Santa Fe Assisted Living Center With Troubled History is Now 55-Plus Apartments

Santa Fe’s Pacifica Senior Living used to be an assisted living and memory care center, but in recent months it has been renovated into apartments for people who are 55 and older.

If you search for 2961 Galisteo Road, you will see a listing for Sierra Blanca Apartments. You can also search for this community on Zillow, and you will see two-bedroom apartments and studio apartments with rents ranging from $1,100 to $1,700 per month.

In April, Pacific Senior Living management told residents they needed to move to accommodate the renovations. At the time, residents were told the community would probably not have memory care or assisted living.

This transition comes after months of lawsuits and families making various complaints about:

• Poor living conditions
• Too much staff turnover
• Insufficient number of trained medical professionals

Patrick Allen, New Mexico’s Health Secretary, met with corporate leaders of Pacific Senior Living earlier in 2024. Allen said state authorities did numerous surprise visits to the facility, providing corrective action plans and assessing civil penalties.

Prior to these visits, Allen asked for a meeting with the leaders of the company. He said he asked them why they continued to have so many issues and did not seem to be taking the situation seriously.

However, the plan to convert the assisted living center into apartments was already well underway at that point. In fact, state workers made an unannounced visit on May 17, but there was only one person living there.

Pacifica was given a perfect score on the inspection. However, the facility was obviously in a much different condition that it had been a month earlier.

Past Problems at Pacific Senior Living in Santa Fe

Back in April, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported on some of the problems at the former assisted living and memory care center. The article also discussed how the renovation plans created a lot of confusion with residents and their families who needed to relocate their elderly loved ones.

The facility was the company’s sole New Mexico site and had been under scrutiny due to allegations of negligence and wrongful death.

David Morgan, a spokesperson for the Division of Health Improvement, confirmed that the Santa Fe center had been found non-compliant with state regulations following resident complaints. However, Morgan was unable to provide specific details about the issues that led to complaints.

The New Mexico Department of Justice launched an investigation into the facility. The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department was also involved, working with the Ombudsman program to ensure residents’ safety and assist with relocation if necessary.

Staff members and residents’ families expressed frustration over the lack of clear communication about renovations and closure of the facility. There have been reports of inconsistent information and confusion about the future of the facility. Some staff members have noted that the center’s website has recently removed mentions of memory care services, raising questions about the center’s plans to transition to 55-plus residences.

Concerns About Poor Quality of Care

Family members and staffers raised concerns about the quality of care at Pacifica. They reported that the facility did not have a nurse for at least a year and that there were no currently licensed medical professionals on staff. While New Mexico regulations do not require assisted living centers to have medical staff, they do mandate certain staffing levels and training requirements.

Family members have also highlighted issues such as poor nutrition, excessive charges for services, and inadequate personal care. There have been several instances where residents were taken to hospitals for preventable issues without notifying families. There were reports of unattended front desks and unsafe conditions, such as a large hole in the outdoor walkway.

The daughter of an 86-year-old resident said she once drove past the facility and saw her mother standing by a sign for the facility out by the road. Her mother was not in memory care at the time but had been diagnosed with dementia.

Family members were also concerned because:

• Food menus did not provide balanced nutrition for residents
• Laundry cost $100
• $5 charges for meal delivery
• Staff not bathing residents
• Staff not changing residents’ clothes for several days

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