Arden Rehab & Health Center

I am a friend or relative of a resident

There is a growing concern among the gerontology industry that nursing homes and assisted living facilities should not look and smell like a hospital from the 1960's. Unfortunately, Arden was not a step forward from that.

My knowledge of Arden comes from close involvement, including volunteering, and other functions over the last 20 years. Arden Rehab. and HealthCare Center, a Skilled Nursing Center with a 150 plus beds, is located in Sacramento. It is located off I-80, 20 minutes northeast of downtown between Alta Arden Expressway and Watt Avenue, just 5 minutes from Arden Mall. It is near movies, stores, and eateries. It is conveniently close to Kaiser Hospital, and 15 minutes away from two downtown area Sutter Hospitals. Many medical offices are sprinkled throughout the neighboring area. Arden has a veteran, quality, caring staff. The staff exudes a kindness and patience with the residents. They employ RN’s, LVN’s, and CNA’s so staffing to provide care is rarely an issue. I see a lot of teamwork going on. They have in-house training for care givers. A complete rehabilitation team focuses at returning residents to their home settings or a lower level of care. Arden’s activity program is focused on the individual needs of each resident. Music, sing-a-longs, exercise, and outside entertainment fill their days. A registered dietician assures all meals are relatively tasty, meeting all medically prescribed restrictions. Residents I spoke to, confirm the food is “yummy.” They have specialized dining areas based on resident need. Arden has a fairly even mix of residents with dementia, and the higher functioning clients. I like the fact that they have several volunteer groups coming in. The also have non-denominational church services. While management seems a bit aloof, the regular care giving staffs are quite friendly.

Arden gets high marks for cleanliness, odor is minimal, and when noted quickly taken care of. Some rooms face out to patio; some even have sliding glass doors. While the rooms are bright, with ample space for folded and hung clothing, it would be nice if the rooms were a bit larger. When there are two or more to a room, one finds things a little grounded, making family time less private. The facility is spread out with three different wings or stations. There is a lovely solarium where most activities take place. It is especially gorgeous when decorated during the holidays. Several outdoor patios, including one massive one are adjacent to resident rooms. The larger patio is excellent for summer BBQ’s and Luaus Overall, the mood of Arden is of comfort, and friendliness. Because of its size, the use of the intercom system, and the more regimented way of operation, the institutional part bothers me a bit. Still as far as meeting the standards for a nursing home it’s a cut above. I rank it a 4 out of 5.