Plaza West

My father was a highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps Colonel who devoted 30 years of his life to serving this country with honor. In 2020, he and my mother paid over $200,000 to Freedom Plaza for what was promised to be a "Life Care" program--a commitment, we were told, to lifelong support, dignity, and compassionate care. Instead, what we received was betrayal, negligence, and a callous disregard for the very veterans they claim to champion. Freedom Plaza proudly markets itself as "The Premier Retired Officers Community," cloaking itself in patriotic branding and hollow respect for military families. That façade was a major factor in our decision. We believed that a facility that wrapped itself in the American flag would understand the unique needs of aging veterans. We were wrong. The so-called "premier" community turned out to be nothing more than a business hiding behind red, white, and blue window dressing. Over the years, I watched the cracks widen--high staff turnover, rampant miscommunication, and departments that operated in silos, indifferent to the basic coordination that elder care demands. Construction in critical care areas dragged on endlessly, creating chaos and instability for vulnerable residents. During Hurricane Milton in 2024, the facility's generators failed. Elderly, medically fragile residents were left without power or proper care, and Freedom Plaza's leadership showed no urgency, no accountability, and no shame. Still, we stayed. Still, I hoped. Still, I gave them the benefit of the doubt, believing--foolishly--that when it really mattered, they would show up. Then came my father's diagnosis: Lewy Body Dementia. Freedom Plaza admitted they had no experience with LBD, yet shoved him into memory care anyway. The mental health professional they brought in--a stranger with no understanding of his history--prescribed a cocktail of medications that made his condition worse, increasing agitation and outbursts. Freedom Plaza refused to coordinate with his longtime VA doctors, the very people who knew him best. But the final act of cruelty was unconscionable. While my father was hospitalized--his condition deteriorating from the facility's poor decisions--Freedom Plaza discharged him. They abandoned him. They evicted a dying veteran, just two months before his death, because he temporarily required more care than their broken system could offer. After years of engagement, loyalty, and open communication, Freedom Plaza responded not with compassion, but with cold indifference. They threw him away like a burden. Their "Life Care" program is a lie--a marketing ploy designed to lure families in with promises they have no intention of keeping. Freedom Plaza failed my father. They failed my mother. They failed me. But worse, they failed the very ideals they pretend to uphold--duty, honor, commitment. If you are considering placing your loved ones in this facility, look beyond the polished brochures and military slogans. Ask what happens when your loved one becomes inconvenient. Ask who they really serve--your family, or their bottom line. This is not a community. It is a corporation. And if you are expecting humanity, loyalty, or integrity, you will find none of it here.

I stayed here for a few days for rehab after a hospital stay. The CNAs were helpful and did what they could. Some of the younger nurses were very unprofessional. They did not come in to check on me, introduce themselves or wear badges so you would not know their names. Their was a young lady who referred to herself as "Cam" when asked who was on Saturday night and was laughing with another Co-worker so loud, swearing loudly and when asked her name and where her badge was she said "it's in my car" and laughed. When I went there was no Covid but within a day it went from one to five very quickly and spread. Within six days I was tested positive along with my roommate and left a few days later. It had to be from the nurses and other workers since I didn't see anyone other than them. Management of the nurses is lax and unprofessional so that is part of the problem. Also dietary doesn't exist. I was telling them daily I was on a special diet and no one took notice. Unhealthy food and desserts. If you can, look elsewhere.

My relative was there for a 2 weeks at the beginning of June, 2021. He was not allowed visitors until after a week. Phone calls were scary as he hated it there, the food was terrible (baby food?), and he was not taken out for therapy for the first 4 days. When he pushed the buzzer for help he waited a long time for anyone to come. He was suffering from diarrhea and waited 45 minutes in some instances for help in cleaning up. He was very dizzy and a fall risk so he was instructed to wait before getting out of bed. He was either laying in bed or sitting in a wheelchair in the small room with no comfortable chair. When visits were finally allowed, his wife was not given a chair to sit in for visiting and wore a mask with a plastic gown while there. He had dirty clothes and visitors were not allowed to take clothes home to wash them. The biggest concern was the medication changes made without consulting his cardiologist. The changes caused him great dizziness and caused great regression at a place where he was supposed to be making progress in getting better. We got him out of there just in time as he was severely dehydrated and had lost an extreme amount of weight. Communication to home during his stay seemed scripted and certainly did not match the patients accounts of what really was happening there. Meals were recorded as 100% finished and they were rarely finished as they were unappetizing. When hearing he was not happy with the food, his wife called and asked about meals and wondered if he could be served mashed potatoes and gravy. They asked her if she could bring some in since that was not supplied by them (even though at the time she was not allowed to visit). Upon discharge (we got him out of there before they advised...) the paperwork indicated that he enjoyed the activities and going outside. He was not ever in any activities and they never took him outside. Do NOT take your loved one to this place.