Overall sentiment is highly mixed, with a clear split between reviewers who describe attentive, helpful staff and a small-community feel, and other reviewers who report serious, troubling problems including alleged abuse, theft, and violations of privacy. Multiple reviews praise practical and environmental aspects—cleanliness, studio-style rooms, well-kept grounds, a smooth transfer process, and a small-community atmosphere that allowed for extra attention. Several reviewers explicitly recommended placement and called out individual caregivers and teams as caring, responsive, and outstanding.
Counterbalancing those positives are multiple serious allegations that recur in the summaries. Several reviewers claim that staff mocked residents, were disrespectful about residents who had died, and at times infantilized people in their care. There are allegations of theft of personal belongings and an especially serious report of privacy invasion during bathing by male staff. Reviews also raise concerns about possible overmedication and staff blaming dementia or Alzheimer’s symptoms rather than addressing resident needs. A number of reviewers describe the quality of care as poor or harmful and note that licensing complaints were filed and that a complaint hotline was used.
Staff performance is described inconsistently across reviews. Some reviews emphasize friendly, attentive, and responsive caregivers who made difficult transitions easier and provided good hands-on care. Other reviews describe staff behavior that is abusive, dismissive, or demeaning. This pattern suggests variability by shift, building, or individual staff members rather than uniformly poor or uniformly excellent staffing. Several reviews reference multiple buildings on the site, which could contribute to differing experiences depending on location or teams. The presence of both enthusiastic endorsements and serious accusations highlights a lack of consistent service quality.
Facility and environment comments are similarly mixed. Many reviewers note that the facility is very clean and the grounds are well maintained; rooms are described as studio apartment–like. At the same time, multiple comments call the building "warehouse-like," lacking decorations, and "not classy," which may affect residents’ quality of life and sense of homeliness. The small-community aspect is mentioned positively by those who felt they received extra attention, but the facility layout (multiple buildings) and aesthetic shortcomings were flagged by others.
Dining and daily routines receive specific criticism in several reviews. The menu is described as limited, with one recurrent note that grilled cheese is available only at certain times—an indicator to some reviewers of constrained dining options or limited flexibility in meal service. Activities were not extensively described in the summaries provided, so the level and variety of programming are unclear from the available reviews.
Management, oversight, and complaint response emerge as significant themes. Reviewers report that authorities were dismissive of concerns and that licensing complaints were filed. This indicates a level of escalation by families but also suggests frustration with the responsiveness of external oversight or the facility’s internal complaint resolution. The combination of alleged theft, privacy violations, and dismissive responses to complaints is a serious pattern that prospective residents and families should probe further.
In summary, New Friends Memory and Residential Care of Florence elicits a polarized set of experiences: some families describe a well-kept, small community with caring, responsive staff and comfortable studio-style rooms, while others report alarming incidents including mocking, theft, privacy breaches, infantilization, possible overmedication, and limited dining choices. The recurrence of severe allegations alongside positive reports points to inconsistent care quality—strong in some cases and deeply problematic in others. Anyone considering this facility should investigate specific concerns raised here: ask management for details on staffing, training, supervision, bathing policies (including gender-matching or privacy safeguards), incident and complaint records, medication review protocols, and menu/programming options; tour multiple buildings and observe staff–resident interactions across shifts; and consult licensing complaint records to verify the status and outcomes of any regulatory actions.
