Overall impression: Reviews of Fellowship Square Surprise are mixed but lean positive on facilities and everyday resident experience, with recurring and significant concerns about management, staffing and billing/payment issues. Many reviewers praise the property as new, bright, immaculately kept and well-equipped, and they highlight a wide range of amenities and activities. At the same time, several reviews raise serious operational concerns — especially around leadership, staffing levels, timely assistance for personal care, and disputes over payment/ALTCS — that materially affect some residents' quality of life.
Facility, amenities and environment: The community is frequently described as new or recently built, bright, and well-maintained, with attractive indoor and outdoor spaces. Common areas mentioned repeatedly include two dining rooms, a large dining area, movie theater, library, fitness center, swimming pool, walking paths, koi pond and barbecue areas. Apartment features praised include full kitchens and in-unit laundry for independent living units and spacious two-bedroom floorplans in some cases (one specific mention of a 1,070 sq ft two-bedroom). Multiple reviews describe the campus feel as resort-like, with many opportunities for social engagement and field trips. The location (near a hospital) and the overall cleanliness receive consistent positive mention.
Staff and care quality: Staff receive mixed but often favorable mentions. Many reviewers call the employees friendly, compassionate and responsive — naming specific staff and describing good sales or admissions interactions. There are a number of reports that residents know staff personally and that staff listen and work with families. However, several important negative patterns recur: reports of understaffing or insufficient caregivers, delays in assistance (including a cited 20-minute wait for bathroom help), and at least one account of an individual caregiver described as lazy. These operational shortcomings have direct implications for assisted living and memory care residents who require timely support. Some families say the assisted living side is behind expectations despite the strong independent living offerings.
Management and financial concerns: While many frontline staff are praised, several reviews explicitly criticize management and executive leadership, calling management “horrible” or “clueless.” More serious are multiple reports concerning billing and payment disputes — including ALTCS (Arizona long-term care Medicaid) issues, threats of eviction related to payment problems, and transfer/shower disagreements — which create anxiety for residents and families. One review cites a specific private-pay rate of around $4,995/month; others note reasonable or good value, indicating variability depending on unit type and level of care. Prospective residents should verify current rates, policies on subsidies/ALTCS, and how the community handles billing disputes before moving in.
Dining and activities: Dining and activities are polarizing. Many reviewers praise the food as excellent, with extensive menus and high-quality meals. Conversely, multiple comments describe poor food (frozen meals, lazy chefs) or limited meal allowances (e.g., 25 meal points) that some residents find restrictive. Activity offerings are generally described as abundant — games, fitness classes, book club, knitting, weekly entertainment, and special events (Cinco de Mayo, Western Day) — and many residents are reported to be engaged and social. Yet some reviews report that residents are often left to watch TV or have limited participation, suggesting variability across units, time periods (pandemic-related shut-downs were specifically mentioned), or staffing levels.
Memory/assisted/independent living distinctions: Reviewers mention all levels of care — independent, assisted, and memory care. Independent-living residents generally praise spacious apartments, amenities and social life. Assisted- and memory-care feedback is more mixed: some families say loved ones are well cared for, while others note understaffing and delayed responses that compromise care. The presence of an on-site therapist at no extra charge is a positive feature reported by several reviewers.
Culture and community identity: Fellowship Square Surprise's faith-based (Christian) identity and pastoral care are noted often. For many this is a positive attribute contributing to a welcoming atmosphere; a smaller number of reviewers felt the community was not personally welcoming or emphasized the Christian identity to a degree they did not appreciate. Prospective residents should assess fit with the community culture.
Patterns and recommendations for prospective residents: The most consistent strengths are the facility’s physical condition, breadth of amenities, and instances of warm, attentive staff and robust social programming. The most significant and frequent concerns center on management responsiveness, staffing levels (which can cause delays in personal care), inconsistent dining quality, and potentially problematic billing/payment interactions. These issues appear to be serious enough in some accounts (eviction threats, ALTCS disputes) that they warrant specific investigation.
If considering Fellowship Square Surprise, visitors should: tour at multiple times (including meal times and evenings), speak directly with residents and families about care responsiveness, ask for current staffing ratios and protocols for handling ADL assistance and emergencies, confirm meals/points policies and sample food, obtain clear written explanations of pricing and ALTCS/billing procedures, and verify any waitlist or ongoing construction impacts. Doing so will help balance the facility’s clear physical and social strengths against operational and administrative red flags reported by several reviewers.
