Heron East

[name removed] director of sales has been super helpful in every way possible he goes above and beyond to help. I like the activities they do. Yes, I most definitely recommend this community to other families based on the experience I have had.

Lack of communication with the family. I only heard from someone when it was negative. At the [community name removed] I am kept in the loop on everything. For example, when she refuses to take her meds, or requesting permission to give her a Covid or flu shot. They also includes me in the monthly meetings via teleconferences I never experienced anything like this at Heron East. On a positive note, I had a lot of good experiences with some of the staff.

Do not send your loved ones here. Absolutely terrible. Extremely poor management. My father was there for for four months and I had to have him moved. They will try to overcharge you for everything. Those who are there review your bills very closely. Residents as well as staff that have been there for years are extremely upset with the way this facility is run. The CNAs that have been there are wonderful. It’s too bad the management is so poor.

We moved our father into Heron East and we were surprised at how the staff went over and above to make him feel comfortable and cared for. The move in was easy, the food is great and he has made some new friends.

I have a family member at Heron East and have to say that this one of the best communities in Sarasota. The staff is always friendly and courteous, they not only treat my aunt as though she is family but makes me feel the same, their is tons of tons of outdoor space for her to enjoy, the in-house providers are so fast to respond to her care need and the Culinary Director, [name removed], always makes sure she has a delicious meal. Earlier this year they added an on-site rehabilitation that my Aunt was able to take advantage of and has gained so much more confidence and independence with their therapy program Kudos the [name removed] and her team for all their hard work. I would highly recommend Heron East.

The place is very clean, and the food is good. We also like the size of our loved one's room for the money. Activities are pretty good but could maybe use more variety. Beyond that, we've had some issues overall. Billing is very random, and you should consider having in writing what the month to month billing is going to be. We've also been having some care issues. When our loved one needs something, she has to ring the call bell over and over to get a response. They've had a lot of turnover and have therefore had to utilize contract nurses and aides . With any concerns I've voiced to them, I feel they were unresponsive and just didn't seem to care. Everything is like pulling teeth. I feel like once she went in there, everyone's attitudes changed, and it wasn't what it was portrayed to be. The admissions person is very sweet and nice, and I was very taken with her and the community, but I felt like after they hooked you, they just no longer cared.

Very disappointed in the way COVID-19 outbreak at this facility was handled in June. The person with POA (me) for a resident was not informed she tested positive (asymptomatic) until she had already been removed from the facility and sent to a hospital NOT of our choice. This created a nightmare for the family. . Heron East did not send POA documentation with any of the residents to this hospital. I know this because the case management director told me this. When it was discovered POA documents had not been sent by the ALF for our family member, the hospital then realized NONE of the POA documents had been sent for ANY of the patients they had received from Heron East. Heron East stripped her room without informing us it would be done, then we were told when she returned she could not have her own room back. Prior to the outbreak we had increased the care level of the resident and wanted documentation that this extra care was being provided since the facility was on lockdown. In our inquiries regarding this issue our phone calls were seldom returned, and NEVER RETURNED by [name removed], who was supposedly in charge of this. We never were given any proof that the extra care we were paying for was occurring. Only at the end , when we needed to locate valuables belonging to the resident and make arrangements to get her belongings out of the facility did we start getting phone calls returned. We did not go back to Heron East once our family member recovered. When we went to get her furniture and belongings we ended up with 2 boxes of someone else’s stuff, causing us to wonder how many others had same experiences. This facility let us down. The emergency of the COVID-19 breakout is no excuse. Protocols should have ALREADY BEEN IN PLACE that would have prevented the things revealed in this review. It was inevitable that an outbreak would eventually happen. But Heron East seemed to be flying by the seat of their pants once staff members spread the contagion. The Power of Attorney for a person incapable of making their medical decisions should ALWAYS be their first phone call before actions are taken in a medical situation such as this. Now the facility is running a campaign to fill all the empty rooms. Very disappointed , and yes, angry, about in the poor management in this entire situation.

Toured this property yesterday. Did not like this property due to: No kitchenette in the rooms. No RN on staff around the clock. The meal times were scheduled, instead of all day dining.

My mom had thanksgiving with her family , but wanted to go back to herons with all the desserts . Our whole family was treated as if we were at a restaurant . The staff set a table in the living area with coffee , drinks , and plates and silverware . They offered us more . We had all our own desserts . It was so warm and friendly for the whole family to be together . The staff is always welcoming and goes above and beyond . Thank God for herons . We love u !

My mom likes the community and she is settling in very well. They are very accommodating and we have not had a bad experience yet. The community was more affordable than others. I think the lady in charge of marketing, was really good at her job. She's also a nurse. It has been an overall good experience and easy to get her moved in.

This is a nice community for my father's care. We liked that the staff was helpful and able to answer the questions on the care that is offered for the residents. We liked the menu of the healthy meals and the activities that would have been helpful for my father's care. We would recommend that families tour this community.

I had a good tour of this community. Everything went well, this is a nice community. The staff was very kind.

The community was great and the staff was wonderful. the staff kept me well informed about what my loved one needed and how they are progressing. They offer a variety of activities for my loved to participate in. The provide healthy choices for my loved to eat.

Lovely. Warm staff. Smaller rooms.100 residents.

The Heron East is a very friendly place. They provided great value. It's a great place for mom. The food is good. It's good, but it's not great. I would rate the food three stars. The location and parking is fine. Everything has been very good. I would absolutely recommend the Heron East to anyone looking for a friendly place with a good value. It has been a good experience at the Heron East. Four Stars.

My mom has been at Heron East since January 2015. She loves this facility and so do we, her family. She is very well taken care of and the staff is there to please. From the moment you walk in, you are greeted with a smile and a warm, friendly reception. My mom receives great care and all the residents seem very content in living there. There are many daily activities to keep the residents occupied. I couldn't ask for a "better" place for my mom to live!

My mother has been in Heron East since February and I cannot say enough about how wonderful the staff and the facility are. My mother is very happy and so is the whole family. Compared to the last facility my mother was in this is indeed a breath of fresh air. I would highly recommend Heron East to any one looking for a place for their family member.

The people at Heron East were warm and friendly; A. The physical building and layout; A The nursing/aide staff was pretty good but short staffed at times; B+ The laundry service was very good; A The food was very institutionalized food; F Few of the vegetables were fresh. The cauliflower soup did not taste as if there were 1/4 cup of cauliflower in it. My mother was very disappointed in the lack of vegetables having been a nutritionist. The meat was not much better. She like chicken and fish in its simple form, without much processing. She gave up on the food and stopped eating near the end due to several factors.