MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care of Boulder

The promise is not living up to the reality. There is consistent staffing issues. I had greater expectations, considering that my loved one is in memory care. The atmosphere and people are nice but they don't offer the quality of care that I need. They need consistent staff who are more well trained, to provide the level of care that my loved one needs.

The size of the community is great, and I like that. The staff gets to know the family. It is easy to talk to the staff about questions or concerns; however, it doesn't always result in action. It is a very pleasant place to have a loved one. The care could be improved upon with hygiene assistance and housekeeping of the rooms for the residents. There have been some staff turnover recently, and the community is trying to hire more staff to assist in doing the right things for the residents and the community.

We chose MorningStar because the location was important to us and we were impressed with the facility after our tour. The 2 bedroom apartments are very roomy and comfortable. The rooms over on the memory care side are a little small, but they want the residents to be out and about and not in their rooms. He complains about the food quite a bit and he is says there is no flavor, so they could use some improvements on that. Overall I would recommend to others who are looking.

It has been a wonderful delight to see how much this community has grown. The team I have met with are nothing short of kind and caring and looking to help in whatever capacity they can. It is beautiful inside and out and feels very cozy and homelike!

MorningStar of Boulder is wonderful. My older sister is happy and she is being well cared for by everyone at MorningStar Boulder. She is treated kindly and with respect, and she feels tended to and cared for while maintaining a sense of independence and dignity. At MorningStar Boulder, it's the people who make the difference. From the front desk, to the customer service and sales people, medical and nursing staff, caregivers, cleaning and maintenance folks, the chef, kitchen, and dining staff -- everyone is fantastic. It is professional care and also feels like family. People truly care about every aspect of what they do to help others, and to my sister, and to me and my family, that makes all the difference.

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.

I absolutely love the staff. They are all very kind, and they all come up and tell me how much they love my family member, even though she can be kind of difficult at her age with dementia. When I get to go visit her now that Covid restrictions have eased, I go into her room and she doesn't like to just sit. So we walk around the halls and say hi to lots of people. The staff just let me do that, and they talk to me. It's been a good experience, and I actually really love going to visit her there. They communicate very well. I feel like it's a really good value. I see the staff working so hard. They have a lot to do and their hands full. I just wish there was more one-on-one care and more staff to help out. I think that's just the case for memory care units in general. But MorningStar does such a great job.

I would want others to know when looking into Morning Star of Boulder that our loved one was not given a shower for 23 days and I was never notified. She was sent to the hospital with a severe UTI and entered sepsis because of a simple UTI that was noticed too late when I was out of town. She contracted 5 UTI’s in the span of 5 months a year after the hospital incident. The executive director has no integrity and forced families to push their loved ones back to memory care through manipulation, pressure and lies to families (7 families in 6 weeks) in order to fulfill a directive to push assisted living in a more independent direction. This facility changed every single management position, both in memory care and assisted living, 3-4 times in a matter of 2.5 years. Since the building’s very opening, they have exhibited a consistent failure of management and executive/regional directorship. Morning Star puts money into its hotel-like, luxury feel and spacious apartments. They are selling real estate and not care. They use this to impress families, but you would never believe what goes on here beneath the veneer. Over the years we were here, they were frequently understaffed, putting pressure on caregivers who were fired if they spoke up. Good members of middle management struggled to do their job in a responsible fashion, but the current executive director put them under unreasonable pressure and in dubious binds, trying to please corporate. For one year, a good executive director was hired, who did a great job and listened to families and was making the facility better. However she was pushed out by corporate and left because they were focused on sales and business and would not allow her to serve the needs of her particular community. The current executive director cares more about her numbers and career than the residents. I heard multiple horror stories from other families and discovered broken state regulations and know they did not train staff properly. For example, they had illegal hoyers at some point in time. On multiple occasions I discovered only 2-3 staff members on the overnight shift for the entire building of over 100 residents. If your loved one does not encounter health issues or problems, you would never know these things. But when faced with real problems, there is serious incompetency, neglect, and abuse of power. Not just for us, but for many other families I knew there over the years. Due to these issues, after almost 3 years, we decided to leave in the fall of 2019. We found a 100% better community. Look around, talk to other families, do not be fooled by their sales pitches.

In general, when you walk in, things are nice and pristine. You see people around the community cleaning and the individual rooms are kept up very well also. The staff take a particular interest in the family members. They have been very accessible when I have questions or concerns and have been happy to assist my uncle with anything he needs. They have even sent me photos of him engaging in activities since I live out of state and cannot always be there. My uncle enjoys many of the activities they provide like bowling and taking trips to the ice cream shop. Morning Star Assisted Living & Memory Care Of Boulder is a very nice place and would not hesitate to recommend them to another family looking for a place for their loved one.

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.

This is the most friendly upbeat atmosphere. I am so pleased to have found this wonderful facility via A Place for Mom. Everyone here is so nice, helpful and kind. Love the hands-on approach by everyone in the building. Thank you!

[Name removed] is a star in hospitality and welcoming to me a very comfrotable support. I'd hire.

So far my needs are met.

I lived in North Boulder. At the present time I am a resident at Morning Star.

Please do not consider this facility if your love ones cannot assist in taking care of themselves. If they need assistance in feeding themselves, bathing, putting clothes on or off, we discovered that most of the staff was not caring enough to reassure the family that they could/would keep our Mom safe or comfortable. The night shift was terrible; they were rude, condescending, and dismissive; and they were not held accountable when issues were brought to the attention of the managers. The managers were dismissive when we brought issues to their attention, and did not follow their own directives in notifying the family of falls or other medical issues. Their initial presentation to family to consider their facility was wonderful; but please don't believe that they can deliver. We are devastated that we considered and decided on this facility.

My parent has been here in memory care for years and the care levels are very inconsistent with a high turnover of staffing at all levels. Often when I visit they are understaffed and the care managers who do bother to show up are bitter and stressed. It’s common for staff to be working doubles. The basic issue is that the memory care unit is too big, with many of the residents needing a high level of care and they are not able to address this, yet they keep accepting new residents. I would not recommend this place for memory care, go somewhere with less residents. There are some much better options in the area with better reputations.

My mother has been residing at Morningstar Boulder since May of 2019. My mom truly enjoys living there - she loves her apartment, the activities, and appreciates the attentive and caring staff. My family members also appreciate the compassionate attentive staff and the clean and airy environment. Note. I’ve read the negative reviews on this platform. It’s hard to believe these folks are talking about Morningstar Boulder. Never, have we mislead or experienced anything as horrible they explained. Thank you, Morningstar staff for all you do.

My mother has been residing at Morningstar Boulder since May of 2019. My mom truly enjoys living there - she loves her apartment, the activities, and appreciates the attentive and caring staff. My family members also appreciate the compassionate attentive staff, and the clean and airy environment. Note. I’ve read the negative reviews on this platform. It’s hard to believe these folks are talking about Morningstar Boulder. Never, have we been mislead or experienced anything as horrible they explained. Thank you, Morningstar staff for all you do.

Our mother was at Morning Star, Boulder Co. for 7 weeks and it was the WORSE experience for not only her, but for the entire family. The care is SUBSTANDARD!!!! The Director and Nurse both lied to me about our mother's physical condition, not only once but twice. I witnessed many many times when NO ONE was around for an entire hour... the poor residents (memory care) were left helpless. It was heartbreaking to watch. They NEVER bathed her... We had secured another facility to move her into but she passed before we could move her. We truly believe this horrible place contributed to our mother's death. NEVER NEVER put someone you love in this awful, shameful place!!!!!