Memory Care in Atlanta, GA
Families looking for memory care in Atlanta are always welcome at Woodland Ridge, where we care for people living with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. Our community sits at 4005 South Cobb Drive in Smyrna, just northwest of the city and close to Buckhead. Our Friends for Life program shapes each day around your loved one's own story, habits and joys. Whenever you're ready, we'd love for you to come by for a visit and see it for yourself.
When you fill out the form below, a friendly team member from Woodland Ridge will contact you to answer your questions and offer to schedule a tour.
Or, call us now at (770) 431-7055
Memory Care for Atlanta Families at Woodland Ridge
Our memory care is for people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, and for the families who love them. We welcome families from all over Atlanta to our home in Smyrna, which sits near Marietta, Vinings, Buckhead and the surrounding areas.
About 188,300 Georgians aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's disease. Inside Atlanta's city limits, roughly one resident in eight is 65 or older, and close to 7,000 are 85 or older. Behind those numbers are a lot of Atlanta families watching a parent or spouse who always handled things just fine start to forget meals, lose track of the day or get turned around on a familiar street. That's often the moment a family starts looking into dementia care in Atlanta, and it can feel like a lot to take in all at once.
Woodland Ridge is Georgia's first non-profit assisted living community, and a non-profit board made up of Smyrna community leaders guides our work. Our mission is person-centered care. We journey alongside each resident by getting to know their life history, their personal preferences and their needs, and we build a home and services that honor who they are and make room for meaningful moments and relationships. You're welcome to read more about our memory care services in Smyrna at your own pace.
How the Friends for Life Program Works
Friends for Life is the program behind all of our Alzheimer's care for Atlanta families, and it rests on three simple ideas. Each one starts with getting to know the person.
The first is your loved one's Life Story. Each resident's Life Story is built into his or her own care plan, so our team knows the music, pastimes and people that matter most to them. We also use technology like SimpleC and It's Never Too Late (IN2L) to connect residents with their history and their family, which helps preserve each person's own voice.
The second is Joy in the Moment. Reminiscing about a favorite pastime, watching the sunset, listening to a favorite song or dancing can brighten a whole afternoon, and our staff use what they've learned from each Life Story to recreate those moments. Carolyn, whose late husband lived in our memory care, shares how music changed the way he spent the last part of his life with us.
The third is the Daily Rhythm. A predictable 24-hour routine brings back the comfort of familiar things, and that comfort helps residents find success in their own personal care. The rhythm helps each person wake up in the morning, take part in everyday life skills, keep up their relationships, enjoy their favorite interests and calm down gently at the end of the day.
A Dementia-Trained, Long-Tenured Care Team
Memory Care Director Keeta Keeton has been with Woodland Ridge for over 20 years. We celebrate that kind of tenure across our staff, and for your loved one it means seeing familiar, friendly faces day after day.
We know you can't train a heart, so we hire compassionate caregivers first and then keep investing in their education. Our caregivers complete the Virtual Dementia Tour, and our dementia experts train and coach the team on how to engage residents with gentle prompts and cues. All of our staff are trained in how the disease progresses, which helps them meet your loved one right where they are on any given day.
Each year we also recognize The Wanda Braziel Caregiver of Excellence. The honor is named for a former board member who believed in continuous quality improvement and in aiming for the highest standard of care. We're a community partner with Second Wind Dreams, and we work closely with Ridgeview Institute.
Needs change over time, and the care changes with them. Our care assessment is updated with the family from time to time and whenever a resident's condition changes. When someone in our assisted living needs more support, the move into memory care happens right here in the community they already know, with staff who know their story helping them settle in.
Daily Life, Safety and Health Care on Site
Our building is all on one level and easy to get around, and each room has large windows looking out on the garden or the courtyard. Residents enjoy garden-side dining, a courtyard for walking and gardening, and church services right here on site. Bailey, Cooper and Gunter, our in-house dogs, make regular pet therapy visits that encourage conversation, gentle touch and connection.
Safety comes first in memory care. We keep a secured environment with measures in place to prevent wandering, our staff are here 24 hours a day, and residents have access to certified medication assistants.
Health care comes to your loved one, too. Our in-house therapy and physician services bring local physicians to residents, including geriatrician Dr. Radhika Mudiyala, so you don't have to worry about getting your loved one to and from appointments. Legacy Healthcare Services keeps an office on site and offers physical, occupational and speech therapy without anyone having to leave home. A mobile podiatrist and a mobile dentist visit as well, and we're close to Cobb medical offices and the hospital.
Services
- 24-Hour Staffing
- On-site Medical Care and Therapies
- Access to Certified Medication Assistants
- Personalized Care Plan
- Assistance with Activities of Daily Living
- Laundry and Housekeeping
- Health Care Coordination
- Scheduled Transportation
- Life Enrichment Activities
- Wellness Programs
Georgia Memory Care Standards Families Can Ask About
Georgia's Department of Community Health sets the rules for memory care centers inside assisted living communities. No memory care center can operate or admit residents without a current certificate, so asking to see it is a fair place to start on any tour.
The state's rules for certified memory care centers also spell out what everyday care looks like. They call for one dementia-trained direct care staff member for every 12 residents during waking hours and every 15 overnight, averaged over the month, and at least two direct care staff on site at all times. All staff complete at least 4 hours of dementia orientation in their first 30 days, direct care staff complete at least 16 hours of specialized dementia training, and 8 hours of dementia training follow each year. Outdoor spaces must be secured and wheelchair accessible, and therapeutic activities have to be offered every day.
Each resident also needs a written care plan, built with family input where possible and reviewed at least every three months. Every one of these points makes a good question for any Atlanta-area community you visit, ours included.
Getting to Woodland Ridge from Atlanta
From downtown Atlanta, the trip is about 14 miles and roughly 20 minutes. Take I-20 West, follow I-20 West and I-285 North, and take exit 15 for South Cobb Drive. From there, follow South Cobb Drive into Smyrna to 4005 South Cobb Drive. Our page on assisted living for Atlanta seniors lays out the same route step by step.
Being this close makes it easy to stop by after work or spend a Saturday afternoon together. Woodland Ridge stays connected to the wider community, too, with regular trips to local restaurants and events, outings for lunch, shopping and scenic rides, reading visits with the primary school we've adopted and a Senior Prom at a local high school.
Community Amenities
- Variety of Apartment Floorplans
- Garden-Side Dining
- Healthy and Delicious Meals
- Cozy Parlors and Gracious Common Areas
- Courtyard for Walking and Gardening
- Close Proximity to Cobb Medical Offices and Hospital
- On-Site Church Services
- Barber Shop and Beauty Salon
Support for Atlanta Caregivers and Families
Great dementia care begins with a healthy understanding of the disease, and that goes for families as much as for staff. The Virtual Dementia Tour is a simulated experience that helps you feel some of the physical and mental challenges your loved one lives with, and you can RSVP to our monthly Virtual Dementia Tour whenever it suits you. Our staff and family training focuses on spotting a resident's challenges and learning how to prompt and cue them so they keep using their strengths.
Short stays can be a gentle way to try the community. We offer respite and short-term care for a few hours or a few weeks, which gives family caregivers a worry-free break.
The 10-county Atlanta region was home to more than 870,000 people aged 60 and older in 2021, nearly one in five residents, and that number is expected to double to 1.9 million by 2050. Plenty of the families behind that figure are still caring for someone at home. The Atlanta Regional Commission is the region's Area Agency on Aging. Its services include respite vouchers for caregivers and care management, and its Empowerline service helps with aging, disability and caregiver needs. Statewide, Georgia's Division of Aging Services runs dementia programs such as Georgia Memory Net, Dementia Friends and the Dementia Care Specialist Program, which are worth looking into for families still caring at home or waiting on a diagnosis.
Schedule a Visit to Woodland Ridge
The best way to get a feel for our memory care is to walk through it, meet our team and see the Daily Rhythm in action. When you schedule a visit, someone from our team will be in touch within 24 hours to answer your questions and offer you a tour. If there's something particular to your loved one's situation, or you'd simply like to talk things through first, you can reach our team through our Contact Us page as well.
Driving Directions from Atlanta, GA to Woodland Ridge
Driving Directions from Atlanta, GA to Woodland Ridge
Atlanta
Woodland Ridge Assisted Living
Frequently Asked Questions About Memory Care in Atlanta
What memory care does Woodland Ridge offer to Atlanta families?
We provide memory care for people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia through our Friends for Life program. Each resident's Life Story is built into their care plan, our staff create Joy in the Moment experiences, and a predictable Daily Rhythm guides the day from morning to bedtime.
Where is Woodland Ridge, and how do I get there from Atlanta?
Our community is at 4005 South Cobb Drive in Smyrna. From downtown Atlanta, follow I-20 West and I-285 North, take exit 15 and follow South Cobb Drive into Smyrna. The drive is about 14 miles.
How are your caregivers trained in dementia care?
Our caregivers complete the Virtual Dementia Tour, and our dementia experts train and coach them on how to engage residents with prompts and cues. All staff are trained in how the disease progresses, and our Memory Care Director has been with Woodland Ridge for over 20 years.
How is memory care different from assisted living in Georgia?
Both give daily help with things like bathing, dressing and medication. Georgia's rules ask certified memory care centers to go further, with dementia-trained staffing levels, specialized staff training, secured outdoor spaces and therapeutic activities every day. Memory care also adds a secured setting and a steady routine built around life with dementia.
How is memory care regulated in Georgia?
The Georgia Department of Community Health oversees it. An assisted living community needs a current certificate before it can run a memory care center or admit residents to one, and the center has to meet the state's rules on staffing, training and care planning.
Can family members learn about dementia too?
Yes. We host a monthly Virtual Dementia Tour that families can sign up for, and our dementia training shows family members how to prompt and cue a loved one so they can keep their strengths.
Is there help for veterans who need care?
As a non-profit organization, Woodland Ridge is able to offer loans to veterans in need of care. Each family's situation is a little different, and our team is glad to walk you through the details when you reach out through our Contact Us page.