Overall sentiment in the reviews for Sunrise at Pinehurst is strongly mixed, with a large number of reviewers reporting excellent experiences while a substantial minority report serious problems. Many families and residents praise the community for its warm, compassionate staff, engaging activities, attractive renovated facilities, and strong leadership—often calling out energetic activities directors, attentive concierge teams, and long-tenured managers. Conversely, a recurring and significant cluster of concerns centers on the memory care unit and nursing/clinical operations: multiple reviewers describe short staffing, poor training, missed medications, delayed medication reviews, neglect (including delayed showers and basic personal care), wandering, and even instances of injury where communication to families was lacking. A state audit confirming lack of care was also referenced by a reviewer, reinforcing the seriousness of several complaints.
Staff and culture emerge as the strongest positive theme. Dozens of reviews highlight caring, attentive caregivers, an approachable administrative team, and meaningful staff-resident relationships (staff attending funerals, celebrating milestone birthdays, helping residents regain mobility and social engagement). Many reviewers detail dramatic positive changes after move-in — improved mood, increased activity participation, better grooming and social life — and they credit particular staff members and directors for those outcomes. On-site medical partnerships (mobile dentist, podiatrist, visiting physicians and therapy) and convenient amenities (salon, gym, transportation to shopping and outings) are repeatedly cited as strong programmatic features that add value and convenience.
Facilities, dining, and activities are also frequently praised. Multiple accounts describe a beautifully remodeled building, bright common areas, a secure courtyard for memory care, many social events, and a creative activity calendar that includes trips, seasonal celebrations, art, games, and therapy-animal visits. Dining reviews trend positive overall — many note made-to-order, scratch-prepared food, attractive presentation, and nourishing meals — though several reviews mention declines in portion size or quality over time and more limited meal choices reported specifically in memory care.
However, operational and safety-related negatives are consistent and substantive in a significant subset of reviews. The most serious pattern concerns memory care nursing and direct-care staffing: reviewers reported being left for hours without assistance, missed hygiene or bathing needs, inadequate dementia engagement, medication changes not implemented, and delayed responses to call buttons. Some families reported missing linens and clothing, rooms smelling or not being cleaned on schedule, and possessions occasionally going missing. Security issues were noted — including thefts of jewelry and lack of access control to monitor who enters resident areas — which combined with wandering incidents raises safety concerns for residents with cognitive impairment.
Management and communication show a split picture. Many reviews praise specific leaders, describe excellent communication from the activities director or certain administrators, and commend daily check-ins and transparent updates. Other reviews, however, recount obstructive administrative behavior: delayed callbacks on assessments and pricing, billing/refund disputes, failures to follow through on promises, inconsistent care-plan sharing, and delays in activating technology (activities apps). Several reviewers explicitly say experiences improved after move-in or after leadership intervened, while others say problems persisted despite complaints. Staff morale and turnover are also a mixed signal: some reviewers report long-tenured, committed staff and low turnover, while others describe overworked, undervalued caregivers and high turnover impacting continuity of care.
Cost and value are recurring practical considerations: the community is frequently described as expensive or cost-prohibitive, particularly for couples or when higher-level care is required. Many families feel the price is justified when their experience aligns with the positive reviews (excellent staff, amenities, and activities), but several criticize the community as poor value when clinical, housekeeping or safety issues are present. Renovations and remodels receive praise for aesthetics but some reviewers found the construction disruptive or reported that ongoing work made service levels harder to judge.
In summary, Sunrise at Pinehurst presents a polarized profile. Strengths clearly include a welcoming atmosphere, numerous and creative activities, attractive facilities, engaged leadership in many cases, and numerous reports of compassionate, above-and-beyond caregivers and good on-site medical partnerships. Critical risks and recurring concerns center on memory care and clinical reliability, housekeeping and laundry consistency, security and theft, call-response times, and uneven management follow-through. Prospective residents and families should weigh the consistently positive reports of culture, activities, and amenities against the documented operational and safety complaints. When evaluating this community, families would be wise to ask specific, evidence-based questions about current memory care staffing ratios and training, medication management protocols and audits, housekeeping and laundry processes, call-response time metrics, access-control and theft-prevention measures, and recent regulatory audits or corrective actions — and to observe daily routines, mealtimes, and the memory care neighborhood in person to verify consistency between the highly positive and highly critical experiences reflected in these reviews.
