MorningStar Senior Living

I think Morningstar had a staff change. Things went bad in July-August and my father in law broke hip due to construction in memory care area. He did not recover and passed away on [date removed]. I would NOT currently recommend morningstar to anyone. The carpet they put in memory care causes me to fall and I'm in perfect health!!! 0 on all ratings. For [removed] a month this was a joke. Ac was out for two months in heat of summer. They said they were out of trash bags every time we visited. They lost his hearing aides. And sent a med tech to double dose his pain meds while we were there! Don't recommend them!!!

Signed my dad up to move into the assisted living part of this facility, specifically because my dad is starting to need more care than what I can provide. Had the care level evaluation by the nurse and was told I needed to get additional home healthcare in place before he could move in. Took my dad to him primary who eventually put in the referral even though he didn’t think my dad needed it. While waiting on home health, I moved my dad’s furniture in and prepared his apartment. Home health contacted the facility, because my dad does not have any condition that would qualify for home health. Communication from Morning Star after that was either non existent or terse. In the end they denied my dad admittance because the nurse disagreed with my dad’s PCP and home health. Now I have to move his furniture to a storage facility and start looking for a new facility.

I was not happy with MorningStar. I filed two complaints with HHS against them and would tell other families to not put their family members there. I was extremely dissatisfied with the level of care and the way they handled issuing a 30 day notice.

Don't send your loved ones here! Outrageously expensive and won't work with you to forgive any fees, even ones that can be overlooked. We spent a fortune there. They are also not transparent. Told us my dad could go to their memory care then did not pick him up on his scheduled day. Never told us. We had to call to find out why. Pick another place!!?

This is the worst place to put your loved ones. The building is disgusting. The residents rooms are not well kept. Their laundry is constantly missing or mixed up with other residents. The food quality is so poor for the amount of money you pay because management hires under qualified people to do jobs they don’t understand. Your loved ones will not be taken care of, especially a memory care. They allow your loved ones to fall and get hurt and fight each other with no reports to family members. The staff steals things from the residents rooms. There is not communication from any management about your loved one. They input medication orders incorrectly and end up giving wrong meds or not giving the medication at all. The staff yells at the residents and no management checks on the day to day routine of the residents or their personal well-being. They do bare minimum until your loved one is so skinny and so well unkept they are unrecognizable. There are a little to no activity is going

I am and remain highly irritated with all the managerial staff. From the medical staff up to the Executive Director. I called and went over to the facility numerous times every week to work through issues and always got the runaround. I would never recommend MorningStar. The managerial staff are evasive when an issue arrives.

The management is shaky. The amazing food that they had promised in the beginning is not good AT ALL. It way over priced for what we are getting. Overall it has been a bad experience and I would not recommend MorningStar of Santa Fe to others.

They don't care. They are not in the business of caring. All they want is your $6500/month. They know that after all the emotional heart ache and all that you have gone through to find a care facility, you will most likely not go through the pain of moving your loved one out once they are there. [name removed], Regional VP of Sales is no better than a used car salesman. Director of Community Relations, [name removed] is a complete idiot who has no advanced formal education nor degree in adult aging. I received emails from her with no subject line or text in the message box after I made a complaint about her. I believe this was her way of attempting to intimidate and/or harass me. I made a complaint to the Corporate office, which is is no easy matter to contact them directly. It has been 2 years and I have still not heard back from them. They don't care because they are not in the business of caring.

Terrible I put a deposit for [cost removed] was told should I decide not to move in or was not qualified I would get my would get my money back. This was [date removed] today is [date removed] I am still waiting for my check. I'm sitting in the lobby waiting for somebody to come lie to me again and tell me the checks in the mail. I do not recommend Morningstar to anybody and I will tell everyone what they have done.

This place is a mess. There is rarely someone at the front desk to assist family or residents. The care staff is horrible. They would rather give residents room trays then help the resident to dining room. The appearance of the place is out dated. The food is processed off of outdated menus. Cheap and don't care about giving residents quality meals. Memory care is an after thought. The marketing director will lie to you, to get you in. It's nothing what they present .

MorningStar of Parker should not do Memory Care. Prohibited from entering her room during Pandemic, when I finally got in I discovered trash and dirty clothes, food ground into the carpet, gnats swarming dead plants, the Samsung logo bouncing across her TV screen, standing water in her bathroom, and three prescription medications. Repeatedly, I’ve left messages for staff that were not returned and went to a “care conference” for which the care coordinator didn’t show up. One employee called me after my mother fell because she was trying to talk her out of her delusions – she asked me to talk her out of them. Signs were hung around the room for my visually impaired mother to read and decipher. Staff doesn’t understand dementia and its progression, focusing more on rent increases and rules than care and compassion for vulnerable people. I’ve learned “Memory Care” is a grey area for regulation. Please do not put someone who is at risk in Memory Care at MorningStar of Parker.

My mother lived at MorningStar for nearly two years. While the honeymoon period was pleasant, as each week and month passed, it became evident that MorningStar's staff does not provide the care and attention elders require — especially for residents with memory impairment. Despite numerous attempts to problem-solve and reason with management at all levels (from low to high), it became clear — the entire MorningStar administration is unfit to manage and comprehend compassion. Bottom line, MorningStar sells real estate, not elder care.

So disappointed in the disconnect between the marketing staff, management, and intake as to what services they provide. We clearly laid out my mom's situation, were strung along, plied with wine, fresh baked bread, and a song and dance. When it came down to intake, the intake nurse knew nothing about dialysis (we would take her out for that and told them we didn't expect a facility to provide that service). She spent literally 30 seconds reviewing my mom's file and said they could not accommodate her. End of discussion. Never talked to or met my mom. Which in hindsight is probably a good thing we didn't put her through that ridiculous trial. Don't waste your time.

Sadly, the food at MorningStar Boulder is horrible! My mother has been residing at Morningstar Boulder since May of 2019. Mom truly enjoys living there - she loves her apartment, the activities, and appreciates the attentive and caring staff. All provide 5-stars services. Why the 1-star review? The FOOD IS HAS BECOME HORRIBLE during the past few months. Perhaps this 1-star review will encourage the change MorningStar needs for their reputation, and above all, help the elderly and memory-impaired residents who have fallen victim to loveless food decisions. Of course, I've addressed my concerns (my sister has, too) to [name removed] (ED) and the new-ish Chef [name removed]— at least 5-6 times. While both [name removed] and the chef are attentive, good listeners, and somewhat agreeable, the food quality has not changed at all. The Problems: FIRST: The food quality is well below average. The amount of fried food, overcooked vegetables, and freezer-to-oven menu offerings all lack proper nutrition and thoughtfulness. SECOND: Food is OFTEN (usually) served cold due to poor food delivery management. Food should is supposed to be served HOT to avoid foodborne illness. THIRD: At times, meals are carelessly plated. Examples: a) sandwich served with runny coleslaw on the same plate. In turn, a sandwich drenched in coleslaw juice is what's served. b) Hard-as-hockey-puck steak or chicken. This breaks my heart, as many of the residents have dexterity issues (due to arthritis) — these are the elders who can barely hold a fork and knife. FOURTH: It saddens me to witness the elderly, and memory-impaired residents complain about their meals. Food is supposed to be an enjoyable experience — but not at MorningStar. I've sat through many meals witnessing these weak and defenseless people served crummy food. Honestly, I do not take pleasure in writing this review because the caretakers, activity coordinators, reception, cleaning staff, and nurse staff are all wonderful. Again — all provide 5-stars services. I welcome people with loved-ones who reside at MorningStar to contact me to share their experiences and thoughts.

Poor care I really don't know what to write. I just know I would not put anyone in Morningstar.

Watch out. Their medical nursing notes do not reflect what really happens to your loved one. We requested the nursing note an all records of our loved one. What we found was unbelievable. There was lots of no diverse reaction to medication, yet the person had major reactions to it an nothing was written. We are talking restrain medication. One time it said the family wanted the person to have a wheelchair for comfort. No!! That was not the case the person had to have a wheelchair and the family was told what type to buy. There was nothing in the notes expect blaming family for weight gain yet if you looked at the notes it was their food. The family member they blamed had the least weight gain when she came. They also once in the notes said family was upset because they couldn't get into the unit. That was more important than writing about the person health and well-being. In all my years I have never seen such nursing notes. You would have thought nothing was wrong with the person an all was fine. Beware ask for things. You have the right to every piece of paper they have on your loved one. You have the right to know. We wished we had requested these notes every month.

Today I got to leave a place I had grown to dislike. I had a family member in Morningstar. I had ask the family to move her but no one wants to move a Alzheimer's patient they just get more mixed up. But Morningstar ask us to leave saying they could not care for her any more because she got to heavy and could not walk. Which they blamed on family but if they had look at there own weight charts and studied them. They would have seen the family they blamed it on had the least weight gain and the weight gain started with a new medicine which the nurse charted as no side effects. I left for 3 month. The months I was at Morningstar I walked her to the 3rd floor and back to her unit twice a day. 2 weeks after I left they said they could not walk her and needed a lift. The day I got back she walked for me. The truth is they never did care enough to have her walk it took work. I walk her twice a day, I feed her twice a day. Every time I left for a break she went down hill from lack of care. I'm 68 years old I could walk her what does it say for Morningstar. We paid the $6200.00 a month. What we got was they put her to bed got her up. Changed her when wet or dirty. Did her laundry and clean her room. Other than that she sat in a chair. They couldn't even comb her hair nice for 2 years I ask finely the last week they did it sort of but better then they had. They told me once to trust them with her care. Every time we did it went down hill. There care was leaving her sit all day in a chair. They want Alzheimer's who can walk, feed themselves and don't require much care. They will drug you if you are the lest bit upset. Alzheimer's isn't what they want they want Dementia patients old sweet people who lose their memory. Not Alzheimer's! Early onset Alzheimer have Behavioral/Personality changes that Morningstar answer is chemical restraint at least that was their answer to our family member. I write this because big is not better. Big is just costly. My mother was in a small home in AZ for 4 years the care was wonderful. The aid to patient was wonderful 3 people on to 10. The place we have now put her in is much the same. Look for small don't look for big places to care for your love ones because the bottom line is money. We pay $2,000 less now. At my mothers it was $3,000 less. The Memory Unit alone makes $900,000. 00 a year. That number is off 5,000 a month x 12 months x 15 patients. If we used 8 patients for Morningstar like the small homes Morningstar would make 480,000.00. Morningstar has more can have 20 and some pay like us more than $5,000. These small places only bring in $288,000.00 a year. That's on $3,000 x 12 months x 8 patients because they are not always full an they also have levels we are at the highest Level $4,000. You would think Morningstar could hire more help, pay better but the bottom line is profit!!!

Very costly. Poor food. Poor care. I really can only say the CN try, if Morningstar was less interested in making money they would pay better. Help would stay if valued. If Morningstar would stop building they have 23 building with more being build. Do the math.Each Memory Care has 15 people one unit brings in 15 X 5,000 a month X 12 Months. $900,000.00 a year. That's just Memory Care then Assisted living at 20 people at 3500 to 4,000 a month. 20 people X 3,500 X 12 Months that another $840,000.00. Then you have Independent Living $2,200 to 3,500 month. Now take 20 more people X $2,200.X 12 Months another $528,000. So now put all 3 level together one building brings in about $2,268,000.00 that's the low side. .Sink in they pay aids $11.00 so they value their help no.. I realize small places can't pay a lot out with maybe 20 in a home at 4,000 with cost and over head but we are not talking about a small place. I have seen better care in homes of 10 than in this place. I have watch the good aid come and go value. When help is value then Families are happier because care is better. I wished my family member had, had better care some of those CN where just plan useless because of the useless one the good ones get burnout. I've seen a lot come an go about every 3 months a new group of people it's hard on families because the help doesn't know you family member.

I'm shocked it doesn't have one star all together. Administrative staff doesn't care and doesn't listen to families. The food is bad even though they have supposedly top chefs get thier certification of where they got their top chef schooling what restaurants did they cook for? I understand they've got a new director I hope she or he listens better and cleans the place out of all the other administrators including the head of nursing she never smiles and looks like she hates her job.

Horrendous experience. We moved our mother out of the Boulder MorningStar after three months. They lied about pricing, overcharged us, and the executive director is incompetent. This is nothing compared to the substandard care our mother received, including emergency call buttons that went unanswered for twenty minutes at a time—once I had to use my cell phone and call the reception desk and tell them my mom had hit her emergency pendant and wall button and no one was coming after 22 minutes!!, bathing our mom with filthy washcloths, not ensuring our mother went to meals, and not following doctor’s instructions, even after my husband who’s a surgeon explained the danger to them of not following instructions. It was beyond stressful every night wondering if our mom was okay there. They were so understaffed—and knew it. The caregivers were nice, but so over worked; they would always apologize to us and tell us to beg the administration to hire more people. Other residents told our mom they were unhappy there as well. Incredible for a place that charges thousands of dollars a month and calls itself a place that serves God and respects seniors. We feel violated and I feel a moral obligation to post this review wherever I can.