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How to Find the Best Options for Assisted Living in Marietta, GA

Located just 15 miles from Atlanta, Marietta’s suburban appeal and affordable cost of living have made the community a popular retirement destination in recent years. Narrowing down assisted living options in Marietta is a good starting point for seniors who want to make their homes here.Marietta has something to offer seniors with varying tastes, from neighborhood hub Marietta Square to quiet parks and golf courses, such as Indian Hills Country Club. Similarly, assisted living in Marietta is varied, with each community offering something a little different.

What to Look For

Everyone approaches their golden years differently, and finding an assisted living community that embraces and encourages the approach you or your loved one has chosen is the key to successful senior living. Of course, the best fit ultimately depends on individual preferences and needs, but a few guiding principles can facilitate your search for senior living in Marietta.

1. The Best Options Are Flexible

Because everyone has different needs, preferences, and expectations, one-size-fits-all approaches are rarely ideal. Instead, seek out assisted living options that have the flexibility to embrace individuality on a number of fronts:

  • Rooms: Look for a variety of room layouts; more options mean more pricing flexibility and better chances of matching your individual lodging preferences.
  • Care: Look for a community to provide the care you need, when you need it; customizable tiered care plans makes assisted living in Marietta more affordable and better suited to meet changing needs.
  • Programs: Look for a community that can offer activities and programs that match your interests; having fun and being engaged promote healthy aging.

Remember, the more flexible an assisted living community is, the likelier it is to match your budget, goals, and expectations.

2. The Best Options Build Community

An assisted living community shouldn’t only feel like home—it should be home. And we don’t spend all our time at home inside our bedrooms; we spend them in communal areas, such as living rooms, dining areas, and outdoor patios. In extension, you want to look for these same features in assisted living communities in the forms of community living rooms, private dining rooms, beautiful grounds, outdoor congregation areas, and other community spaces.

3. The Best Options Promote Nutrition

Nutrition is one of the biggest keys to healthy aging. Look for assisted living options in Marietta, GA, that offer healthy, practical, and enticing food options that keep residents coming back to the dinner table. Arbor Terrace of East Cobb, for example, runs a trademark Dining with Dignity® program that ensures all residents can enjoy a meal with their neighbors.

4. The Best Options Promote Wellness

An ideal assisted living community promotes healthy aging through a vibrant wellness center as well as exercise and rehabilitation classes tailored to meet the specific needs of seniors at varying levels of ability. Check out amenities and class schedules to see what options would benefit you or your loved one.

6. The Best Options Promote Engagement

Look for an assisted living community that customizes activities and planned events, instead of offering cookie-cutter ideas that don’t appeal to all residents. Sit in on planned activities to see how engaged the residents are, and look at sign-up sheets to see how many people are taking part in other activities.

7. The Best Options Offer Memory Care

Plan for the future by considering assisted living communities that offer specialized memory care for residents with dementia or age-related cognitive decline. Even if you or your loved one don’t need memory care now, it’s availability ensures a disruptive move to a new community isn’t required if memory care becomes necessary in the future.

Encouraging Signs

You will have a lot to take in when touring assisted living options. Sometimes, it’s the small, and often overlooked, details that bring the larger picture into focus. The most encouraging indicators to keep an eye out for are related to how welcome the assisted living community makes you or your loved one feel and how engaged fellow residents and staff members seem:

  • Staff Interactions: Look for staff members to say hello, introduce themselves, and ask questions about your loved one; this is a sign of caring staff and personalized care.
  • Empty Rooms: Residents being out of their rooms, interacting, and socializing is a great sign that the assisted living community is working hard to engage everyone.
  • Full Dining Rooms: Residents skipping meals or taking meals in their rooms could mean the food is less than desireable, or they don’t feel engaged. To get an insider's view, sit down for a meal to taste the cuisine and listen in on the conversations happening.
  • Beautiful Grounds: Beautiful grounds and decor are a sign that staff and residents take pride in their assisted living community—bonus point for community projects, such as gardens, seasonal decorations, and personal touches.

Happy and engaged staff and residents are an encouraging sign of a welcoming, engaging community.

Red Flags

Red flags might jump right out at you during your tours, but they might also be small details that tell a bigger story. Taking note of how well staff pay attention to details—and to residents—will tell you a lot:

  • Uncleanliness: Dirty dishes, dirty windows, cobwebs in the corners, and trashcans overflowing may be signs of understaffed or poorly managed assisted living.
  • Poor staff interaction: Staff members not interacting with residents or other staff members might indicate poor morale, lack of interest, or poor management.
  • Safety Concerns: Unsecured entrances, tripping hazards, residents left unattended, and poor lighting are just a few examples of safety hazards to look out for.
  • Reviews: Poor reviews posted online or given by residents you talk to in person should signal the need to continue your search for better assisted living in Marietta.
  • Boredom: A lackluster events schedule or failure to engage residents may give you an overwhelming feeling that residents are bored and unstimulated.

Signs of poor management, disengaged residents, and inattentive staff should be the biggest red flags.

In Review

Most often, the best senior living option is going to be the one that has the flexibility to meet your individual needs and expectations. Great communities feel like home because they welcome, engage, and embrace residents with different needs and interests. Staff members who take the time to get to know residents and play an active role in engaging them is a strong indicator of an excellent community. Signs of inattentiveness or poor management, conversely, should raise red flags. In the end, trust your gut when it comes to which assisted living option in Marietta, GA is best for you.

Carrie Bellware

About the Author: Carrie Bellware

With Arbor since 2016. “I first came to know Arbor Terrace when my mother lived here and now I’m proud to be a member of the team. I have worked in senior services for almost 20 years, but none of my prior experiences has been as meaningful as the daily interaction I have today with residents, families and our staff. Arbor is truly like none other!”

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