The Atrium at Carmichael

Barbara

My mother was at The Atrium at Carmichael before she moved to her current place. She was there for ten years. It's a lovely facility. They're called Atrium because the apartments surround a central grassy area with a pond and ducks, which is just a beautiful water feature. She had an apartment, a one-bedroom with one bath, a full kitchen, a living area, and a sliding door that opened to the outside. Some apartments are in the grassy area. They had a large dining area, and the food we experienced there was very good. The staff was quite responsive. She had light housekeeping. They would do laundry, but we chose to do laundry for her. They had transportation -- a bus -- that was available for residents. The dining area staff was very good. When she got older and needed more time to eat, they were very responsive in trying to assist her when she started needing a little more help. I'm very impressed with that; it seemed like they really care about their people. We found the management to be very helpful in everything, too. There's a large area for people to sit when you walk in the door at the front desk. There weren't so many activities. They had a large activity room, but they mostly used it for bingo and crafts. She liked it there. In the apartments, there were little courtyards, and you could sit outside in covered areas, which she utilized well while there. They also had an ambulance station there that provided paramedics with an apartment that they could rest in, because there was always an ambulance right there. So paramedics were always available, which was very nice.

Ane

It was the best and my parents' favorite. They liked the water feature and the apartments were a little larger than the other places and had more things they were interested in. They had kitchen equipment, so you could cook, but mostly they love being right down the water. The staff during the tour was great and very nice, well informed, and did whatever my folks asked her to do. They also liked the dining room, and the food was good and suited their tastes. There's an ambulance service right next door with EMTs, and my mother thought that would be a really good thing.

Joan

It was fine. I'm familiar with it, and the rooms were excellent. We had lunch there, and the food was excellent. I thought they were very friendly and that everything was easy going. They seemed to have everything you need.

Marie

We didn't really care for it. The tour was fine but the place seemed really dark. Also we didn't see a whole lot of people for Dad to communicate with. It wasn't modern nor homey. It was fairly clean and the staff was very nice and very knowledgeable. The room was fine but it was dark.

Beverly

I was impressed with this community. It was pretty nice. The staff who gave me the tour was impressive too. She was knowledgeable about things and she did a good job. I like the idea of the room having a built-in kitchen table which impressed me.

JimSm

The Atrium advertises its many community activities, but if you plan to participate, be sure to bring a heavy winter coat. For years, the social activity rooms and hallways have remained unheated due to a long-broken heating system. Despite repeated assurances that repairs are coming, nothing ever changes—leaving shivering seniors to endure the cold.