Assisted Living
Sarabella Senior Living
5650 Gantt Rd, Sarasota, FL · No verified reviews yet
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Est. $3,750 to $5,750/mo
Sarabella Senior Living Reviews
No PlaceWisely verified reviews yet, and 73 reviews on Google averaging 4.2 stars. Reviews are shown as written; we moderate for spam and privacy, never for sentiment. How we handle reviews
What families mention most
Staff and caregivers4 of 5 reviews
Dining and food4 of 5 reviews
Building and rooms4 of 5 reviews
Quality of care3 of 5 reviews
Activities and engagement2 of 5 reviews
Management and turnover2 of 5 reviews
Counted from the review texts on this page. A mention is not praise or criticism; read the reviews for the sentiment.
Stars across the 5 reviews shown here
5 ★3
4 ★0
3 ★0
2 ★0
1 ★2
Google shows its five most relevant reviews; the 73-review average is 4.2 on Google.
PlaceWisely verified reviews
Write a reviewNo verified reviews yet. Verified means a resident, a family member, or someone who documented a tour, confirmed by PlaceWisely. We never display facility-supplied testimonials as reviews. Toured or lived here? Write the first one.
Reviews on Google
Shown as published by Google · not PlaceWisely verified4.2★★★★★73 Google reviews
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Kathy★★★★★2 weeks agoAt first glance, Sarabella seemed like a perfect fit for my mother. However, about six months into her stay, I and other families had serious concerns about staffing, turnover, and the quality of care.
I was told by staff that some newly hired aides had received as little as three hours of training. In a Memory Care setting, adequate training and the ability to safely redirect and manage dementia-related behaviors are essential. Residents in Memory Care are particularly vulnerable and deserve dignity, consistency, and care from properly trained caregivers who understand how to respond safely and appropriately to their needs.
I became increasingly concerned by what I observed, including residents who appeared unkempt and unsupervised. Toward the end of Mom’s stay, I heard a family member say, “No one showed up again today,” and that they had to serve breakfast to the residents. On several other occasions, I helped with dinners; one night witnessing a Regional Director yelling at an employee in my presence during dinner, which was very disturbing and unprofessional.
My biggest concern was the disconnect between what was presented during the sales process and what we began experiencing six months later. Other families expressed similar frustrations.
We were one of several families to move our loved ones to another facility. Mom is thriving now, and I have peace of mind in knowing she is receiving regular care. I strongly encourage families considering Sarabella to look beyond the “pretty building” and sales presentation. Visit unannounced, observe the residents and staff, and see if there are resident activities in progress. Ask questions about staffing and training, and speak with current families before making this important decision.
Mary Bennett★★★★★7 months agoSarabella Senior Living is a wonderful assisted living community for seniors in Sarasota, FL. They have options for Memory Care and Assisted Living to accommodate their residents’ needs in all stages. The community is bright, fresh and inviting. Their staff is truly caring. My clients needed extra support and Sarabella’s staff provided exceptional service to assist them in each step moving in to the community.
HH★★★★★5 months agoMy 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
brian hall★★★★★6 months agoSarabella Senior living is the place to go when the time has come to move to an assisted living facility. The needs of the residents always come first here. The food is great along with the wine and beer. I want to give a shout out to Michelle Sayre, whom is so pleasant. She makes residents feel at home and is always happy to see long standing residents along with new ones.
A G-P★★★★★a year agoUpon visiting this facility on numerous occasions to aide a lovely lady... I would like to take a moment to specifically mention a wonderful lady named Jausilyne, who is part of a great team in the dining room. Except the service Jausilyne provides, is bar none compared to any other individuals. This lady is as quick as they come... I mean efficiency at its finest!!! Those who are lucky to get her to provide service are the lucky ones I'd say! I would recommend this facility only because of this wonderful lady! It's the wonderful people who do everyday tasks that make a place happen... and this lady makes this place happen with a smile, at every meal! God Bless her to keep doing the awesome work that she does!
Reviews and rating from Google, shown as Google publishes them for Sarabella Senior Living. They are not PlaceWisely verified reviews and do not affect match scores or rankings.
What the regulator says
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