The Gardens at Laguna Springs

After touring about 15 assisted living and memory care facilities I made the best choice for my mother by moving her into The Gardens at Laguna Springs in Elk Grove. Most of the assisted living facilities I toured were resort-like. The food, atmosphere, vibe, were exhilarating. Unfortunately, the memory care facilities did not produce the same feeling. At the time, I hoped that by the time my mom needed memory care, maybe she wouldn’t notice the change and maybe, if necessary, I would just move her to another facility. There is a catch with this line of thinking: each facility has a community move-in fee that is expensive. So, unless you have unlimited funds, you want to choose a facility that your loved one can remain in the entire time. If you know your loved one is going into memory care and the Elk Grove area is a close location to where you live, have them come out immediately and have them do an assessment. This will give you an exact Idea of what level of care is needed and the cost to receive care. Also, my mother had CalPERS long-term care. This was a Godsend for us. CalPERS will cover most of the costs of skilled nursing facilities or qualified memory care facilities. During the 18 months my mom was at the facility, the staff completed and sent in all the paperwork, and I was reimbursed by CalPERS for her covered expenses. When I walked into The Gardens memory care, I got the feeling this was the place for my mom. Very clean, no bad smells and a very similar feeling to the nicer independent living facilities. I toured the facility with Angela Medeiros. She was fantastic. There was no pressure or sales tactics. My mom was assessed by Jordan Raymondi (Director of Resident Services) the next day and the transition from skilled nursing to The Gardens went off without a hitch. More great stuff about the facility: First off, my mom wanted to have her dog (Lucky) with her. Many of the memory care facilities did not allow dogs in memory care, however, The Gardens welcomed Lucky and many of the staff participated in a birthday party we held for Lucky. We felt like Lucky had become the mascot for The Gardens. If you and the family like to visit, the Gardens has large, private, nicely decorated rooms where the whole family hang out, celebrate, relax and eat together. On Easter and some other holidays, we got our large family together and we would eat and celebrate in the cafeteria with all the residents. The food was good, atmosphere was festive, and the price was nominal. Jordan Raymondi, Director of Resident Services - This guy “Rocks.” He is professional and very aware of all the patients’ needs. He is quick to respond to concerns and takes care of business. More important info: Unfortunately, when people’s dementia progresses, less people come to visit. This was the case with my mother. I believe that this is probably true in most cases. So, remember this when picking a place. It needs to be close and convenient because you will be the most common visitor. My sister visited our mother about 2-3 times per week, and I would come 1-2 times per week. So, choosing to have my mom live in Elk Grove allowed us to visit more often. As my mom’s dementia progressed, she was placed in hospice. This is a great program and covered by Medicare. With hospice, mom got even more one-on-one attention. Clergy, social workers, nurses, and a daily care worker one hour per day just focused on my mom are just a few great things that came along with being on hospice. The hospice agency we used was SunCrest which I would also give 5 stars. They were awesome. My mother passed away on October 11, 2025. 5 weeks before she passed, my mom told me how much she liked it here and wanted me to make sure I was current with all the payments because she really likes it here.

Our father was diagnosed with dementia in June 2023 and moved to the Gardens 2 months later one week before our mother passed and was no longer able to care for him. The gardens helped us navigate the difficult transition quickly and efficiently to get our Dad settled and cared for. Since he has been there they have provided good care for him. The facility is clean and the staff courteous and professional and always willing to address any issues.

Move in was a breeze! Staff was available to help with questions. What was super nice is the staff popped in off and on while we were moving mom in to introduce themselves to us. They provided lunch to our mom while we were working to get her set up. The food was very tasty. It was a good first experience.

My mother, now 91 has been living at The Gardens for almost 2-1/2 years. The care she’s received throughout has been very compassionate by everyone;; custodial staff, health aids, activity and kitchen staff, administrative staff. I’ve never worried about her care in my absence. Management and staff changes have occurred several times over the past couple of years unfortunately, but care has remained consistent. Memory care is their specialty, my family came I so thankful to have found “ The Gardens “