Oaks at Charleston, located at 2333 Ashley River Rd in Charleston, South Carolina, offers specialized senior living services with a focus on personalized care. This review examines the facility’s services, amenities, resident experiences, and value to help families make informed decisions about senior living options in the Charleston area.

Services and Living Options

Oaks at Charleston provides three primary types of care services:

1. Assisted Living: Personalized care with assistance for activities of daily living, medication management, and other supportive services.
2. Memory Care: Specialized care in their “Horizons Neighborhood” for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, featuring consistent caregivers and tailored experiences.
3. Respite Care: Short-term stays that provide temporary relief for family caregivers or allow potential residents to experience the community before committing to a longer stay.

The community operates on a person-directed approach to care, emphasizing strong relationships between residents and staff to create a comfortable, supportive environment that honors each resident’s unique life story.

Residence Options and Pricing

Oaks at Charleston offers various apartment configurations with the following starting monthly rates:

• Studio apartments: Starting at $3,300/month
• One-bedroom apartments: Starting at $4,000/month
• Two-bedroom apartments: Starting at $4,200/month

On another source, basic pricing was reported as low as $2,500/month, suggesting potential flexibility or tiered pricing based on care needs. The community also lists an assisted living starting price of $3,290, which is lower than the Charleston area average of $3,925.

Amenities and Services

Oaks at Charleston provides a comprehensive range of amenities designed to enhance residents’ quality of life:

Core Services

• 24-hour caregiving staff
• Medication management
• Assistance with daily activities
• Weekly housekeeping and linen service
• Transportation services
• Utilities (except personal telephone)
• Cable TV (in common areas with hookups in rooms)
• Building and grounds maintenance

Healthcare Services

• Memory care programming
• Diabetic care
• High acuity care
• Incontinence care
• Non-ambulatory care

Room Amenities

• Air conditioning
• Cable or satellite TV
• Handicap accessible features
• Wi-Fi/high-speed internet
• Ground floor units
• Wheelchair accessible showers
• Kitchenettes in some units

Community Amenities

• Private dining room
• Café or bistro
• Beauty salon and barber shop
• Library
• TV lounge
• Computer or media center
• Indoor and outdoor common areas
• Meeting rooms
• Central fireplace
• Raised garden beds

The community has been recognized with several awards highlighting its strengths, including “Best Meals and Dining,” “Best of Senior Living,” and “Best of Senior Living All Star” designations.

Daily Activities and Social Life

Oaks at Charleston emphasizes creating a vibrant community through extensive programming and engagement opportunities:

• Social Events: Live performances, holiday parties, happy hours, birthday celebrations
• Educational Programs: Cooking classes, brain fitness activities
• Recreational Activities: Trivia games, gardening club, karaoke
• Spiritual Support: Devotional activities, visiting chaplains, various religious services
• Community Outings: Day trips, BBQs and picnics
• Intergenerational Programs: Visits from local schoolchildren and singing groups that create a family-like culture

The community fosters multigenerational engagement, creating what they describe as “a warm, lively, and stimulating social environment” where residents can connect with people of all ages.

Dining Experience

The dining program is highlighted as one of the community’s strengths, having received a “Best Meals and Dining” award. Key features include:

• Professional chef-prepared meals
• Restaurant-style dining experiences
• Special dietary accommodations (gluten-free, low/no sodium, vegetarian options)
• Anytime dining flexibility
• Room service available
• International cuisine options
• Guest meal services for visiting family and friends

While most reviews praise the dining program, one family member noted that the Southern-style cooking might not appeal to residents from other regions of the country.

Resident and Family Experiences

Reviews from residents and families provide insight into the lived experience at Oaks at Charleston:

Positive Feedback:

• “The oaks of Charleston is a one of kind company, the staff are truly amazing, and the care they have for residents there is truly wonderful, words can’t explain how pleased I am having my mom in their memory care unit.”
• “I would have to say ‘5’ for each category. We have moved [our loved one] to memory care building and he seems content and happy which is all we can hope for.”
• “The staff are very attentive to my mom’s needs and we would recommend Oaks at Charleston community to other families based on the experience we have had so far.”

Mixed Feedback:

• “My only concern is turnover of staff but that probably happens at all such facilities.”
• “The biggest concern for us is we did not want to have assisted living with carpeting. My mother-in-law has incontinence… So at Oaks at Charleston, their biggest selling point for us is that it has laminate flooring and doesn’t have carpeting anywhere.”
• “Their dining hall menu is a little bit too much for my mother-in-law. She is from the north and they have a lot of Southern cooking, so that would be the only thing negative I would say.”

Critical Feedback:

• One very negative review from 2022 described the facility as “garbage” with “terrible food” and “very unprofessional” staff, though this appears to be an outlier among the predominantly positive reviews.

The facility maintains a 9.3/10 overall review score on one platform with 51 reviews, with 53% five-star ratings and 25% four-star ratings. On another platform, it has a 4.2/5 rating across 23 reviews.

Management and Staff

Oaks at Charleston is part of the larger Oaks Senior Living network, which operates 38 facilities with an overall rating of 8.6/10 across 1,233 reviews.

The community emphasizes their approach to caregiving through:

• Designated Care Partners: Familiar, trusted staff who provide personal care on a consistent basis, allowing for stronger relationships and more proactive care
• Core Values: The facility operates on principles of “faith, knowledge, compassion, and love”
• Staff Longevity: Multiple reviews mention that “most [staff] have been there for years”

Staff responsiveness and attitude are frequently praised in reviews, with one family member noting: “Their staff is excellent. They’re very caring and very conscientious.”

Location and Access to Healthcare

Oaks at Charleston is strategically positioned with convenient access to medical facilities:

• Located near Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital
• Close to MUSC Health Primary Care – West Ashley
• Access to MUSC Health University Medical Center downtown
• Various dental services and medical specialists in the surrounding area

Comparison with Local Alternatives

When comparing Oaks at Charleston to other Charleston-area senior living facilities, it appears to be positioned as a mid-tier option in terms of pricing and amenities:

• Ashley Gardens: Located nearby at 2290 Henry Tecklenburg Dr, with memory care starting at $7,300/month (significantly higher than Oaks at Charleston)
• The Addison of West Ashley: Another local option with studio apartments starting at $4,875/month

Oaks at Charleston appears to offer competitive pricing in the Charleston market while maintaining quality care services, particularly for residents seeking memory care or assisted living options.

Summary

Oaks at Charleston provides personalized assisted living and memory care services in a welcoming, community-focused environment. The facility distinguishes itself through:

• Person-directed care that emphasizes consistent caregiving relationships
• Competitive pricing that’s below the area average for similar services
• Intergenerational programming that creates a family-like atmosphere
• Award-winning dining with flexible options for various dietary needs
• Strong resident satisfaction reflected in predominantly positive reviews

For families considering senior living options in Charleston, Oaks at Charleston offers a balance of quality care, engaging activities, and value. While there have been some concerns about staff turnover and regional food preferences, the overwhelming majority of reviews indicate high satisfaction with the care and services provided.

Prospective residents and families would benefit from scheduling a tour to experience the community firsthand, particularly to assess the fit with their specific needs and preferences for care, activities, and living environment.