SaraBella Senior Living

My mother, Valerie, lived in memory care at SaraBella Senior Living for eight months. During the first month, her care appeared stable, but over time the high staff turnover became impossible to ignore. There was a constant rotation of nurses, aides, med techs, and activities staff, making it difficult for residents to experience consistency or routine. Based on our repeated visits and direct observations, basic care was often inconsistent. On many occasions, my mother was sitting in soiled clothing when family arrived. Food quality also raised concerns. Pastries routinely offered to memory-care residents sometimes appeared expired. For example, on February 17, 2026, muffins placed out for residents carried a February 12 expiration date (picture attached). Another concern was the lack of meaningful resident engagement. Residents were often left sitting in common areas between meals with little interaction or stimulation. Staff members were frequently on personal cell phones during care hours, and any existing phone policies did not appear to be consistently enforced. Because of our concerns, our family installed a Ring camera in my mother’s room. Through the camera, we observed repeated skipped showers and inconsistent evening care. On some occasions, she was simply directed into bed without assistance. On many mornings, she prepared herself for the day independently, despite being incapable of doing so safely. Between January and March 2026, my mother slid from her bed onto the floor on three separate occasions. During those incidents, fitted sheets had not been placed over the protective mattress cover. A disposable pad beneath her on the plastic sheet creates a slippery surface, one that invites an accident. One of the fall incidents was especially upsetting. Around 2:30 a.m. on March 5, I awoke to a Ring camera alert and saw my mother on the floor. Based on the camera footage, she appeared to have been there for a significant period of time before I called and assistance arrived to help her back into bed. She later got up and walked unsteadily around the room holding her arm. I observed blood seeping through her white nightshirt from a large skin tear and immediately called staff again to assist her. The injury ultimately required treatment from an outside wound-care RN for several weeks. There were also repeated quality-of-life concerns. Clothing from the laundry was often found shoved into drawers or the backs of closets in disarray. Denture trays were sometimes left with cloudy Polident water and food particles from the night before (see picture). My mother was regularly put to bed with unbrushed teeth, hearing aids still in place, and overhead lights left on overnight. During her eight months at SaraBella, my mother was treated for seven UTIs: August, October, November, December, January, February, and March. Despite numerous emails requesting attention to basic hygiene and care needs, including more frequent adult brief changes, our concerns were not adequately addressed by management. Entrusting this facility with our mother’s care was an emotionally painful experience. Valerie is a mother of three and grandmother of three. She was married for 62 years, taught second and third grade in Manatee County for decades, and cared deeply for the well-being of others. We believed she would receive compassionate and attentive memory care, but too often what we personally observed fell short of the standards promised. Sincerely, Hallie Harrison