I lived at at Somerby Sandy Springs Assisted Living for 4 1/2 years. I was the AL resident council…read morepresident for 3 years. During the time I was there, I was able to thoroughly evaluate, document, and photograph the multiple violations of the DCH (Department of Community Health) that affected the residents in the 48 rooms that are in the AL building. I was one of a very few residents with no cognitive decline. If you are contemplating moving a loved one or yourself into this facility, please be aware that while the architecture, interior design, and landscaping are lovely, the care given to residents is substandard, the food is horrible, the activities are insulting, the maintenance is almost non existent, and the housekeeping is inadequate at best. Residents and families who complain are treated with disrespect, ignored, lied to, and ultimately asked to leave with reasons like "We can no longer meet your (or your loved ones) needs. " This is the blanket excuse given when they cannot find any reason to ask you to leave, and their lease states they do not have to have a reason to tell you to leave. If you have never lived here, you have no idea what goes on. Families who think their loved ones here are exaggerating or delusional, PLEASE listen.
The food I was served included rotten potatoes, burned meals too numerous to count, cold food that was supposed to be hot, lukewarm food that should have been cold, imitation colas instead of cokes, boxed liquid eggs instead of fresh, processed foods with high salt and sugar content and preservatives, tough meats impossible to cut or chew, desserts that were "Sara Lee" quality, wilted salads, mold covered fruit, rotten tomatoes, hardly any green vegetables, multiple starchy foods like mashed potatoes and pasta served at the same meal, cold coffee, shortages of many items on a regular basis. The regional dining director told the food committee when they told him to fire the local dining director that he liked him because he was a "good team player". Corporate management told the dining director he could keep his job if he stayed on budget, would lose his job if he went over budget, and get a promotion if he went under budget. During the pandemic peak, we were served less than 1000 calories a day, cold meals with less than 3 ounces of meat (I weighed it on a food scale). Letters and surveys given to management were ignored. I had food poisoning 3 times. The multiple residents with no microwave had no way to heat their meals. Residents with cognitive issues were unable to report these kinds of issues, so there is no way to know how many others suffered. The dishwasher in the kitchen was frequently broken , so dishes were done by hand. Once in the dining room, I opened my napkin to get my silverware, and out crawled a big black spider. Somerby continues to advertise "Fine Dining."
The times when no one showed up to help with showers are too numerous to count. In a 3 year period of time, according to Somerby's own records obtained by an attorney, there were nearly 2000 falls, 68 of which were outside. Somerby's computer print outs also show the length of time residents waited for help after pushing a pendant for help was frequently over 20 minutes, with some calls never being answered.
I routinely had staff barge in my room without knocking or announcing their presence while I was on the toilet undressed, on the phone with doctors, or asleep. Many were disrespectful and rude and argumentative. Medical records containing medicines taken, doctors' names, diagnoses, and descriptions of resident behavior were frequently left out on the desk at the nurses station unmonitored. I have 400 photos of them. Several times I found pills dropped on the floor outside residents' rooms that were never administered. My pharmacist identified them as pain pills and blood pressure meds. I frequently had to leave my room at midnight to beg for toilet paper because contrary to Ga laws, it was not given to me.
When my husband threw up on the rug next to the bed, it wasn't cleaned up for more than 2 years. The night he threw up in bed on his back, he nearly died from choking on his own vomit because he was not able to sit up. I couldn't get anyone to answer the pendant. When I went to get help at the nurses station, the CNA was sitting there eating and told me she was on her break.
I had a huge moth infestation in my room that Somerby did not address for years. They were in my cabinets, my bed, my bathroom, my clothes, my pantry, and dropped larvae in my lap from the ceiling.
This is a short list of problems. Somerby has 4 lawsuits that I know of beginning with 2019 and one a year for 2020, 2021, and 2022. You can research the inspections by the DCH going back 3 years at Gamap2care.com.
