Validus Senior Living

On [date removed] of this year, during a social/ musical event, mom beckoned my wife over. My wife proceeded to her side, thinking she was tired and wanted to go back to her room. When my wife bent down, [name removed] told her I forgot I was alive! I remember! I remember! The music had sparked a familiar pathway to her past. This would not have happened if she was still living at home alone. Our family’s participation in her care has been more taxing than I expected, but ultimately it is a gift for our family to be so intimately involved in this 97 year olds life.

My mother has been a resident at Inspired Living at Lakewood Ranch for the last 6 months. We previewed 5 facilities in the Sarasota/Lakewood Ranch/Bradenton area. But not one seemed to be as good a fit for her as Inspired Living. The staff is wonderful. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, which meant a lot since she was not only going from living alone but the move required she relocate to another state to be close to family. Of all the places we considered, Inspired Living has the nicest outdoor space. There are front porches to gather as well as a large back area which includes a pier overlooking a large lake and decking/walkways leading to an outdoor pool and bar area. All spaces are easily accessible for her use in a scooter. Although meals are served during specific hours, a resident can order food from the dining room all day long. I had heard wonderful things about the food, but honestly it is a little disappointing as far as variety. [Name removed], the manager, has heard the complaints and is working on some changes. The residents are extremely friendly. There are weekly trips to Walmart or dollar store via the bus but they do provide transportation to doctor's appts or other appts within I believe 8 miles. There is a physician who comes weekly and she is fabulous. There is a beauty salon and nail salon. Activities include bingo, poker, karaoke, music, and special "themed" events. The transition to an Assisted Living situation is difficult, at best, but these folks have made it quite nice. My mother has settled in and has new friends. All is good!

It's ok but you need to figure lots of things out for yourself as a family member. Who to talk to for different aspects such as long term ins., Dr care , who does billing, these are just a few. We picked this community because it was close to family than other places.

They did a good job taking care of Mom. I would recommend them. We picked this community, because it was a smaller community, location (proximity to my home and work), friendly staff, and cost.

Staff at Inspired Living try to make residents and their families feel at home. The management, [name removed] and [name removed]are approachable and understanding. [name removed] and [name removed] at reception are friendly. The activities director, [name removed], provides new and routine activities. She knows the residents personalities and what works for individuals. Her staff, [name removed] [name removed] [name removed] and [name removed] keep them busy and happy. [name removed] is in charge of nursing and caregivers, but she’s not hiding in her office. She and her nurses, [name removed] and [name removed], are often chatting and comforting residents. [name removed[ may be new, but she has such a positive “can do” attitude while keeping her fellow caregivers on their toes and helping residents. Caregivers who truly care like [name removed] [name removed] [name removed] [name removed] [name removed] and [name removed] to name a few can make a real difference in the residents’ day. [name removed] and housekeeping staff try to keep up with maintenance issues, especially [name removed] who is diligent yet always has a smile to share.

Inspired living was very nice based off of what we saw during our tour experience there. The door locks were to advanced for my Mom. We liked that every stage of dementia was separated.

Staff is competent, professional and very caring. Lots of effort into keeping everything and everyone clean and comfortably dressed. Meals are well balanced and have good eye appeal. Cameras ensure that staff has eyes on everyone in social areas and hallways—very important for safety. Always an engaging activity going on. Exceeds any other similar facility in my experience. There are products that would do a better job of eliminating odors and my only suggestion for improvement would be to order and use them.

What we really like about Inspired Living is the staff, facility, and activities were above par compared to other facilities. They really wanted the residents to interact as a community which we thought our dad would enjoy. Other facilities we were in did not promote that to the level of this facility

I toured Inspired Living at Lakewood Ranch and it was a very nice facility. It was also closer to our house. I was going to use them, but they never returned my calls.

I toured this facility. This was the place I wanted my mom to be at, but they rejected my mom by the doctor/hospital evaluation. This place was amazing and the staff seemed really good, but communication was poor when they were rejecting her.

I would recommend this facility. The people were kind and thoughtful. Because they were more specialized with dementia, they had more activities to keep my mom busy than the previous place. They also kept her clean which was nice. One down side was there was not always a care giver within easy access when one was needed. Like if I found a resident lying on the floor I had to run around to find someone (more than once).

Myself and my spouse live here and it's okay.

The cleanliness of the community can be a hit or miss but they are trying. As far as the care takers go they are very friendly and the quality of care is getting better. The meals are getting better with their new hire and the activities are really good. For the value we do think they could do a lot better. They do not pay their care takers enough - so the level of care should be a lot hire. However many of the care takers and the activity program staff team are absolutely superb. [name removed] who is the director of the memory care unit really listens to any questions or concerns we may have, if somethings comes up we can bring it to his attention and its resolved in a timely manner so we know they are working on those improvements.

What stood out to us about this community is their outdoor grounds for the residents. Better than any other facility. There is no smell when you enter. No carpet, so easy to clean and no trip hazards. Great activity staff.

Our overall experience here has been very good. Housekeeping is good overall, but I often find my dad's room dirty, bed without sheets, and him in need of changing. This part is not acceptable. Friendliness is good overall, but dad has complained to me that a particular staff member is very rude and uses profanity towards him. Otherwise, the staff is very good! Meals and dining are excellent! The activities are very good, dad just chooses not to participate much and prefers to mostly keep to himself. I chose Ivy Ridge at a higher cost because I believed it would be a superior experience. So far, it has been good, but room for improvement on the things I mentioned above. Medical care component has been wonderful.

This was a nice community. The residents were more social than my loved one would have felt comfortable with. Plus it was a bit bigger than my loved one needed.

They've been very helpful in guiding us through the process. Whenever I reach out to them, they're responsive - somebody always gets back to me. I think the care is good. They offer a lot of activities. The cost seems about average and was as we expected it to be. For a memory center with dementia patients, I would like to see more interaction and communication with the residents. The staff are mostly Spanish speaking, which hinders that a little bit. There are also undetermined price increases every year - just something to be aware of.

It is a very large facility only for memory care. We like that it is not just a wing, so they have the freedom to go anywhere in the building and they have a huge courtyard and 3 outdoor lanias and a gazebo. They do get a menu to choose from. They have 2 choices for every meal. The chefs already have the meals plated and they show the residents the plate and they get to choose which one they want. Overall I have been pleased with our experience at Inspired Living at Sun City Center.

My mom is doing just fine here at Inspired Living Ocoee. In memory care the activities are a little lacking. I would like to see my mom more integrated with the other side for the activities because they have a lot going on over there such as exercise classes ,field trips, etc. which she is totally capable of doing. She always talks about how she loves the food. [name removed] the director of memory care has been really good. If there are any issues I always touch base with him and he is quick to get back to me. Another big plus is they do allow dogs in memory care. So during the week and on the weekends I drop my moms dog off. They are not allowed to stay over night, but she spends all day there. WE really like that aspect because her dog brings her a lot of comfort. Other places we looked at did not offer that as an option.

It would be nice to have one staff member that would be able to communicate with all the families and answer all of the emails, phone calls, and speak to us in person and field the requests of the residents and families. I believe they are understaffed. Especially since they moved over the residents from another location that closed, and they only moved over one of the staff members from the closed location according to a staff member. Sometimes it is hard for the residents and families to understand some of the staff members due to the different languages and accents of the staff members.