The Oaks of Clearwater — Local services in Clearwater

Wait till you read the last part and see the pictures.

I wanted to bring to your attention a concerning issue regarding the care provided to my uncle. Unfortunately, I have been witness to some very alarming and unprofessional behavior from the full-time staff at the facility.

Despite my repeated requests for updates on my uncle's condition, I was not kept informed in my opinion now about issues that arose with his health both physical and mental. But, staff members took the time to complain about him and even went as far as calling his depends a "diaper" to his face, which understandably upset him.

On a couple of occasions, I was asked to put my uncle on a "Do Not Resuscitate" status because the caregiver claimed she was too big to perform CPR on him. Despite raising this issue with upper management, nothing was done to address the situation.

My uncle in the beginning was mostly self-sufficient but his complaints became more frequent. Given his dementia, I initially dismissed his complaints as part of his condition. However, I later learned from staff members and family members of other patients that my uncle's concerns were somewhat valid and that he was not receiving the proper full care being paid for at around $7,000.00 per month.

At the time he truly needed the Full Care it seemed the staff did not apply the needed care. Again when I arrived several of them just sat and complained about him. I got upset about the diaper talk again and said something in the manor of you should treat him like an adult and never call it a diaper. The person who just cleaned him up walked up and actually said I just got him in his "briefs". That was professional and I thanked him for how he professionally addressed it.

I was disappointed to learn that I was not notified or consulted about how bad my uncles declining health status was. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit for a few days due to a bad cold, and I was relying on the staff for updates. It was distressing but understandable to find out that he had been moved to another room and placed on a mattress on the floor after falling out of his bed. He was in a very bad state.

Earlier I had a conversation with his nurse about the possibility of needing to move my uncle's belongings to accommodate for another patient, and I offered to pack up his items myself when needed. I was reassured that there would be no need to worry, as they were working on putting him back in his original room. However, to my dismay, I arrived at the facility to find all of my uncle's belongings were piled on his bed and rolled out into the hallway. This action not only left me feeling angry but also deeply saddened, as many of the items in his possession held family sentimental value of multiple generations and could never be replaced.

I have attached pictures to illustrate the condition in which my uncle's belongings were left.

My uncle declined very quickly and passed...

Since moving my mother into The Oaks, I have personally witnessed seven separate occasions where her prescribed medications were left in her apartment and not administered—an alarming violation of proper medication management protocols. I brought this issue to Pamela’s attention each time, yet nothing changed. As a result, my mother repeatedly missed critical doses of medication due to the negligence of the staff.

Even more concerning, there have been two separate incidents where her emergency pendant went missing, only to be found hidden in areas of her apartment she physically could not access on her own. Instead of taking accountability, The Oaks blamed us for the missing pendants—when in fact, it’s evident that an employee removed and concealed them. This is a direct threat to her safety and raises serious questions about staff conduct and integrity.

In mid-February, my mother suffered a serious fall in her apartment. I was never notified by staff—it wasn’t until the next morning, when I spoke to her on the phone, that I learned of the incident. Despite the injury requiring 16 stitches and later becoming infected, no one encouraged her to seek immediate medical attention, nor was I called. I was told afterward that the wound care team would “follow the case,” which was completely insufficient for such a significant injury.

The Oaks scheduled a doctor’s appointment for my mother. The driver, Bill, dropped her off at the address written on her paperwork—only it was the wrong location and in the wrong city. I happened to show up to her appointment and saw her sitting alone in a building lobby with no way to contact anyone. When I spoke with Pamela, she claimed she had no way of knowing the doctor’s office had moved. However, I confirmed directly with the office that they relocated over three months ago, and The Oaks had just scheduled the appointment the day prior. My mother was left alone, at the wrong address, due to a completely avoidable and careless oversight.

Due to budget issues, I was told by multiple residents there is a shortage of food. We witnessed this with my mom first hand more than once. They would deliver food to her room with almost nothing on the plate. She has no dietary restrictions that would lead to this. The poor residents look unclean and unkept. My heart is sad for them.

These are not minor slip-ups—they are repeated failures to meet even the most basic standards of care, safety, and communication. Due to these ongoing issues, we have moved my mother out...

I do not recommend this place at all. Did not know how bad it was until I moved my parents to a new independent living location in Sun City Center. What a difference; between night and day!!!

The Oaks is just bad all the way around. Just to mention a few things:

Apartments are not cleaned, and to make matters worse, they flat out lie by saying that they did clean the apartment.

The dinning room service is awful. Takes over an hour to serve residents their meals. One afternoon, after waiting a long time and asking why dessert had not been served, was told because no one in the kitchen was available to cut and serve the cake. So no dessert that day.

Maintenance does not respond and fix problems. Reported a leak under the kitchenette sink when first moved in. Moved out and still leaking, was never fixed. Had to place a bucket underneath the sink.

Staff does not care about their residents. Two employees were holding the elevator while having a personal conversation. When told that several residents were waiting for the elevator, the response was; "Let them wait."

I could go on and on.... above are just a few of my bad experiences. My brother and sister have a list of their own that they observed when they visited our parents.

Bottom line: DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!!! Definitely go...