Paradise Care Cottage has offered assisted living, independent living, dementia care, and memory care services in Port Saint Lucie, FL for 25 years before announcing the facility will close and become a drug rehabilitation center. The place is licensed as a senior care center and sits across from a boys & girls club and near a preschool, surrounded by family neighborhoods, and you'd see the building with resident parking, outdoor smoking areas, and a wheelchair-friendly design all around. They kept a nurse on call 24 hours a day, had staff awake at night, and security people stayed on-site all day and night, with door alarms, pull cords, and an emergency call system in every resident room for safety. The "Bahama" and "Caribbean" rooms came with private bathrooms, kitchenettes, basic furnishings, and cable TV, and some rooms you could customize or paint as you liked, with various options like studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, or semi-private setups, all with access to a screened porch, an in-house library, and living rooms with large TVs.
Residents could count on full help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and moving around, even with walkers, wheelchairs, or needing a one-person lift, and there was special help for diabetes care, medication, and incontinence too. The staff kept up with all sorts of activities led by an activity director-both on-site and out in the community-and offered structured programs for social, physical, and mental engagement, including on-site religious services and off-site social outings. The meals came home-cooked, reviewed by a dietitian, three times daily, with snacks in the afternoon and evening and a family-style dining room where you could always request menu changes for special diets or taste preferences.
The facility accepted folks with mild dementia and psychiatric conditions and kept scheduled podiatry visits and access to hospice, respite, and transportation services for outings or rides to public transit. Payment was accepted through private pay, Social Security, veteran's benefits, and insurance, and the community allowed pets with approval. Staff managed medication and offered home care services for non-medical needs. There were outdoor areas to relax, an activity center, community-wide internet, and a barber and beauty shop on-site. Residents had to move within 45 days before the center stopped operating, and during this time, a peaceful protest happened out on the sidewalk at 5:00 p.m. as part of expressing community concerns about safety and support. The facility, while open, focused on providing straightforward, dependable care and a daily life that met the varied needs of seniors wanting some help but also wishing to keep their independence.
