Pacifica Senior Living Ocala

I am posting a review for the welcome tours I took of Ocala Senior living. At the current time my mom is on the waiting list for a room. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. My mom was in denial of needing care at a facility and me being her daughter and caregiver I was indecisive of placing her in memory care. For the last few months I have assisted my older sister with my mom's care at my sister's home. Unfortunately, being a caregiver is a huge responsibility and can take a toll on your health and freedom. As a family decision between my siblings, we felt it was time to research a memory care facility. It's a very hard and emotional decision that one must face and ultimately accept. I went online and came across Ocala Senior living. I scrolled through the photos and it pleasantly caught my attention. The photos painted a scene of cleanliness and a modern feel. I decided to set up a tour. It was challenging to get my mom to attend but she reluctantly came with me. I knew this tour would be a make or break for my mom, her first impression hung in in the air so fingers crossed we entered. We were warmly greeted, I came prepared with a few pages of questions. Our point of contact was one of the directors. His name was Cory. Right away, we were drawn to Cory's personality. He spoke to us at a level we could easily understand, always super friendly and genuinely concerned in my mom's well being and care. He took us in his office asked us if we needed a water and gladly answered each of my questions. I did not feel rushed or ignored and he thanked me for asking such great questions. Afterward we started the tour. Mom and I were excited to see a beauty salon for care, a wall of photos for military vets that you could bring a photo and the place was large and open. Dining tables had fresh cut flowers and everyone seemed genuinely happy there. We toured the model room for which my mom could see how her room would look minus the furniture which you bring to make her room her own. Just as the photos online it was clean, large and modern. It smelled fresh and resembled an apartment. It has a large window and a fridge/freezer that is included. Bathroom had a shower with a flat floor and no ledge to keep residents from tripping and safety handles in the shower for gripping. Two huge closets and laundry and cleaning service. TV channels for viewing pleasure. We met the executive director Aaron. He was funny and charming and made us feel welcomed. Aaron offered us both lunch from the cafeteria which was delicious as we discussed options. Cory although was in charge of the tour and I can't say enough of his hospitality. My mom was drawn to him to like a moth to a light. It was easy to see that he loved helping and he was honest and always upbeat. My mom was all smiles and Cory even let my mom hang onto his arm as we did the tour. It made her feel loved and at ease. I brought my sister back for a second tour. Again, my sister agreed on how thorough and charming Cory was and he pointed out all the amenities. We met other residents who openly talked to us and made us feel welcomed. The staff welcomed us with smiles and greetings. I no longer felt indecisive, and my mother seemed satisfied and relaxed with the quality of care she would be getting. We ate dinner there and let me tell you the baked fish was restaurant quality! So if your in my position and the time has come to make an informative decision for a facility Ocala Senior Living offers both assisted and memory care. Clean, friendly and caring that's the impression we left with and I will give another review after my mom moves in. Thank you Cory and staff for making my mom feel like a family member and not just a number. We look forward to her new adventure and trust in your care!

UPDATE- it keeps getting worse. This week, the front door is broken to the whole facility. The emergency call system in the rooms is inoperable due to a computer issue so if your loved one falls no one will know because the call button DOES NOT WORK. This is so dangerous. Also, just yesterday, (june 27) the residents received a bowl of spicy chili and cornbread- nothing else- and this was called dinner. Most of the residents couldn't even eat it. Today was lunch meat wraps with no condiments and nothing else. How is this nutritious and when will there be improvements? I am appalled, disgusted, and begging my friends to get their parents out of this hell hole. Only giving 1 stars because the place is reasonably clean in the common areas. Otherwise, I've noticed the following after several visits to elderly friends and family members there- A purse with credit cards and a small bit of cash disappeared within a few days, and there have been a few pieces of jewelry missing as well. The rooms are barely cleaned, toilets noticeably dirty, trashcans rarely emptied in rooms till overflowing, nothing seems to be done without specific direction as if the housekeeping staff doesn't know how to clean a basic room. The facility purports to offer "nutritious" meals, but unless things like baloney sandwiches and congealed meats and vegetables are considered healthy these days there have been no meals served that appeared visually appealing or healthy. Also, if the resident can't make it for dinner, they are told the food is all gone and they are served a lunch meat sandwich at best. There is no monitoring of the comings and goings from outside, and some residents have learned all about door dash. Alcohol is ordered and consumed in such abundance that some inebriated residents have been observed crashing about in the common areas. Medications are dispensed haphazardly, and sometimes not at all. There appears to be no system after hours for determining whether a resident has fallen in their room until the morning staff comes in to check. My friend's mom was on the floor in the bathroom all night long with a broken hip. No one is ever accountable. When asked things like "Who cleaned this room last night" my friend was told that it was a Hippa violation to disclose that information. Somehow I think that is not the appropriate determination of what Hippa actually protects, but rather an attempt to keep a staff member from being called to account for not doing their job. Thankfully I guess many of the residents are in such mental decline that they are blissfully unaware of all the infractions and lack of care they are receiving. It is very frightening, and also sad that the ones who don't have family members checking on them probably get the worst care and no one even knows. I can't believe this place charges what they do- if I didn't know better I would swear this was a state run facility and that the reason it is so poor is because the residents are not paying. Definitely don't believe what you are shown during tours! Read the reviews.

We scheduled a tour with Cory. He was punctual and very warm upon meeting. We felt very comfortable to ask him any questions as they arose. Cory was extremely accommodating for us and when we left, we felt like we had a good understanding of the facility and what it would provide for my dad.

My cousin and I visited Ocala Senior Living recently. We received a warm welcome from the director who graciously gave us a tour of the facility. We had checked out some other Assisted Living Homes prior and found Ocala Senior Living to be inviting with a friendly atmosphere. The premises were clean and attractive if a bit dated. We were impressed with the varied menu and with the interesting activity program. We could easily recommend Ocala Senior Living and will keep it in mind for ourselves.