Phoenix Senior Living

Enlivant’s Sandy Springs Place is a horrible place for a loved one. My family member has been there for several years, and the place has consistently deteriorated. Last year, there were three – yes, three -- rent increases, and the services are increasingly getting worse. Food is a major issue. It is barely palatable and certainly not nutritious. Residents complain, their families complain, but nothing changes. Vegetables are few and far between. Salads consist of iceberg lettuce, the cheapest, least nutritional lettuce. For $4,000-plus per month, a resident should not need to purchase food on their own so that they do not go to bed hungry. When I complained to a kitchen worker about the portion given to my family member -- a portion which would not have satisfied a five-year-old child -- the worker said she was trying to have enough to go around. I have complained to directors on numerous occasions about the food, but they are never around long enough to implement any worthwhile changes. The facility can’t seem to keep their staff. I have lost count on the number of directors that have come and gone in the past three years. Turnover is even higher among kitchen and other support staff. Staff members [Name removed] and [Name removed] have been there longer than anyone, and they are great. The facility was bought by Enlivant a couple of years ago, and great changes were promised. Changes were made, but they were hardly improvements. Residents must now line up outside the dining room and wait to enter, whereas in the past, the dining room was always open, and they could simply walk in and have a seat. Meal orders are taken in advance, but that doesn’t speed up the serving process. I have witnessed residents wait 40-50 minutes to be served. During one particular lunch, a wheelchair-bound resident asked servers numerous times when he would receive his meal. I watched another resident wait more than 50 minutes for her food. She is one of the long-term residents, and I went to her table to speak. She barely acknowledged me because her attention was focused on the kitchen. One of her table mates said meekly, “I won’t leave. I will just wait.” It is simply heartbreaking to see how the elderly are mistreated at this facility. Enlivant’s tagline is “Where Senior Living Thrives.” That’s a lie. The only ones thriving are Enlivant as they head to the bank each month.

Enlivant’s Sandy Springs Place is a horrible place for a loved one. My family member has been there for several years, and the place has consistently deteriorated. Last year, there were three – yes, three -- rent increases, and the services are increasingly getting worse. Food is a major issue. It is barely palatable and certainly not nutritious. Residents complain, their families complain, but nothing changes. Vegetables are few and far between. Salads consist of iceberg lettuce, the cheapest, least nutritional lettuce. For $4,000-plus per month, a resident should not need to purchase food on their own so that they do not go to bed hungry. When I complained to a kitchen worker about the portion given to my family member -- a portion which would not have satisfied a five-year-old child -- the worker said she was trying to have enough to go around. I have complained to directors on numerous occasions about the food, but they are never around long enough to implement any worthwhile changes. The facility can’t seem to keep their staff. I have lost count on the number of directors that have come and gone in the past three years. Turnover is even higher among kitchen and other support staff. The facility was bought by Enlivant a couple of years ago, and great changes were promised. Changes were made, but they were hardly improvements. Residents must now line up outside the dining room and wait to enter, whereas in the past, the dining room was always open, and they could simply walk in and have a seat. Meal orders are taken in advance, but that doesn’t speed up the serving process. I have witnessed residents wait 40-50 minutes to be served. During one particular lunch, a wheelchair-bound resident asked servers numerous times when he would receive his meal. I watched another resident wait more than 50 minutes for her food. She is one of the long-term residents, and I went to her table to speak. She barely acknowledged me because her attention was focused on the kitchen. One of her table mates said meekly, “I won’t leave. I will just wait.” It is simply heartbreaking to see how the elderly are mistreated at this facility. Enlivant’s tagline is “Where Senior Living Thrives.” That’s a lie. The only ones thriving are Enlivant as they head to the bank each month.

I would not recommend this place at all for someone who needs memory care. They are extremely expensive ($7,000+) a month for somone that needs help with everything which nearly everyone in memeory care does. There is a very low ratio of staff to patients which means there is little care devoted to your loved one which is why it takes three hours for breakfast lunch and dinner. The food is horrible and cold. All you are paying for is overhead, i.e. the place looks really nice but you will have to supply your own TV. Most care givers are paid minimum wage and not nurses or CNAs. I often found my mom in her bed covered in vomit and human waste. What disturbs me most about this place is that they only care about money which was exemplified when I obtained power of attorney and guardianship over my mother exempting my brother who was stealing her blind and draining her bak account keeping her somewhere she could not afford and they refused to honor it since I wanted to move her someplace more affordable with better care. The Director who wasa in training was a total ass and hung up on me, clearly wanting to keep my mom in their bed so they could make money without concern without the quality of my mom's care or her economic future.

I would NOT recommend Seasons At Southpoint in Durham, NC if your loved one is important to you. Instead, I would recommend private care at home to give your mom and dad the attention they deserve, and also Hospice if your loved one qualifies. My mother was at Seasons for one month before we moved her back home. I live out of State and came to see how she was doing. I visited with mom for two weeks, usually for 2-3 hours, and at different times of the day, to get a feel for the care she was being given. Some days I visited twice. Dirty bathrooms, the smell of feces, (repulsive) ragged sheets and pillow cases, the lack of name tags on All the help, didn't make me happy but could have been easily remedied. It was the poor attitude and treatment from 2 of the med techs, their ineptness at identifying my mother's agitation and pain and their refusal to medicate her with the prescribed hospice medications that made me realize this was not how I wanted my mom to spend her last days; alone, afraid and in pain. I requested a meeting with the clinical nurse in charge with one of the aforementioned med techs and I was told they didn't do that. The disappearance of my mom's emerald ring that she never took off was the icing on the cake. I advise you not to leave anything valuable with your loved one no matter how much it means to them. It will disappear. My mother is now at home with care 12 hours a day. It costs less than Seasons but we have peace of mind. She has 3 caregivers that she responds well to, her color is better and she is now smiling. She no longer refuses food or drink. She may not be able to express herself, or remember things but she gave me life and I love her.

Do not let the beauty of this place suck you in. Since the new owners took over the place is going downhill like an Olympic skier. It is understaffed with incompetent personnel. Call buttons do not get answered in a timely manner, taking sometimes hours to respond. Housekeeping is neglectful. Nurses stations are frequently unmanned. My experience with my family member is extremely concerning and I will be looking for another facility.

Don't trust a word they say; only about 70% of whatever was spoken about at the initial sales pitch actually came to pass. They misrepresent everything! Don't go there.

It was my mistake in not doing my homework.This was a rushed and desperate decision which I now regret. This place is understaffed. Housekeeping is sub par, employees are miserable and underpaid and it shows in their treatment of the residents. There is a general malaise because of the poor excuse for activities and almost zero stimulation. For the money they charge and believe me, they nickel and dime you for everything, this is not a good return in our investment for our loved one. Believe only half of what the sales person tells you. Sunrise used to be a reliable name in the industry. They aren't anymore. I should have looked at other places. Ask probing questions as it relates to the care they are offering. That is not just for Sunrise but for anywhere you are considering. Regardless of how pretty a community is, the care is what is important.

There should be NO stars for care services. This place is very understaffed. Food is awful, with small portions. Activities are very limited---bingo and trips to Publix. Management is out the door at 5pm sharp. They know things are not working but they have no real interest in fixing things. My best friend has her mom here and complains to me about it daily. She doesn't like it but it is close to her house so she deals with it. Not a good enough reason to place your loved one here. I wouldn't place either of my parents here. I am still looking for a good placed for my parents. The residents are just sitting around. They don't complain in the monthly meetings because they have dementia and don't remember to attend or they are afraid to complain for fear of further bad treatment. It takes a special kind of person to run and work at places that care for seniors. Sunrise doesn't have the right people to do either.

Don't be fooled by the expensive prices and fancy interior and exterior of this place. I'm reviewing this based on having a loved one in respite/hospice care. There is a very low ratio of staff to patients; there is no medical staff, the food is of poor quality and was always served late and cold. Staff do not feed persons that cannot feed themselves so they just do not eat. Patients are left alone for hours at a time covered in their vomit and other bodily fluids. There are few activities to stimulate their minds and they are often pushed in from of TVs that aren't turned on. Senior leadership only cares about keeping beds filled, not about your loved one. Sunrise didn't call me to tell me my mother had passed or tell me she had stopped eating. BUT, they sure called me after she passed trying to find someone to pay her bill despite them not giving me the time of day while she was alive. Bottom line, there is much more better care available at at much more economical prices. I would suggest a smaller place and even a residential home care facility.

My mother has been a resident here for about one year. The care she receives is adequate but there have been problems with the management staff refusing to cooperate when certain document have been requested. Aside from that, my mother complains the food is not good, which is by far her biggest complaint. There is a high turnover of new employees. She makes friends with the staff members and gets comfortable with aides assisting her, but then suddenly their employment is terminated for reasons unknown. Normally medication is administered evenings between 7:30 - 8:00 PM, but sometimes she doesn't receive her medication until after 9:30 PM, past her bedtime. The staff is responsible for ordering medication so she doesn't run out, yet this has happened on more than one occasion requiring me to contact the doctor to have an emergency prescription filled. Overall the facility is well maintained but the management staff seem inexperienced and inadequately trained in customer service relations. They certainly lack the level of professionalism needed to promote business.

Not nearly enough staff. This place is for people who require very little care and attention. Food is ok, but very small portions. Not very tasty and often served cold but I have seen worse. They don't change the menus very often. Many days there are no activities for the residents. The seniors spend a lot of time just sitting around. They point them at the tv and leave them alone for hours. Very little stimulation on a day to day basis. Very expensive for what you actual get. The building is old, not really set up for those in walkers and wheelchairs. No walk in bathrooms or wide doorways. So many new places going up, keep looking. This should be a last resort.

There should be no stars for care, none. Patients are ignored and neglected. Call buttons are ignored and people have to wait for long periods of time for help. We are very sorry we moved our loved one here. We have raised our concerns to deaf ears. Nothing changes, no one cares to make any changes. Seniors should have a good quality of life. They should be catered to for this money. Local representatives respond that they are sorry when they read bad reviews. Don't be sorry-do something. This is the sunset of their lives-make them special. Give them caring care, good food, good activities, patients and compassion. I rate Sunrise at Ivy Ridge an "F".

Horrible Care. Horrible Management. Horrible food. Activities-what activities? Bingo and ice cream socials. A few people come in to sing from time to time. Where is the stimulation? Families have to stay on top of management just to get any action at all. One poor girl is there all the time, looking after her dad. My heart breaks for her. We made the wrong decision coming here but we believed the reviews. Keep looking. Prices go up as soon as you move your loved on in-nickel and diming you every step of the way. There is better care out there-keep looking. We plan to move our loved one asap. Staff is overworked and far from pleasant. Sinking ship.

This place delivers on none of their sales promises. Don't let the good location fool you. I have had my loved one here for over 6 months and the care, no mater how much I complain is awful. The food is awful, the game and activities are poor, the staff is disgruntled and rude and managementseems unwilling or unable to make any changes. I and two other families are frantically looking for someplace else. My advise to you-avoid at all costs. I hear all the Sunrise properties are pretty bad. You will end up paying a lot of money for pretty bad care. If your loved one need help with bathing, toileting, or any of the day to day tasks, this is not the place for them. I refuse to buy into all senior communities are the same-there have to be some good ones. Keep looking.

I agree with responses of others in regards to food and staffing. WHY DID SOUTHERN PLANTATION RATING FALL FROM AN "A" TO "B" - from a mid 90 rating to an 80 rating?

My mother was a resident of Atria Buckhead for over four years. Initially, it was a wonderful setting for her, but after about a year staff began to change, and change, and change... Directors have come and gone, and in the Memory Unit alone there have been more than 3 already in 2014. Despite lofty promises and presentations about innovations in the Memory unit, NONE has been put into practice. On a Friday in August we met with both directors and were told Atria could still meet my mother's needs. On the following Monday we were told we needed to hire a "sitter" to feed her 3 meals/ day, 7 days/week, and that they could NOT in fact meet her needs. And WE were the ones who initiated the meeting to begin with. It turns out that Atria is not actually providing "assisted living" as defined in GA, but they are charging as if they are. Also be aware that staff morale is low due to high turnover in management, changes in policies and residents being forced out. This results in its frequently being understaffed. We would NOT recommend any Atria facility for someone you love.

Our family was more than disappointed in the service this community provided. I can honestly say our loved one suffered while under the care and supervision of the staff and Executive Director. After soo many meetings and a lot of pain and suffering we decided to move our loved one. Keep looking!!!!

Had old age home feel, look, and smell. Could not find much staff around when we walked in to get a tour. Looked nice from the outside. Had almost no parking. Had to park across a busy street. Patients looked sad.