Best Assisted Living in Georgia

Overview of Marsh’s Edge

Marsh’s Edge is a 32-bed skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation community offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care in Saint Simons Island, Georgia. Privately owned and serving Glynn County residents on the Georgia coast in Renegar Way, the SNF operates within a broader campus. Medicare and private pay are welcome.

The data picture is uniformly strong. Nurse hours of 10h 32m per resident day rank 1st among 190 Georgia SNFs , more than double the 3h 37m state average, and the CMS staffing sub-rating reflects case-mix adjusted hours 122.2 percent above Georgia’s benchmark. All four CMS sub-ratings sit well above state average, producing a 5-star overall rating 94.6 percent above Georgia’s average. Over seven years on file, the facility averaged 0.6 deficiencies annually, 88 percent below Georgia’s 4.9 average, with no immediate jeopardy findings, fines, or enforcement actions. The four total deficiencies across the window were a fire drill documentation gap and one soup temperature reading in January 2018, and a narcotic documentation discrepancy and interim administrator coverage gap in July 2021. Clean was the latest annual survey in August 2025. The facility has received national quality recognition six times.

Amenities span a premier fine dining program, an award-winning wellness program, push-button security, and a coastal campus setting near Saint Simons Island’s marshes and waterways.

Marsh’s Edge suits well for older adults on Saint Simons Island seeking short-term post-acute rehabilitation or long-term skilled nursing within a full-continuum life plan community. It has staffing depth and clinical outcomes that consistently rank among Georgia’s best.

The Place at Martinez is a privately owned 100-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Augusta, Georgia, catering to Richmond County residents. The community offers long-term care and short-term rehabilitation with 24-hour staffing, memory care, and respite services, and welcomes Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

The inspection record stands out across Georgia. Over eight years on file, the facility averaged 1.1 deficiencies annually, 78 percent below Georgia’s 4.9 average. No immediate jeopardy findings, fines, or enforcement actions recorded, and every complaint investigation across the entire window returning unsubstantiated. Deficiencies have been limited exclusively to life safety administrative items: an unlabeled electrical panel in 2022 and a sprinkler spare-head order without a completion date in 2024, both corrected on revisit. Annual health surveys in 2022 and 2024 were clean. The 4-star CMS overall rating is supported by a health inspection sub-rating 86.6 percent above Georgia’s average and staffing 33.3 percent above state benchmark; nurse hours of 3h 59m per resident day rank 38th among 190 Georgia SNFs. Quality Measures run 66.8 percent below Georgia’s average, a meaningful clinical outcomes gap that runs counter to the inspection and staffing picture and warrants attention for families placing residents with complex long-term care needs. With current availability, occupancy at 73 percent runs near Georgia’s 78.1 percent average.

The Place at Martinez is suitable for residents in Augusta seeking long-term skilled nursing or short-term post-acute rehabilitation, with an inspection record consistently ranking among Georgia’s strongest.

Northridge Health and Rehabilitation is an 86-bed non-profit skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility operated by Jackson County Healthcare Holdings LLC in Commerce, Georgia. Located on Medical Center Drive in Jackson County, the community offers skilled nursing, memory care, and rehabilitation services. Accepted: Medicare and private pay.

The 4-star CMS overall rating is supported by a health inspection sub-rating 49.3 percent above Georgia’s average. Over 10 years on file, the facility averaged 4.4 deficiencies annually, 10 percent below Georgia’ 4.9 average. One immediate jeopardy finding appears in the window: a January 2019 complaint investigation substantiated abuse and neglect after a nurse made nine unsuccessful catheter insertion attempts on one resident and performed a forceful digital dis-impaction on another without physician orders or consent. The nurse was terminated, and the IJ was removed following corrective actions. The April 2022 annual survey was the most deficiency-dense survey since, citing nine findings including dignity violations stemming from a dietary staffing shortage that led 106 residents to receive meals on disposable dinnerware, fall prevention care plan failures, ADL care lapses, and food safety and antibiotic stewardship gaps. A February 2024 survey cited recurring nail care failures for two residents and environmental maintenance issues. No deficiencies cited since. Staffing runs modestly below Georgia’s average on a case-mix adjusted basis, while nurse hours of 3h 58m per resident day rank 38th among 190 Georgia SNFs. Occupancy at 98 percent reflects strong local demand in Commerce.

Residents in Jackson County who need long-term skilled nursing or post-acute rehabilitation will find the facility suitable. The community has high occupancy signaling consistent demand and a compliance record that generally runs near or above Georgia’s average.

Overview of Magnolia Manor of Marion County

Magnolia Manor of Marion County is a 70-bed non-profit skilled nursing facility in Buena Vista, Georgia, which serves Marion County residents. Accepted are Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay. The facility offers rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and memory care. Occupancy at 83 percent runs above Georgia’s 78.1 percent average and has trended upward.

All four CMS sub-ratings sit at or above Georgia’s average, producing a 3-star overall rating. Nurse hours of 4h per resident day rank 38th among 190 Georgia SNFs, and the staffing sub-rating reflects case-mix adjusted hours 33.3 percent above state benchmark. Over eight years on file, the facility averaged 3.8 deficiencies annually, 22 percent below Georgia’s 4.9 average, with no immediate jeopardy findings, fines, or enforcement actions. Two survey cycles are weightier than the averages alone. The January 2025 annual survey cited infection control failures across four residents, a 7.69 percent medication error rate, pureed food recipe not followed for 16 residents, and environmental disrepair in six rooms. The July 2023 annual survey found an abuse allegation in the Memory Care Unit that was not reported to the state, narcotic count signatures missing on 25 of 86 required entries on one cart, and psychotropic medications running beyond their 14-day stop dates for two residents. All prior deficiencies corrected on revisit. Complaint investigations across the window have been largely unsubstantiated or substantiated without deficiencies.

The community fits Marion County older adults who seek long-term skilled nursing or memory care. It has staffing above the Georgia average and a compliance record that has generally stayed below the state deficiency rate.

Madison Health and Rehab is a privately owned 70-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Madison, Georgia, serving Morgan County residents on South Main Street. Skilled nursing, memory care, rehabilitation, hospice and palliative care, and respite stays with 24-hour staffing are offered. Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay accepted.

Staffing is the biggest weakness in the data. Nurse hours of 2h 38m per resident day rank 180th among 190 Georgia SNFs, 27 percent below the state average of 3h 37m and below the national 3-hour floor, driving the 1-star staffing sub-rating that anchors the 2-star CMS overall. Nurse aide hours run 12 percent above state average, which means direct care aide staffing is stronger than the overall picture suggests, but licensed nurse coverage runs substantially below state norms. Over seven years on file, the facility averaged 6 deficiencies per year against a 4.9 Georgia average, with no immediate jeopardy findings, fines, or enforcement actions. A January 2023 substantiated complaint figured the facility failed to report abuse allegations to the state survey agency for two residents and failed to conduct a thorough investigation of a sexual abuse allegation. A March 2023 annual survey found incomplete background checks for two nursing staff and pureed food recipe compliance affecting seven residents. The June 2021 annual survey documented an uncertified dietary manager and privacy curtains providing inadequate visual privacy in 11 of 12 rooms on one hall. Life safety deficiencies have appeared in both 2023 and 2025 surveys, concentrated in fire system maintenance and egress. The health inspection sub-rating of 11.9 percent above Georgia’s average reflects the recency weighting of cleaner recent surveys against an older record. Occupancy at 94 percent runs well above Georgia’s 78.1 percent average.

An outdoor courtyard, a fishing pond, a beauty salon, and a dining program are some amenities. Programs feature cardiac rehabilitation, stroke recovery, a Pathway to Home discharge program, a dementia program, and hospice and palliative care.

The facility suits residents in Morgan County seeking skilled nursing or post-acute rehabilitation with an unusually broad specialty services menu, particularly those whose care needs include cardiac recovery, stroke rehabilitation, or end-of-life planning.

Overview of Magnolia Manor of Midway

Magnolia Manor of Midway is a 169-bed non-profit skilled nursing facility in Midway, Georgia, serving Liberty County residents. Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay are welcome. Located on Coastal Highway 17, the community offers memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

Staffing is the facility’s clearest strength; a 5-star CMS staffing sub-rating reflects case-mix adjusted hours 77.8 percent above Georgia average, placing the facility 35th among 190 Georgia SNFs statewide. Nurse hours of 4h 7m per resident day run 14 percent above 3h 37m state benchmark. However, Quality Measures run 33.6 percent below Georgia’s average. The inspection data on file covers 2017 to July 2019, averaging 15.3 deficiencies per year against a 4.9 Georgia average, but that record predates the current CMS ratings by over six years, limiting what it can confirm about present-day compliance. No immediate jeopardy findings, fines, or enforcement actions exist. The heaviest year on record was 2018–2019, with two consecutive life safety surveys documenting persistent fire system deficiencies, including an overdue kitchen hood suppression inspection, non-compliant fire alarm components, and a patio where oxygen cylinders were stored without sprinkler coverage, alongside recurring care plan and fall assessment gaps. All prior deficiencies corrected on revisit. The facility operates under the Magnolia Manor name but earlier inspection records reference the community as Woodlands Health Care. Occupancy stood at 67 percent at the last recorded inspection in May 2019, below Georgia’s 78.1 percent average.

The facility’s staffing depth and non-profit status orient it toward Liberty County residents who need long-term skilled nursing or memory care with strong direct-care staffing ratios.

Overview of Salude – the Art of Recovery

Salude – the Art of Recovery is a 64-bed upscale transitional care and rehabilitation facility in Suwanee, Georgia. Occupancy at 80 percent runs near Georgia’s 78.1 percent average. Privately owned by Macondray Lane LP in Gwinnett County, the community offers post-acute rehabilitation across orthopedic, cardiac, stroke, pulmonary, and neurological specialties through its Rizor Institute programming, along with skilled nursing, memory care, and respite stays. Medicare and private pay are welcome.

All four CMS sub-ratings sit well above the Georgia average, producing a 5-star overall rating. The health inspection sub-rating of 86.6 percent above the Georgia benchmark and staffing sub-rating of 77.8 percent above average are among the strongest statewide. Nurse hours of 4h 11m per resident day rank 30th among 190 Georgia SNFs. Over eight years on file, the facility averaged 2.1 deficiencies annually, 57 percent below Georgia’s 4.9 average, with no immediate jeopardy findings, fines, or enforcement actions, and all complaint investigations returning unsubstantiated or substantiated without deficiencies. Deficiencies across the full window amount to food labeling lapses in one 2023 survey and a series of fire system technical maintenance items in 2018 and 2017, each corrected on revisit. Annual health surveys in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022 were all clean.

Salude – the Art of Recovery is designed for medically complex short-stay rehabilitation in Gwinnett County, with specialized programming across orthopedic, cardiac, and neurological recovery. It has a compliance and staffing record that consistently ranks among the state’s top performers.