Community profile

Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen

1420 Curci Drive, San Jose, CA

Assisted LivingMemory CareIndependent Living

4.272 reviewsvia A Place for Mom

About the community

About Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen

This ideal location enables residents to escape the city’s noise and enjoy the small-town feel of the charming neighborhood of Willow Glen. The community is surrounded by bright green trees, offering residents a vibrant, lively atmosphere. The classic interior is adorned with timeless furniture and decor, offering comfort and familiarity. Nearby, residents can visit boutiques, cafes, parks, or walk the trails along the babbling creek. This community is a proud member of Merrill Gardens — a family-owned company dedicated to providing freedom and flexibility in retirement. You’ve spent your life building friendships, pursuing hobbies, and accomplishing great things — why not join a home that helps you continue that path? At Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen, residents can choose from independent living, assisted living, and memory care options to accommodate their lifestyles. Community Amenities and Services To make residents feel at home, the community does its best to foster a friendly atmosphere. Being home often means taking care of daily tasks, but here, the staff aims to eliminate those worries by offering weekly housekeeping, on-site maintenance, scheduled transportation, and a comprehensive wellness program. They also take care of the cooking and provide nutritious, chef-prepared meals daily. Furthermore, the community provides 24-hour staffing and features a resident call system to help ensure each resident feels safe and cared for. For residents requiring additional support, the assisted living option is ideal for its tailored services. You deserve your independence, so the compassionate staff works with you to provide the right level of care. They are readily available to assist with daily living activities, medication management, safety checks, and unique personal needs. Although providing exceptional care comes first, keeping residents active and engaged is a close second, so the full-time program director is constantly filling up the calendar with new activities driven by residents’ interests and hobbies. Whether you prefer to stay fit and active or prefer to expand your knowledge, there is something in store for all interests. Activities include exercise classes, lectures, social gatherings, holiday celebrations, and much more. Each day holds a new adventure at Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen! When residents are looking to kick back and relax, the shared spaces enable them to do so. Residents can spend time bonding and creating cherished memories in the common areas. They can spend time reading in the library, watching movies in the theater, exercising in the fitness center, strolling the courtyard, or getting pampered in the salon. Residents can also gather in the meeting spaces, living areas, or around the beautiful piano. Living Arrangements The community understands the struggles of finding a new place to call home, so they offer several floor plans to help you feel confident about making the right choice. Residents can choose from 95 spacious studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. Some apartments feature a full kitchen or kitchenette, and a patio or a balcony. Each apartment is also equipped with a washer and dryer. Furthermore, residents can benefit from the private parking garage to easily access their cars. Pets are also welcome! Care Types Offered Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen is a residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE) , which in the state of California is a housing arrangement for persons 60 years or older where supervision and personal care is provided based on the needs of the residents. These facilities are also known as assisted living facilities and board and care facilities . A residential care facility may provide care for residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen Inspection Reports Related Articles Beyond Bingo: The 50+ Best Assisted Living Activities For Seniors Memory Care Activities: How Communities Engage Seniors With Dementia When Is It Time for Assisted Living?

Family and resident feedback

4.2 out of 5 from 72 reviews

Read all on A Place for Mom

Recent public reviews can help surface themes to ask about on a tour. Ratings belong to the named review source and are not independently verified by us.

★★★★★

Critical

Things to know

I like that it's small and caregiver to patient ratio is the best I found. Given that, I would expect way more activities, and attentiveness to him. The care staff is not adequately trained, even the new director has admitted this and is working on turning it around. However the facility has raised our rate over [Amount removed] a month in less than a year and the care is not even meeting our expectations of what communicated to us going in. I do like that there are other more highly functioning dimentia patients t

See category ratings
Cleanliness
5.0 / 5
Friendliness
5.0 / 5
Value for Cost
2.0 / 5
Care Services
3.0 / 5
Activities
1.0 / 5
Staff
4.0 / 5
Meals & Dining
4.0 / 5
Response from the community

Thank you for this honest feedback. We will pass this along to the team as we are continually working to improve. If you'd like to chat further, please reach out to our Vice President of Operations at davidt@merrillgardens.com.

June 20, 2026
AnonymousJune 10, 2026

★★★★★

Positive

Our family experience has been a positive one

Definitely a 5 star rating! I feel that the staff is very well trained as their customer service is excellent. I'm always greeted with a cheerful hello when I visit my sister and offered and snack or beverage. My sister has participates in the exercise classes, walking, bingo and art activities which is beneficial to her well being. She seems very happy with her placement at Merrill Gardens. I would definitely recommend Merrill Gardens when searching for quality care of a family member.

Response from the community

Hi Diana, thank you for taking the time to leave us this review. We appreciate it greatly!

June 20, 2026
Diana JMay 4, 2026

★★★★★

Positive

Great

Staff is very accommodating and helpful. Complex is kept very clean. I would recommend.

Response from the community

Hi Sherry, thank you for taking the time to leave us this review. We appreciate it greatly!

March 13, 2026
SherryFebruary 23, 2026

★★★★★

Critical

Review for Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen

Communication is not good there. Expectations set by facility were not met. Also there has been quite a bit of turnover since last September. 2 activities directors have left and 1 director in the dementia care side has left

Response from the community

Hi there, we apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for providing this honest feedback. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

February 19, 2026
AnonymousJanuary 21, 2026

★★★★★

Positive

Review of wonderful staff.

Whenever I have a question or request everyone is beyond helpful. I am so appreciative of the kindness and caring of [removed names] and all the staff. It is not always easy being patient with seniors. But patience is always practiced by all the staff here at Merrill Gardens in Willow Glen!,

See category ratings
Cleanliness
4.0 / 5
Friendliness
5.0 / 5
Value for Cost
5.0 / 5
Care Services
5.0 / 5
Activities
5.0 / 5
Staff
5.0 / 5
Meals & Dining
4.0 / 5
Fran EDecember 23, 2025

★★★★★

Critical

Families experience has room for improvement.

This is based on my loved ones comments who is at Merrill Gardens. Our loved ones biggest complaint is there is high turnover with employees.

Response from the community

Hi there, thank you for sharing your feedback. If you would like to talk with us further, please reach out to our Vice President of Operations at davidt@merrillgardens.com.

December 13, 2025
AnonymousNovember 21, 2025

Verified overview

What we know from public sources

Care options
Assisted Living, Memory Care, Independent Living
Public price status
Published starting price available
Last source check
August 1, 2026

Source-published features

Amenities and services

Grouped so you can scan what affects day-to-day life before opening an operator page.

Meals & dining

  • Meals Provided
  • No Sugar
  • Professional Chef
  • Restaurant Style Dining
  • Room Service
  • International Cuisine
  • Low / No Sodium
  • Vegetarian
  • Anytime Dining
  • Guest Meals
  • Special Dining Programs
  • Pureed Meals
  • Private Dining Room
  • Café or Bistro

Health & wellness

  • Memory Care
  • Medication Management
  • Staffing & Ancillary Services
  • Non-Ambulatory Care
  • Incontinence Care

Services & convenience

  • Property Convenient to Public Transit
  • Resident Parking Available
  • Complimentary Transportation
  • Covered Parking
  • Transportation at Cost
  • Dogs Allowed
  • Cats Allowed
  • Grocery Shopping and Errands
  • Laundry Service / Drycleaning
  • Beautician
  • Housekeeping
  • Vietnamese
  • Filipino
  • English
  • Mandarin
  • Spanish

Activities & engagement

  • Live Dance or Theater Performances
  • Gardening Club
  • Current Events Club
  • Brain fitness / Dakim
  • Tai Chi
  • Live Musical Performances
  • Trivia Games
  • Live Well Programs
  • Community Service Organizations
  • Sensory-based Programs
  • Activities On-site
  • Christian Services
  • Catholic Services
  • Wine Tasting
  • Happy Hour
  • Dances
  • Bible Study Group
  • Wii Bowling
  • Quilting or Sewing Club
  • Educational Speakers / Life Long Learning
  • Birthday Parties
  • Cards / Pinochle Club
  • Stretching Classes
  • BBQs or Picnics
  • Activities Off-site
  • Reminiscence Programs
  • Bridge Club
  • Walking Club
  • Holiday Parties
  • Other Religious Services
  • Devotional Activities Offsite
  • Yoga / Chair Yoga
  • Book Club
  • Art Classes
  • Day Trips and Outings
  • Montessori Programs

Outdoor spaces

  • Outside Patio
  • Barber Shop
  • Library
  • Computer or Media Center
  • Beauty Salon
  • Central Fireplace
  • Indoor Atrium
  • TV Lounge
  • Outdoor Common Areas
  • Indoor Common Areas
  • Piano or Organ
  • Game Room
  • Billiards Lounge
  • Fitness Center
  • Movie or Theater Room
  • Arts and Crafts Center

Apartment & room features

  • Air Conditioned
  • Ground Floor Units
  • Handicap Accessible
  • Wheelchair Accessible Showers
  • Private patio, deck, or balcony
  • Garden View
  • Cable or Satellite TV
  • Wi-Fi/high-speed internet
  • Kitchenette
  • Full kitchen

Published by A Place for Mom. Features can change; confirm those that matter before touring.

Questions to confirm with the community

Additional care fees
Not publicly disclosed
Move-in fee
Not publicly disclosed
Exact unit availability
Confirmation required

Published floor plans

Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen | Find With Care