Mercy Retirement & Care Center

  • Update on Brown Bag Program

    The Mercy Brown Bag Program continues to expand its reach to seniors in need following the addition of its Mobile Grocery Truck last summer. The Mobile Grocery Truck now serves seven buildings throughout Oakland and Hayward, notes Mercy Brown Bag Program Director Krista Lucchesi. More than 375 seniors come to the sites to freely shop……

  • Art Student Shares Firsthand Experience of Intergenerational Mural Project

    California College of the Arts, through ENGAGE: Mural Arts, a Diversity Studies course and community engagement program of  Center for Art + Public Life, has brought together art students with a group of elders from Mercy Retirement & Care Center to create mural panels that will be installed in the community in mid-December. We spotlighted……

  • Disaster Preparedness a Key Focus for Elder Care Alliance Communities

    From wildfires to earthquakes to hurricanes, natural disasters have dominated the news recently. Across the country, people worry about whether they are prepared for the next destructive act by Mother Nature. At Elder Care Alliance, team members take a variety of precautions to ensure that vital services continue in the event of a natural disaster……

  • Side by Side: Understanding Dementia Within Our Community

    As dementia causes deterioration to neurons in the brain, individuals experience growing challenges with memories, cognitive function and engaging in daily activities. Although damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia is permanent, individuals with the disease can continue to thrive with some modifications by care partners. At a recent workshop entitled “Side……

  • Mural Project Brings Mercy Residents, Students Together for Artistic Collaboration

    What does holistic wellness mean to people of different ages? Erin Partridge, Experiential Researcher-in-Residence with Elder Care Alliance, hopes a joint mural project between local art students and residents of Mercy Retirement & Care Center can help enhance intergenerational understanding of the term. The project, a partnership with California College of the Arts as part……

  • September Is Intergeneration Month

    Throughout the year, Elder Care Alliance communities support and promote opportunities for different generations to interact and spend time together. September is Intergeneration Month — the perfect time to recognize some of the programs and activities that bring together people of all ages. One example is a new partnership with California College of the Arts.……

  • Mercy Is an Eden Alternative Community

    What if senior living focused on people as individuals — and even altered operations to meet unique needs and preferences? What if communities eschewed a traditional, institutional framework to create a vibrant, empowering environment where older adults can thrive? Through a unique approach to senior care known as The Eden Alternative, such communities do exist.……

  • Help Goes Mobile for Alameda County’s Starving, Aging Population

    Thanks KQED News and Journalist Jenee Darden for the great coverage of our Mercy Brown Bag Program and new mobile truck! The article includes photos of our wonderful volunteers and recipients, as well as insight from Mercy Brown Bag Program Director Krista Lucchesi. Read the full article here. Listen to the radio broadcast. .

  • The Human Voice & The Power of Humanity

    In recognition of National Aphasia Awareness Month, the daughter of an Elder Care Alliance staff member recently gave a presentation about her work to help those who suffer from voicelessness. Seventh-grader Ruby Jordan presented “The Human Voice & The Power of Humanity” at Mercy Retirement & Care Center on June 7. Ruby attends Ecole Bilingue……

  • June is National Aphasia Awareness Month

    Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke. Nearly three-quarters of the individuals who have strokes are over the age of 65, and the effects can be devastating. As the top cause of disability among Americans, strokes can leave behind a number of communication problems, including aphasia — which impairs speaking and……