Federal inspectors found cockroaches crawling up walls, emerging from the kitchen, and hiding under residents' beds during a January complaint investigation at the 82-bed facility. Dead insects lined the dining room windows. Live German cockroaches scurried across shower room walls as inspectors watched.
Resident 87 said she was killing half a dozen cockroaches daily in her room. The insects came out of the kitchen, she told inspectors, and she wished administrators "would have fumigated the whole place."
The infestation wasn't limited to individual rooms. On December 30, inspectors observed "multiple dead insects" including cockroaches and spiders along the walls near windows in the first-floor dining room. Two days later, they found similar clusters of dead insects on a second-floor windowsill by the memory care entrance.
Resident 88 described how the cockroaches emerged when housekeepers mopped floors. She watched them climb walls and feared they would fall on her. The sight was so disturbing that Resident 50 refused to let housekeeping enter her room, believing staff brought insects in with their mops.
Resident 27 said the facility was "roached out" with cockroaches everywhere at night. He had seen one just two days before speaking with inspectors. Resident 268 watched roaches crawl out from under her bed. Resident 35 called the cockroaches his "biggest complaint" because they were "repulsive."
The problem varied by floor. Resident 74 said she didn't have many bug issues on the third floor, but "on the first and second floors they were everywhere." Resident 56 encountered one or two cockroaches in his room but mostly saw them in hallways.
Regional Maintenance Director 605 revealed that one resident's hoarding had created a breeding ground for the insects. When staff cleaned the room while the resident was away, removing empty shampoo bottles and grocery bags, they discovered a cockroach infestation and called exterminators that same day. The insects were German cockroaches, he confirmed.
On January 6, inspectors witnessed a live German cockroach crawling up a third-floor shower room wall. The regional maintenance director was present and confirmed the species identification.
Kitchen staff acknowledged the problem. Dietary Supervisor 238 pointed out two cockroach traps positioned by the kitchen door, saying they had cockroach issues but felt conditions were improving.
Maintenance Director 258 said the facility had switched pest control companies three months earlier. The change had helped, he claimed - cockroaches no longer ran across his desk.
Work orders dating back to September revealed the scope of the problem. Pest control visits on September 9, September 29, October 6, October 17, October 22, October 29, December 8, December 16, and January 5 all focused primarily on cockroach eradication in both individual rooms and common areas.
On January 13, inspectors observed an exterminator asking maintenance managers where he should concentrate his efforts, suggesting the infestation remained active despite months of treatment.
Some residents noticed improvements. Resident 90 said insect issues had been bad but were getting better. Resident 87 acknowledged the problem had "slowed down some" from her daily kill count of half a dozen cockroaches.
The pest control violations affected all 82 residents at Bella Terrace, according to the inspection report. The facility's failure to maintain an environment free from pest infestation represented the culmination of multiple complaint investigations spanning several months.
But for residents like Resident 88, living with the daily reality of cockroaches climbing walls and emerging during routine cleaning, the administrative response felt insufficient. Her stark observation captured the persistence of the problem: in her experience, the insects weren't temporary visitors to be eliminated, but permanent residents who had claimed the facility as their own.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Bella Terrace Rehabilitation and Nursing Center from 2026-01-29 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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