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Reviews for Greenlake Emerald City

Caring Staff, Chronic Understaffing

Emerald City Senior Living earns praise for its caring staff, quality food, and welcoming atmosphere, with recent reviews highlighting significant improvements in management and operations. However, persistent staffing shortages leading to extended call-button response times (30-45 minutes or longer) and language barriers present ongoing concerns. The facility's location on a busy street limits outdoor walking space, and early reviews noted occasional cleanliness issues in memory care, though more recent feedback suggests substantial turnaround in overall environment and care quality.

4.2Based on 46 reviews
Patrick DonahueDecember 5, 2025

This is Thanksgiving at Emerald City Senior Living it was very beautiful, the residents really enjoyed it!

Charles SpellingDecember 5, 2025

Just wanted to give this facility it's kudos for the turn around that I've seen. It's become such a welcoming and warm place. And I believe that has to do with the management. I recently learned that Trisha was no longer working there which I was sad to have heard she was a hard working and caring person. And now I hear that Celito as well is moving on. He is an amazing person. No job was ever too big or too small. He always attacked problems head on and never fled from responsibility. Although

Mike Holsworth-WellsNovember 28, 2025

We moved Mom in to the memory care unit about 6 months ago and Emerald City has exceeded our expectations. The care givers in the unit are amazing, and a big shout out to the entire admin team.

Kasey RoNovember 6, 2025

Fantastic facility with caring staff. Residents are friendly. Jade at the front desk does an awesome job addressing peoples' day to day issues and is always super helpful.

Mark MastersOctober 29, 2025

Got to perform a comedy show at this senior living center and it was a blast, Hilary Erlandson is a ball of positive energy and it is obvious she loves her job. She was great working with residents and it was fun to see such a positive environment right in the heart of a beautiful city. Five stars!

AnonymousDecember 16, 2024

Most staff are friendly. Due to staffing shortages some are abrupt. Staffing shortages and language barriers lead to some difficulties. Meals were adequate in calories but lacking in taste and variety. The have music and bingo for activities, which are popular.

AnonymousJuly 10, 2024

The dining staff is very helpful with [name removed] special needs. The caregivers are also very thoughtful and we would recommend this community to other families based on the experience we have had so far.

AnonymousMay 7, 2024

My loved one is a resident at Emerald City Senior Living and overall the experience has been good. The staff and care services have been good. The cleanliness and friendliness are good. My loved one is taken care of at this facility.

AnonymousAugust 28, 2023

They are short staffed at Emerald City Senior Living all of the time, but the dining staff is really great as well as the chef. The activities directory is great also. For the most part the staff members are lovely.

J.R. July 21, 2022

They could work to improve on there staffing especially their nursing team and they could also work on their food portions - need to be more

Anonymous July 20, 2022

They are very kind people. The food is not that great. A little understaffed, but very nice people.

Tammie July 5, 2022

The staff is INCREDIBLY nice and incredibly helpful. One of the main things that sticks out about this facility is the food. It is really good and they have a lot of fresh foods and it is great quality. The only thing they do not have is a lot of outdoor space to walk around just because it is on a busy street. I would recommend Emerald City to others looking.

K.P.June 22, 2022

The staff are extremely caring but some are not real knowledgeable about the appropriate level of care and the length of time it takes for care to arrive once paged often exceeds 30-45 minutes.

Anonymous May 7, 2022

We are very happy with how our experience with Emerald City Senior Living has turned out. So far we like everything there.

anonymous October 29, 2021

Our family had an in person tour and it was a good tour but the community sits right next to a busy street and we didn't want our loved one to listen to all the busy traffic

anonymous September 23, 2021

Our loved one is a on a liquid diet so we aren't sure how the meals actually are, but from the looks of the meals they look quite good. We have only had experience with the memory care side, but from what we can see on the assisted living side it seems like more of a stimulating environment.

LynnMay 29, 2020

They are more affordable than anything I saw in the area. It is a nice community. It looks like a 4 star hotel. The apartments are nice in size. They have restaurant style dining, where you pick from a menu. Staff has been very helpful. Not in a walking area for residents. They have a shuttle bus that takes them shopping weekly.

AnonymousJanuary 14, 2018

Mom is here in the assisted living side It seems to be nice and clean. They have an issue with chronically being short staffed. Which then leads to longer wait times after the call button is pushed. And sometimes she has to wait over an hour to get food. She gets 3 good meals a day. She will enjoy the daily activities sometimes. I would recommend to others.

AnonymousJanuary 8, 2018

I have my mom here and the lack of care from the caregivers is the one thing that I am worried about. Although this is a great place I'm hoping things can change. It takes sometimes 45 minutes to get someone to come help after the button is pushed. My mom fell in her kitchen and she pushed the call alert button then lost consciousness and was there on the floor for an hour. So I am working with [Removed] who is the supervisor over the caregivers to get these issues resolved. I would still recomm

AnonymousDecember 14, 2017

I went on a tour here and the staff was extremely nice and helpful. They answered all of my questions. I thought the assisted living part was great. There was a very small confining place for the memory care. I would rate that a 2.3 or 3. Parking here is non existent. My brother would've been in just a room with no locks on the door and no privacy at all. Just not a good fit for him.

AnonymousNovember 20, 2017

They really listen to our concerns and making sure they are met. Super supportive of me and my mom. All the staff and residents truly are concerned about her well being. The food here is inviting dining room is nice and clean.It helps my mom stay regular with lots of fresh veggies and a good variety. People seem really happy here they only thing I would say they could improve on is cleaning her apartment more and linens more times a week.

AnonymousSeptember 28, 2017

It was ok nice place the person I was supposed to have the tour with was not there she had a medical thing but I'm thinking about it wanting to visit sunrise of Edmonds when will they have an opening.

AnonymousSeptember 24, 2017

First off I want to compliment the dinning room staff at this community. The chef does an amazing job with the meals and the ladies who take care of the residents at meal time could not do a better job. They have been wonderful to my loved one in that aspect and I am thankful for that. I will say that sales guy who gave us our pitch had promised us the moon and more and that has not been the story since my relative made the move. I feel like the staff are in a hurry all of the time and when the

AnonymousSeptember 20, 2017

We toured for the care that was needed to assist my husband. The staff are outstanding and were kind. We liked the cleanliness of the community. They offer great meals from the menu. Activities are offered for the residents who are able to participate. The staff went out of their way to be able to help us. We would have liked everything that they offered, but the value was not what we could do.

AnonymousSeptember 13, 2017

We had a rocky start at the beginning where the communication was not the best with the nursing staff. We are working on resolving the issue. The rest of the staff is wonderful. They are very caring and attentive to my mom's care needs. They are a little understaffed, but they are working on that issue. The community host a wide range of ages of the residents. The activities director is great, and mom is making a lot of friends. She enjoys participating in the activities they provide. They also

C.O.NAugust 10, 2017

I very much live here. I especially like the activities. I would like more craft projects to do. The staff is very friendly here.

Michelle FJuly 12, 2017

This is the 2nd community I have lived in. I am really happy here. I have made a lot of friends. The people here are awesome and very helpful.

L. DucharmeJuly 12, 2017

This is my home. Why "don't fix if it isn't broken"? I am satisfied.

AnonymousApril 17, 2017

Mapel Leaf Assisted Living was a nice community but it was not all one level. There were a lot of wheelchair ramps and I just did not see that working out well for my loved one. It was not the best fit.

AnonymousFebruary 2, 2017

When I toured this community we had a professional guide but I was concerned when we saw the Memory Care unit. The staff were not actively engaging with the residents. I noticed a staff member was on their cell phone. It did not seems as clean and it had an unpleasant smell.

EloiseSeptember 21, 2016

Excellent...staff is helpful and friendly. Food is excellent with a variety of meals. Especially impressed with Judith, waitress, in the dining room. Moving in was a breeze and staff was available whenever needed. Parking was always available. Value for your money. Location on main street, but my uncle has no desire to leave the premises. Amanda in sales took care of moving my uncles bulky items since I live in Hawaii.

AnonymousApril 25, 2016

This is a decent community for a nice rate and I am pleased with all they have done for us. The community is really nice and very clean. The staff is great, they are very kind and helpful. There are activities for the residents to participate in when they are ready. She enjoys the meals, and the dining area. They are caring for my mother well and that is why I recommend it.

Thomas KennedyMarch 21, 2016

Kimberly and the entire staff at Maple Leaf made my cousin's transition to this care facility very easy. They are all knowledgeable, friendly, warm and helpful. The people living at the Maple Leaf are also very inviting and friendly. We love this experience and when I am in need of this type of care the Maple Leaf will be the first place on my list.

Thomas KennedyMarch 14, 2016

The Staff at Stratford Maple Leaf are outstanding. They make all of the residents feel comfortable and welcome. I watched several of the staff members teach residents different games and spend additional time getting them settled. This is an outstanding place for elders. I would highly recommend the Maple Leaf to any friends and relatives looking for a retirement home for family.

AnonymousDecember 6, 2015

We had a bunch of different workers and they all did very well with the care my loved one needed. She is hard of hearing though, so when people come who have heavier accents, it is hard for her to communicate with them. Also some were allergic to the pets, so that would be something to ask before they send someone out. Some of the workers were wonderful though.

AnonymousSeptember 1, 2015

The food is great at Stratford At Maple Leaf. There is plenty of entertainment there to choose from. The value is pretty good compared to some other places. Overall everything is going really well at this facility.

AnonymousApril 1, 2015

It's an overwhelming thing to move, and downsizing has been difficult. Overall things are going okay, things are pretty clean, and the staff seem to be friendly, and caring. There really haven't been any issues worth mentioning.

AnonymousFebruary 5, 2015

Karen Colangelo is amazing. She is very knowledgeable and based upon her presentation my Dad would be in good hands at Stratford. I had placed Stratford at the top of my list after seeing the first 3 Assisted Living facilities. The facility was very clean and professional looking. After seeing 6 different Assisted Living facilities, my Dad indicated that he wanted a nice garden area to be able to walk in when he felt inclined to go outside. He loves to read and play his concertina and at The Sum

AnonymousJanuary 27, 2015

Just wish the neighborhood were more walkable. Otherwise this is a grat place. Very friendly and suitable for our fairly young Family member.

AnonymousSeptember 9, 2014

This place was clean, with nice apartments and a nice patio. I was unable to get much sense of the assisted living services, and the nurse supervisor is apparently new. Also seems a little more cost effective than some. Saw exercise equip and a coffee bistro in lobby. Concerned about it being on a busy street. Memory care area seemed a dark, but clean and well appointed.

Family MemberAugust 19, 2014

It's very good. We don't have any complaints or concerns. Stratford at Maple Leaf is just a very good place.

Iris ClayMay 24, 2014

I was having lots of problems trying to find an assisted-living facility that would consider me at age 55.5 yrs old. Through commercials on channels whose general audience is over 50, there was an ad with Joan Lunden and her mom advertising an organization called 'A Place For Mom'. Weeks later, I finally called. I was set up with analyst, Cindy Nelson. She found the Stratford at Maple Leaf for me to tour mid-March. I toured here on one of my 3 dialysis days so expected to only be here for 1 hou

A Place For Mom CustomerJuly 23, 2013

Location to close to busy traffic, no view

A Place For Mom CustomerApril 17, 2013

Nice dinning room & bistro set up on main floor, opens onto lake city way-no easy walking.

A Place For Mom CustomerDecember 28, 2012

I think I liked this one best of all. Really like that my mom could be in the same building as my dad. She would just be an elevator rise away from visiting him.

A Place For Mom CustomerDecember 25, 2012

for couples we have to rent two apartments and have one be the bedroom and one be the living room. They were very nice. I do think two apartments for memory care patients is confusing.

Independent

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