Art Of Living - Community Living Arrangement III in Ellenwood, GA

Pros

• They had a great experience with Art of Living.
• David loves the day program.
• The program offers lots of activities and road trips.
• Joi has been a huge help with MARTA and acclimating.
• The staff is exceptional, patient, helpful, and professional.
• The program fosters independence through choices, a monthly activity calendar, and life skills training.
• Hassan is living his best life at AOL.
• The owners and staff are remarkable and among the best.

Cons

• A caregiver was openly yelling at an exceptional adult, loud enough to be overheard on a phone call.
• The same caregiver yelled at them to slow down and then to keep up.
• If someone doesn't have the patience to work with people with exceptionalities, they should find another line of work.
• This behavior was described as completely unacceptable, with people with exceptionalities not being spoken to with respect and dignity in public.
• The service has a high turnover, with a different caregiver every week.
• The owners were accused of being liars and of withholding paychecks.

Review

Art Of Living - Community Living Arrangement III in Ellenwood is best suited for adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities who thrive when living in a structured, community-based setting that blends a residential home with a robust day program. The arrangement of three roommates under a shared supervised home, combined with a monthly calendar of activities and real-world outings, gives residents tangible opportunities to exercise independence while staying connected to the surrounding community. This is not a medicalized private-care model; it is a practical, social-focused option where daily routines, skill-building, and purposeful activity are the core. Families looking for consistent, engaging daytime programming will identify immediate value here.

Those who require near-constant one-to-one medical oversight, highly specialized care, or private, solo living might want to explore alternatives. While many reviews sing the facility’s praises, there are concerns about staff turnover and one incident of publicly inappropriate conduct by a caregiver, plus a separate critical report about management. These signals do not define the community, but they do suggest that families with tight expectations for caregiver consistency, governance, or cash-flow transparency should probe deeper before committing.

Key advantages center on the day program and the staff’s approach. Residents participate in a broad spectrum of activities and road trips, with staff who are described as patient, proactive, and communicative. The program emphasizes life skills and community involvement, giving residents concrete goals and a regular rhythm. The ability to navigate transportation (notably MARTA) and to make choices about daily interests is framed as empowering, not punitive. The combination of living with roommates and a supportive peer network provides social reinforcement that sustains progress and reduces isolation.

On the downside, staff dynamics appear variable in some accounts. A caregiver publicly yelled at a person in a local store, underscoring the risk of uneven behavior in public-facing roles. A pattern of caregiver turnover is noted by at least one reviewer, which can disrupt consistency and strain families seeking reliable continuity. A separate critique alleges improper conduct by owners and pay-related tensions, reflecting governance concerns that deserve careful validation through current references and due diligence. Taken together, these issues highlight the need for proactive management and clear expectations around supervision and quality control.

Nevertheless, the strongest proof lies in program quality and long-standing family reassurance. When staff are described as exceptional and patient, the day program remains a powerful driver of independence, social engagement, and practical skills that reduce reliance on 24/7 personal care. Regular updates and open communication help families stay connected to progress, even amid staff rotations. For many residents, this structure yields more meaningful daily life than would be possible in other settings. To mitigate the cons, prospective families should ask about caregiver assignment policies, turnover rates, and supervisory oversight, and request references from current families.

Bottom line: Art Of Living offers a compelling, practical path for adults who want community-integrated living with an active day program and real-life skill development. It is less suitable for those needing tight, private caregiving or high medical intensity, and for families wary of staff turnover without strong governance. Schedule a visit, ask explicit questions about caregiver rotation, staff training, safety safeguards, and family communications, and compare with a few alternatives that emphasize higher caregiver continuity. In the right matched scenario, this community delivers independence, engagement, and security that translate into tangible quality of life gains.

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (2.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.5 miles)
• Walgreens (3.8 miles)
• Walgreens (4.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.3 miles)
• Walgreens (5.9 miles)
• Walgreens (6.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Kelley Chapel United Methodist Church (3.8 miles)
• Mountainside Seventh Day Adventist Church (3.9 miles)
• Avondale Church Of Christ (6.9 miles)
• Inman Park United Methodist Church (7.6 miles)
• Berean Christian Church (7.8 miles)
• First Baptist Church of Decatur (7.8 miles)
• East Point Church (8.2 miles)

Restaurants

• Club Bolts (3.8 miles)
• McDonald's (4 miles)
• McDonald's (4.5 miles)
• Reel Steel Sports Bar & Grill (4.6 miles)
• Zanza (4.6 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (4.8 miles)
• Taco Bell (4.9 miles)

Parks

• Glen Emerald Park (4.6 miles)
• East Lake Park (5.6 miles)
• Forest Park Recreation & Parks (6 miles)
• McKoy Park (6.3 miles)
• Bessie Branham Park (6.5 miles)
• Grant Park Neighborhood Association (7.4 miles)
• Toy Park (7.7 miles)

Theaters

• Starlight Six Drive-In (4.8 miles)
• AMC Madison Yards 8 (7.1 miles)
• AMC Southlake 24 (7.8 miles)

Physicians

• Hicks David W DDS (6.2 miles)
• South Dekalb Family Physicians (6.4 miles)
• Oakhurst Pediatrics (6.5 miles)
• Georgia Family Care (7.2 miles)
• Clayton Eye Center (7.4 miles)
• Kelly Rich, MD (7.5 miles)
• Dekalb Medical Ctrdecatur Decatur (7.6 miles)

Cafes

• El Tesoro (6.8 miles)
• Muchacho (7.1 miles)
• Eat More Korean (7.5 miles)
• Dancing Goats Coffee Bar (7.6 miles)

Transportation

• Marta - Westbound (7.4 miles)
• MARTA Inman Park - Reynoldstown Station (7.6 miles)
• MARTA - King Memorial Station (8 miles)
• International Arrivals Hall (8.4 miles)

Hospitals

• DeKalb Medical Hillandale (7.8 miles)