Overall sentiment across the reviews is decidedly mixed, with a strong split between families who praise the facility and those who raise serious concerns. Positively, many reviewers emphasize a clean, bright facility with a welcoming, home-like atmosphere in common areas. The activities program is repeatedly cited as a major strength — residents have access to music, crafts, exercise classes, weekly outings (ice cream runs, town center visits), and a steady calendar of events. Short-term rehab and an evidently strong physical therapy team receive high marks, as do in-room services like a visiting hairdresser and accommodations for family visits, hospice and COVID testing. Multiple reviewers also note staff members who are warm, remember residents’ names, communicate well with families, and actively promote resident socialization.
However, a significant portion of the feedback points to operational and care-delivery problems that should not be overlooked. Several reviews describe medication mismanagement (late or missed medications), inconsistent caregiving and allegations of neglect, and after-hours understaffing that leaves residents waiting or unattended. Serious safety incidents are described in multiple summaries — falls with resulting injuries, UTIs following questionable care or transport decisions, and at least one account where a resident was transferred to a psychiatric unit unexpectedly. These reports combine with accounts of aides being rough during dressing/showering or not following basic hygiene protocols (not washing hands), creating a pattern of concerning care lapses for some residents.
Dining impressions are polarized: some families praise healthy meal plans, enjoyable meals, and flexible dining options, while others report bland, cold, greasy food, repetitive menus, and shortages of basic items (ice, condiments). Dining service can also be affected by staffing shortages, resulting in long waits and incorrect orders during busy meal times. Facility upkeep is similarly mixed — many reviewers compliment well-maintained interiors, carpets and drywall, and pleasant outdoor areas, yet others note maintenance issues such as bare floors in certain rooms and an exterior façade that doesn't reflect the level of care inside. Room sizes vary; a number of reviewers report comfortable, spacious apartments with kitchenettes or updated bathrooms, while others call bedrooms small and say the layout feels corporate rather than homelike.
Management and administrative themes reveal inconsistency. Some reviewers commend management for being committed to improvement, responsive, and communicative, and praise helpful admissions tours and staff follow-up. Others report poor management practices: billing disputes, unexpected increases in final charges many thousands over quoted prices, move-in charge complaints, and a two-year out-of-pocket requirement before Medicaid eligibility that creates affordability problems. Several families express frustration with internal coordination, staff turnover (including loss of activity leadership), and uneven staffing levels across shifts. A few accounts describe abrupt discharges and clarify that the community may not be appropriate for residents who need higher levels of nursing care.
A clear pattern emerges that quality varies by shift, unit, and individual staff members. Many reviewers describe exceptional, caring staff who create a safe, engaging environment; at the same time, other reviewers encountered indifferent or stressed staff, especially during nights, weekends, or periods of staffing shortages. Memory care is highlighted as an offering — the facility maintains a separate dementia unit and some reviewers praise trained staff and successful transitions — but other families report that the memory care promises were not fully met and express concern about the community’s ability to handle higher-acuity dementia or behavioral needs.
In summary, Somerford Place of Newark appears to offer a strong activities program, clean facilities in many areas, a supportive social atmosphere for residents who are relatively self-sufficient, and competent short-term rehab/PT services. Yet recurring issues around medication administration, after-hours staffing, inconsistent caregiver quality, food service variability, billing transparency, and the community’s capacity for higher-level nursing or complex memory-care needs are notable and significant. Prospective residents and families should weigh the positive social and environmental attributes against the reported inconsistencies in clinical care and administration. When evaluating this community in person, focus on verifying staffing levels by shift (especially nights and weekends), medication administration protocols, incident reporting and response practices, billing/move-in charge transparency, and the specific capabilities of the memory care and nursing teams to meet higher-acuity needs.
