date was a double date with her brother Ray and his girlfriend. During the date, when things got quiet in the backseat with the other couple smooching, Joe took the opportunity to serenade Rose with his Ukulele. Joe and Rose were married in 1955, their first dance was to a song that they recalled had the sound of both Big Band and Frank Sinatra swing. Together they settled in Sacramento where they had their children April, born in 1958 and Michael in 1960. They later moved to Atherton where their third child, Angela was born in 1966. The Girimonte’s have since been blessed with eight grandchildren from their three children. Joe states that “Rose has made my life better by being a wonderful friend, wife and mother. She has always been a fun person.” Special thanks to Mary Ann Ashby, Personal Expressions Assistant at Carlton Senior Living Pleasant Hill for interviewing Rose and Joe for their Resident Spotlight Article. Read more

Melanie and Seiji's Secret to Love

February 20, 2019 07:51

Seiji & Melanie Yoshinobu Established 1960 “Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.” ~Robert Henri Melanie and Seiji, high school sweethearts, first met when she was 14 and he was 17. Their families knew one another and they both were accomplished students. Seiji was a star on the football team and Melanie was a cheerleader that caught his eye. He was intrigued by her hula dancing. Their first date was at El Patio in Monterey. Yet, for Melanie it was certainly not love at first sight, in fact she recalls she “hated him, he was too macho!” Yet, after sometime of getting to know one another she knew he was the one and loved his athleticism. To her he was truly “brains and bronze” as they say. Coincidentally enough, Melanie was the first to say I love you. Seiji proposed to Melanie in Pacific Grove on the beach, they were married in 1960 in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The first dance they shared, as husband and wife, was Elvis Presley, “Can't Help Falling in Love.” Together they believe that having children kept them going, kept the family together and made their lives better. Their secret to a lasting marriage, it’s all about commitment. In their words, “Through thick and thin; put your partner first. Always stay by their side, until death does you part!” Read more

Resident Spotlight - Celeste Van Fleet

February 17, 2019 11:58

Meet Carlton Senior Living spotlight resident, Celeste Van Fleet - Celeste was born November 18, 1923, to parents Albert and Celeste Clark, in Baltimore, Maryland. She had two siblings, Dorothy Ann, and Jim. Jim passed away at an early age after an aircraft accident while he was in the US Air Force. Celeste attended public school at Roland Park and was an Arts and Crafts major at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the heart of Baltimore. She met and married Robert Samuel Van Fleet, an officer candidate at the US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. He was a journalist, and the two moved to Middletown, New York, his hometown, in February 1946. He wrote for the Middletown Times Herald, with Celeste working closely in the “morgue,” clipping and filing histories on those who had passed. Celeste and Robert had three children, James, Christopher, and Robert Jr. She loved being able to learn and play a variety of sports with them. Celeste became the director of volunteers at Horton Medical Center in Middletown. She also eventually taught tennis lessons and played in a women’s doubles eastern division association. She took up golf, her spouse’s sport, and was a one-time women’s champion in 1949, while pregnant with her 2nd son. She claims that helped her balance while playing. One favorite life experience Celeste describes was booking passage on a container ship en route to New Zealand, by way of Savannah, Georgia, the Panama Canal, and Tahiti, to Auckland. She had seen it listed in the travel section of the New York Times and thought it would be a great adventure. The ship had seven passengers, a swimming pool, and about 35 British and Filipino officers and crew. They had a wonderful month getting to know each other and experiencing life at sea. The container ship adventure was just one of many trips afloat. A most memorable one was with her son, Jim, his wife Sarah, and their two children, Jeremy and Becca, who captained a narrow boat on a canal to Bath for four days. Celeste says a message she would like to pass along to others is that “People are basically good.” She enjoys knitting, home design, and volunteer work in many capacities. She also didn’t hesitate to say her favorite dinner is prime rib and fried chicken wings in bacon grease! And what can compare to apple pie for dessert?! Her favorite movies include the classics Brief Encounter, I Know Where I’m Going!, and The King and I. The person she most admires from her life is a grandmother she met when she moved to Middletown. This woman was a World War I nurse, and Celeste admired and loved her for her warmth, family, and importance to her life. We are glad to have Celeste as a member of our Carlton Senior Living Davis family. View additional Resident Spotlight articles. Written by Eric Demuth Read more

Yolo Wine Dinner

February 13, 2019 01:10

The Davis Senior Center hosted a Yolo Wine Dinner during the week of love and our Carlton Senior Living Davis community was honored to be chosen to cater the event. Chef MJ and Lead Cook Ben joined together to present a three course plated dinner that was accompanied by a wonderful selection of both red and white wines from Yolo County. The wines were all selected from the following Yolo County wineries; Black's Station, Scribner Bend, Bogle, Matchbook, Capay Valley and Dancing Coyote. The goal was to support local wineries and to showcase some of the best wine options in our very own backyard. The first course of the meal was a chicory Salad with chopped radicchio, treviso, arugula and spinach tossed with shaved celery root, fennel, roasted pecans and a meyer lemon vinaigrette. Topped with a parmesan crisp. The suggested wine pairing was a glass of Capay Valley Viognier. The second course of the meal was a herb garlic marinated chicken thigh, pan seared with crispy skin and topped with a natural jus. Served on an herbed polenta cake with braised greens. The suggested wine pairing was either a glass of Black Station Yolo County Red or Scribner Bend Tempranillo. The final course was a dark chocolate mousse in a chocolate cup with fresh berries, raspberry coulis, hazelnut dust and vanilla bean whipped cream. The suggested wine pairing was a glass of Bogle Old Wine Zinfandel. The wines were hand selected by Larry Chandler and poured by the Davis Sunset Rotary Club. Appetizers were served, compliments of Napa Valley Olive Oil Company and live music was provided by Kindred at Home. A special thank you to Dana Welch, Program Coordinator for the Davis Senior Center, for arranging a beautiful event and evening for all. Read more

Internet Safety Tips for Seniors

February 12, 2019 04:07

The internet is a great resource and offers a wealth of information including your personal and private information. Because so much of your personal information is easily accessed online it’s especially important to be vigilant in protecting yourself from those who may try to use your information with dishonest motives. Seniors, unfortunately, have become prime targets for many modern-day scammers but there are many techniques that can be used to identify possible criminals before they can cause any harm. Here are a few internet safety tips to help you stay protected online: Never Assume a Stranger Online is Trustworthy Unless you have a real-world relationship with a person who is trying to communicate with you through email, video chat, messaging program or social media; they are likely looking to take advantage of you. The same goes for emails offering a deal that is too good to be true or a fictitious prize. These types of communications have been created by scammers to trick you into revealing private information or to get you to install malicious programs on your computer which can give them access to your personal data and files. Never Provide Your Sensitive Information By Email While some websites that request private information can be trusted and are secure, there are many email scams designed to trick you into revealing your private information. An example of this would be an email which appears to be a customer service representative at a financial institution requesting personal information such as your login and password for a specific website. A real bank will never ask you to provide this information in an email, a website linked from an email, or over the phone. This particular tactic is used in an attempt to gain access to your private information and to access your personal accounts or even to steal your identity. If you have concerns about whether you can trust an email sender or website, call the company using the number provided on a recent bill or statement. Never Assume that Someone Who Knows Information About You Can Be Trusted As mentioned previously, the internet offers a wealth of information including personal information about you. It’s alarmingly easy for scammers to gain access to mailing lists for organizations, church groups and community service groups which can be used to help earn your trust. What’s more, city, state and federal government websites often offer a fair amount of information online including your property tax information, previous court cases, personal information about your family and even veterans records. Because this information can easily be found by scammers it can be used to trick you into believing they’re someone they are not. It is important to be cautious in communicating with strangers online or by phone, even if they know private information like your address, full name, the name or your children, clubs you belong to etc. For more information about common scams which target seniors visit the following sites: FBI - Scams and Safety, National Council on Aging - Top Ten Financial Scams Targeting Seniors, or Association of Certified Fraud Examiners - Elderly Fraud Scams To report an online scam or financial exploitation contact AARP Foundation ElderWatch. Read more

Resident Spotlight - Paul Schmidt

February 10, 2019 12:19

Meet Carlton Senior Living spotlight resident, Paul Schmidt – Paul was born in the East Bay in Oakland, California. He attended San Jose City College and later transferred to San Jose State University. Paul was a police officer with the City of San Jose for 30 years and, after retiring, he became a reserve officer. He was also in the U.S. Coast Guard during the 1960s. While with the police force, Paul became a youth soccer coach with the San Jose Police Activities League (PAL). Despite not knowing anything about soccer when he began coaching, Paul was eventually named PAL Coach of the Year. Because Paul is so tall at a height of 6 feet 4 inches, the girls on his soccer team affectionately game him the nickname, “Big Bird.” Paul and his wife, Carol, have been married for 50 years and their family includes one son, one daughter and three grandsons (two of whom are adopted). Paul and Carol’s daughter and son-in-law are missionaries in Strasbourg, France. Paul is an avid fisherman who loves camping and enjoys anything involving music. He has been a resident of Carlton Senior Living San Jose since October 2018 and is a wonderful addition to the community. View additional Resident Spotlight articles. Read more

Charles and Esther's Secret to Love

February 9, 2019 01:36

Charles and Esther Doolin Established 1948 "Time isn't the main thing, it's the only thing." ~Miles Davis Charles and Esther Doolin met in high school, she was a sophomore and he was, as he recalls a "special student" since he still had one semester to finish. Their first date was to the movie theaters but they don't remember what movie they saw. Their first dance was at the Dream Bowl in Napa where they danced country western. They remember dancing to a Johnny Cash song during one of the dances. Esther stated that when he asked her to marry him she said no, until one day she decided to accept his proposal. Charles stated their was an immediate attraction to her but for her it took a little time because she wanted to get to know him first. He knew she was the one and did not want to be away from her. Since he was so persistent she decided to make him happy and they have been together ever since. They got married at Suisun Baptist Church on August 27, 1948. According to Esther he has been a good father and provider for his family and she really appreciated being a stay at home mom, being able to raise their children. Charles stated Esther has been a good wife always making sure things were in order. The secret to a lasting marriage for them is to always smooth out the bumps in the road and to remain important to each other, not letting other things matter. They always hoped for a long marriage but did not think it would be this many years. Special appreciation to Activity Assistant, Melissa Alvarez who interviewed Charles and Esther and wrote their story. Read more

Lisa's Chicken with Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

January 30, 2019 01:42

With cold and flu season in full force, we're highlighting this family chicken soup recipe from Lisa Spivey, Retirement Counselor at Carlton Senior Living Downtown Pleasant Hill. Although eating chicken soup to help fight the common cold was once considered "an old wives' tale," it is now believed to be true according to several studies. Scientists believe that a bowl of chicken soup may reduce inflammation of the lungs while boosting the immune system. Lisa's children definitely won't dispute the benefits of a warm bowl of homemade soup: [caption id="attachment_20309" align="alignright" width="214"] Lisa's son, Dominic (14), loves matzo ball soup![/caption] "My husband's mother, Betty, was Jewish and her family made Matzo Ball soup. I have asked his siblings how they do it and adopted my own recipe. My kids love it and I always make it when they get a cold or are under the weather." -Lisa Spivey Lisa's recipe is just one of many featured in Carlton Senior Living Pleasant Hill's Second Edition of the Cookbook for a Cure. This beautifully illustrated cookbook features a collection of original recipes from Carlton associates, residents, families and friends of Carlton Senior Living and was created as a way to raise funds for Alzheimer's research. In 2018, we raised over $22,000 for Walk to End Alzheimer's and each book purchased moves us closer to our goal. The cookbook features a variety of recipes including Sexy Shrimp Dip, Autumn Apple & Spinach Salad, and decadent Pumpkin Cheesecake. You can pre-order a copy of the cookbook for only $20 and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association to benefit Alzheimer's research. Visit the Cookbook For a Cure page for ordering instructions. Today we are pleased to bring you Lisa's Chicken with Matzo Ball Soup recipe from the Second Edition of the Cookbook For a Cure: Order the Second Edition of the Cookbook For a Cure today! Visit the Cookbook For a Cure page for ordering instructions. The publication of this book was made possible by Terry Barrett, Associate Director of CSL Pleasant Hill and was whimsically illustrated by Katreece Montgomery, an associate at CSL Pleasant Hill. Read more

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Carlton Senior Living Careers

We’re looking for inspired, exceptional candidates to be part of our legendary “culture of care.” The growing Carlton team has long-term career opportunities available in resident care, dining, housekeeping, activities, maintenance and management.

If you enjoy working with people, and are looking for a place to start or grow your career, we hope you’ll consider joining Carlton Senior Living.

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