For a Caregiver, Wellness Begins at Home

For Louis Mondy, 47, finding Trestle Glen Apartments was something like fate.

When he first heard about the property, Louis lived in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco in a two-bedroom apartment. He’d been a caregiver to his chronically ill father for seven years, a duty he was happy to perform, but one that took a toll on his body and spirit. “I forgot about myself,” he says.

A neighbor urged him to apply for an apartment at Trestle Glen, but he turned down the opportunity at first. Still, something nagged at him. He decided after all to submit his application and was accepted about three years ago. “I felt a big release when I got the place,” he says. “I feel like it was meant for me.”

Trestle Glen has been a new beginning. Louis gained weight and developed high blood pressure while taking care of his father. Now he uses the basketball court to get back into shape. He also tries to walk in the complex and around the neighborhood every morning, racking up a few miles if possible. Visiting family has become much easier now that he lives close to a BART station. “It’s pretty much door-to-door wherever I go,” he says.

Louis, who worked for a janitorial service before becoming a caregiver for his father, feels lucky to have the stability offered by Trestle Glen, where he pays several hundred dollars less than his rent in Bayview. The savings helps him budget for bills, food and health care. He’s watched many of his friends leave San Francisco in search of less expensive housing, and thought he’d be among them at some point.

“I don’t really know where I would have been living right now,” he says. “I’m really thankful for this place.”