Capital Transitional Care

Pros

• Emerald Gardens takes great pride in their rehabilitation program, successfully returning many residents home after treatment.
• The care staff are hardworking and dedicated, demonstrating genuine concern for the residents they serve.
• The dining areas are attractive, creating a pleasant environment for meals.
• The administrative staff is experienced and responsive, fostering a friendly atmosphere within the facility.
• Residents have access to a variety of dietary options that cater to different needs.
• The facility makes an effort to provide outside entertainment and spiritual programs for the residents' enrichment.
• Many coherent residents appreciate the efforts made by staff to address their needs, despite language barriers.

Cons

• The building's interior lacks brightness and cheerfulness, contributing to an institutional atmosphere.
• Resident rooms are too small to provide a sense of privacy unless the resident is alone.
• Unpleasant odors permeate the air, and the issue has never been effectively controlled over 15 years.
• The care needs of residents appear to exceed the staffing available to meet those needs.
• The food served is relatively bland and unappetizing, with complaints about it being served cold at times.
• Communication difficulties arise due to dietary staff's shaky English, frustrating more coherent residents.
• The activity program seems average and not individualized enough, potentially grouping higher functioning residents with lower functioning ones.
• Overall, the facility appears more reactive than proactive in its operations and care delivery.

Review

Emerald Gardens, a Skilled Nursing Care Home located just twenty minutes south of downtown Sacramento, serves as both a rehabilitation facility and a long-term care option for residents primarily afflicted with dementia or Alzheimer's. To reach Emerald Gardens, visitors can easily drive south on I-5 from Sacramento, take Florin Road East, and make a left onto 24th Street. The facility itself is surrounded by attractive trees and flower beds that enhance the initial impression of the grounds. However, while the exterior may present a welcoming facade, it's inside where mixed experiences await.

Upon entering Emerald Gardens, visitors may find the atmosphere less than inviting. Although certain inner areas like the dining rooms and activity spaces have been designed to be attractive, there is an overall need for brighter lighting and more cheerful decor throughout the building to help alleviate its institutional feel. The resident rooms are adequate in size but are often described as too small to provide any meaningful sense of privacy unless one happens to reside alone. This could pose challenges for residents who value their personal space or require some time away from communal living dynamics.

For over fifteen years, the reviewer has made it a point to visit this facility regularly to engage with its residents through singing sessions. A significant number of them struggle with cognitive impairments, predominantly dementia or Alzheimer's disease. While Emerald Gardens takes pride in its rehabilitation efforts—successfully returning many rehab referrals back home—the reality remains that a considerable proportion of residents necessitate 24-hour hands-on supervised care due to their health conditions. This dual focus on rehabilitation and long-term care creates a unique dynamic within the facility's operations.

One striking aspect upon entering Emerald Gardens is cleanliness—or rather, the lack thereof. Despite diligent efforts from staff members who work tirelessly under pressure, unpleasant odors seem to pervade many areas of the building. According to reports from long-time visitors, these odor issues appear unresolved after many years of concern and vigilance. While caregivers genuinely exhibit concern for their clients' needs and foster positive relationships with residents, it is difficult to overlook how these persistent scents affect first impressions upon arrival.

In terms of dietary services offered at Emerald Gardens, all styles of dietary needs are reportedly met. However, feedback on food quality appears relatively uninspiring; meals have been described as bland or unappetizing by many who sample them during visits—the temperature at which food is served can also leave much to be desired at times. Though dining areas themselves boast attractiveness and dietary staff members show kindness toward residents during meal service, many critically note that communication barriers exist between some staff members whose English proficiency may not fully meet resident needs.

The activities available for residents present another opportunity for improvement within Emerald Gardens' programming framework. Observations suggest that current offerings often lack enough individualization; higher-functioning patients sometimes find themselves engaging with lower-functioning peers in ways that do not cater effectively to their differing abilities or interests. On occasions when visiting musicians or outside entertainers perform at the facility—or spiritual programs take place—the engagement remains enjoyable; yet it leaves something lacking regarding tailored activities relevant specifically for each resident's personal capabilities or desires.

Despite these concerns about various aspects—including communication between staffers and residents along with program individualization—it's important to recognize that administrative personnel at Emerald Gardens are characterized as being veteran professionals who respond well without fail while maintaining friendliness towards families visiting loved ones there daily too! Nevertheless since operations appear more reactive than proactive across numerous spheres within this context (staff performance versus hygiene issues), an overall rating of three out five reflects an honest assessment based on experience gleaned over years spent observing life inside its walls—signifying room still exists for further improvement moving forward!

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (0.4 miles)
• South Sacramento Care Center (0.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.4 miles)
• Walgreens (1.8 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.3 miles)
• Walgreens (2.5 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.6 miles)

Places of Worship

• New Hope Community Church Sacramento (1.6 miles)
• St Francis of Assisi (5 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (2 miles)
• Burger King (2.3 miles)
• Taqueria Hecho En Mexico (2.5 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (2.6 miles)
• The Sandwich Spot (2.9 miles)
• Auntie Anne's (3 miles)
• Marie's Do-Nut Shop (3.4 miles)

Physicians

• Site for Sore Eyes - Pocket (2.2 miles)
• Sacramento County Primary Care Center (3.4 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente Medical Group (3.8 miles)
• NVISION Eye Centers - Sacramento (4.4 miles)
• Lenaerts Marc Mercy Medical Group Md (4.4 miles)
• UC Davis Medical Group- Sacramento- Family Medicine & Pediatrics (4.7 miles)
• Sacramento Center For Hematology & Medical Oncology (4.8 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (2.4 miles)
• Kampala Café (2.8 miles)
• Starbucks (4.1 miles)
• Temple Coffee (4.3 miles)
• Starbucks (4.5 miles)
• Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters (4.5 miles)
• Temple Coffee Roasters (5 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Delta Shores & Imax (2.6 miles)

Parks

• Curtis Park (2.9 miles)
• William Land Park (3.1 miles)
• Renfree Park (3.4 miles)
• Kobe’s Bark Path (4 miles)
• Roosevelt Park (5 miles)
• Capitol Park (5.1 miles)
• McKinley Park (5.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center (3.9 miles)
• Sutter Center for Psychiatry (4.9 miles)

Transportation

• Amtrak Sacramento Valley Station (5.7 miles)