Suddenly having a loved one need full-time care plunges you into a world where you're a novice,…read morelearning for the first time of all the choices, providers, payers, complications, pitfalls, and confusion of growing old in America. There is no handbook. It's little bits of knowledge you glean from friends, other people in a doctor's waiting room, caregivers, online searches, and AARP magazine. You piece together a plan: not knowing what all is available to you, what to avoid, what's a waste of time, what's going to be the best random choice you'll make, or what is going to happen next in terms of health decline or improvement. You make the best decisions you can, based on basically no knowledge/experience in a chaotic, complicated environment. Choosing Delmar for my mother was the best decision we made - luckily, fortunately, unknowingly. It comes down to, "What will her daily life be like? How will she be cared for, when I can't be there?" No online views of attractive facilities or happy residents can tell you that. It's a leap of faith, entrusting your parent to strangers. So I'm going to use this space to answer the kind of questions *we* had - in terms of what we found *at Delmar* , not the other nearby Smyrna/Atlanta places. For those, I can't help you - knowing teveryone gives the same standard info online, on the phone, in person. Every day I visit my mother, so I think I have a good handle on how they perform. **What care can she get?** This is a little complicated. Because I actually didn't know what kind of care she needed. Or how to determine that. I just knew that she could not live with us and he longer; her daily level of need was too great for me to manage. I was struggling to keep her showered, dressed, fed, taken to doctors, care with medicines & for wounds, much less entertained, loved, and cognizant of what's going on. A full-time job it had become. Even when I'd hire a "sitter" once in a while, I was using that free time to sleep or rest. Delmar helped me understand that they could do the care parts, so I could spend my time with her in other ways. She went into Assisted Living. (I had been so afraid she'd need Nursing Home care - which is a big jump from living on the same farm for 86 years, to basically a room. Though that's what she had, at our house for the past 6 months.) It was A LOT of "assisted" - and has grown to be a lot more, in the past 3 years. They did all the things I had been doing for her. She was still quite ambulatory, but had macular degeneration so her sight was about nil, and was very hard of hearing, so even with aids in, required yelling and patience. They offered MUCH assistance that we did not need. (But have since then needed): - Giving medicines - Getting her to the dining room for meals - Introduce her to other residents - Take her downstairs (for events, beauty shop, appointments) and take her back up - Do her personal laundry and also linens - Explain what is going on - Clean her apartment Eventually: - Give showers - Make her bed - Help her find clothes/dress - Remind her of dentures & hearing aids - Change diapers/help her remember - Walk her to bathroom in the middle of the night - Bring meals / snacks to her room And more. WITH A LOVING ATTITUDE, too. My mother is frustrating. But I've never seen a CNA or dining worker or maintenance person treat her with anything but kindness. Sure, there's the fact that I'm THERE and it could be otherwise when I'm not. But TRUST my mother would tell me! **How can I know things?" Delmar has been INCREDIBLY helpful in sharing what is available, outside of their own care - both free services and paid. They turned me on to how to get VA benefits, which halved her rent for us. Plus Medicare-covered podiatry services and flu shots. (Eventually, Covid.) And HOME HEALTH services to augment what Delmar does. Like, bringing in physical therapy, counseling talk-therapy, nursing visits. **Can we afford it?** It seemed SO expensive to us. But the other, less-great places around Atlanta were expensive, too. We didn't know how we'd swing it. But we DID know she couldn't live alone, nor could she live with us and get the care she needs. CONTINUED at https://mydelmaryelpreview.blogspot.com

Short-term rehab: Bug infestation during the day and night. Short staffed. PT/OT wrote my mother…read moreoff and barely did any exercises with her. Some CNAs were fantastic/others left my mother sitting in a chair without changing her for up to 8 hours. When a person is hoyered out of the chair and back to bed and urine rains down out of the hoisting pad - you know your loved one hasn't been changed or properly tended too. Lots of neglectful behavior.

This is a very nice memory care facility. I visited my friend today who has been here for a year…read moreand she has been very happy here with the close attention and care she receives. The facility is clean and modern. They offer a concierge and also wait staff for dining.

I continue to LOVE that my grandmother lives so close and is so well taken care of…read more The staff have all gotten to know her and her cute puppy. They have gotten to know our family too. I love how all of the activities are listed daily in the elevator. Mahjong is a huge hit here. The reason it didn't get 5 stars is because the food has continued to be kind of blah. Hopefully this will continue to improve as they make some adjustments. Even with not the greatest food, the company to time with seems even more important.

Four years my husband and I have lived in Independent,as well as assisted living apartments. The…read morestaff is friendly and helpful. Activities are many and varied-something for most. Caregivers and therapists are available for all. No need to leave to go another facility, Transportation to appointments shopping and outings are available all week. Fitness center is active and helpful and always ready to help different residents. Not perfect but close to it!

Hello I am hanging out with my sister at this facility and I wanted to give a shot out to Robert…read morefor his great house keeping skills. He is an amazing young man who surprised me with his work ethnic and concerns for details! Great job young man thank you so much for sharing loving with residents in how you clean their rooms You are seen and appreciated don't stop keep working hard

We visited this facility to check on a family member and were very concerned about the conditions…read morewe observed. Her room was shared with another resident, and the overall environment appeared outdated and poorly maintained. The shared closet space had broken drawers, and there were no locks to secure personal belongings. Additionally, there was visible paint damage on the walls, and the sink appeared unstable, holes in the walls, in need of repair and smelled horrible. During our 2.5-hour visit, no staff or nurses came by to check on her or assessed her needs she isn't able to take care of her self not even to eat. Basic care tasks, such as checking or changing her catheter bag, were not addressed while we were there. This lack of attention raised serious concerns about the level of care being provided. Overall, both the facility and its staff seem to require significant improvement. Based on our experience, I would not feel comfortable having my own family member stay here.

Absolutely the worst. I had two weeks here and every minute was horrible. They would bring…read morebreakfast to slam it down and never see another person until they came to pick up the dirty dishes. This is really a terrible terrible place.

Tremendous staff: Management, Nursing and physical therapy…read more After femur break and complete hip replacement, spent 10 days in house- working with Physical therapy team. The PT team is top tier- very knowledgeable , very kind and eye patient. I could not have asked for a better experience with my in house and out patient care. My strength and movement are improving tremendously based on the great direction and care!

The senior staff seem committed and happy, and dedicated to residents. The facility is well-kept…read moreand very home-like and pleasant, and the residents are friendly and busy.

Such a beautiful newly renovated Senior Living community! The staff here are compassionate, loving…read moreand happy. The food is delicious and there are many options. They keep everyone's social calendar full and there is always an activity going on. I highly recommend this community!

Woodland Ridge is amazing. Their leadership has a true passion for senior care and it shows. I…read morewas not surprised to learn that Woodland Ridge is a non-profit organization. My father, afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, needed a home where he would be cared for, even as his condition rapidly declined, and we were so blessed to find this amazing facility. Actually, a better term for it is "family." The staff truly love this place and you see it every day in how they care for the residents, even when the residents are having a bad day and aren't able to return the love. My father has passed on but I will be staying involved with Woodland Ridge as a supporter and volunteer, hopefully for many years to come. If you are looking for a home for someone you love, I would strongly recommend that you consider Woodland Ridge.

My mother In law spent time at Woodland Ridge in their memory care side and it was truly a blessing…read morefor our family. The staff are truly kind and treat the residents as family. We are grateful for the cozy rooms, the nice clean facility and the delicious food! We would highly recommend WR to anyone looking for an assisted living facility for a loved one!

I moved into Heartis in April 2026. I am very impressed with the community and the level of service…read morethey provide. The community is clean, the activities are fun, and the food is great. Everything isn't perfect but they communicate well and keep us updated on new policies, outages and any staffing concerns. The feeling of home that this community brings is why I chose Heartis.

This may be a nice place to have your relatives but for all the money you spend, they do not pay…read moretheir vendors. I have an outstanding invoice from May 13th 2026. They have ignored all my calls, emails and requests for payment. They don't respect their musicians. I don't tolerate giving a performance that takes tons of energy, 1 hour getting ready, 1 hour travel and 1 hour performance and then they expect to get a freebie. I have been performing for over 45 years and will take clients to small claims court to get payment. Past clients have paid penalties for treating me so disrespectfully. I do not tolerate it !