Overall sentiment about Waterside Landing is highly mixed and polarized: many reviewers give strong praise for the staff, renovated living spaces, activities, and dining, while a substantial minority report serious problems with cleanliness, pests, medication management, safety, and management responsiveness. The dominant positive themes are consistent—reviewers frequently praise particular staff members and administration figures by name, describe warm, attentive caregiving, and highlight a range of resort-like amenities and newly remodeled apartments. Many residents and families emphasize a smooth transition, compassionate nursing support when needed, an active social calendar, and well-liked meals. Several accounts specifically call out exceptional employees who went "above and beyond," and multiple reviewers describe feeling that Waterside Landing improved quality of life for their loved ones.
Facilities and apartments receive frequent compliments: many units are described as spacious, condo-like, and recently renovated (with renovations noted in 2019 and reopenings in late 2019), with features such as kitchenettes or full kitchens, screened patios, and nice views (often of a lake). The community amenities—pool, workout room, salon, library, garden areas, and multiple activity spaces—are repeatedly cited as strong positives. Numerous reviewers report lively dining rooms, courteous dining staff, and a generally pleasant social atmosphere during meals and activities. The availability of daily transportation, therapy/rehab services, 24/7 nursing or medication management (reported by several reviewers), and acceptance of Medicaid or financial assistance are additional practical advantages noted by families.
Staff quality is a central theme and a major reason for many positive reviews. Multiple reviewers single out nurses, administrators, admissions coordinators, and activity directors as professional, helpful, and compassionate. Reports of a ‘‘home-like’’ atmosphere and staff who support rapid transitions (including transfers to memory care when needed) appear in several accounts. Service-level strengths also include effective physical therapy/rehab, prompt maintenance in some cases, and a generally organized admissions/move-in process described by many families.
However, the negative themes are significant and cannot be overlooked. Cleanliness and pest control are the most severe and recurrent concerns: several reviews allege rats in walls or kitchens, bed bugs, ants, and water bugs, while others complain of dirty carpets, unwashed floors, strong odors, and a pervasive "old-person smell." These issues are paired with reports of inconsistent or poor housekeeping and laundry service, sometimes blaming staff and sometimes blamed on corporate-level problems. Maintenance delays and unfinished renovations are also mentioned repeatedly (e.g., long dishwasher repairs, filthy elevators, doors needing repainting), which contributes to an impression among some reviewers that the facility can be underfunded or poorly maintained.
Care quality and resident safety generate mixed to alarming feedback for a notable subset of reviewers. While some families praise 24/7 nursing and medication management, others report medication errors, slow medication delivery, aides failing to administer medications properly, privacy breaches (staff rummaging through refrigerators), and poor awareness of critical health events (stroke, broken leg). Several reviewers raise serious safety flags: incidents of residents being bitten, a resident suicide attempt, bed sores, and claims that some residents moved out due to safety concerns. These accounts suggest uneven clinical oversight and training across shifts or staff teams.
Management, communication, and administrative consistency are frequent pain points. Many people describe excellent, responsive front-line staff, yet also note difficulty reaching managers or corporate offices, slow responses from accounting, unfulfilled promises, and delays requiring corporate approval. There are reports of billing for services or medications not received, missing or delayed equipment, and occasionally inconsistent tour experiences (missed appointments, pushy sales staff). A few reviews allege severe operational problems—reopening under a different name, 60-day eviction notices, and accusations of false hurricane damage claims—that indicate instability in some cases. These extreme allegations are fewer but serious and contribute to the polarized view of the community.
Activities and dining are generally strengths but with variability. Many reviewers praise a robust calendar (daily activities, trivia, meditation, movies, live music, clubs, happy hours) and an active, social dining environment; others find programming insufficiently engaging or wish for more music-related or creative offerings. Food quality is frequently described as "good" or "amazing," with three meals daily appreciated, though some families want more fresh salad and fruit options and occasionally report mediocre meals.
Patterns in the reviews suggest that experiences at Waterside Landing are highly dependent on timing, specific buildings or wings, and staffing at the time of residency. Several reviewers describe the community as an appealing, renovated, clean, and well-run place with outstanding staff—sometimes calling it a "hidden gem." Yet a sizable and vocal group describes serious deficiencies in cleanliness, pest control, medication/safety, and management responsiveness. This disparity implies inconsistencies in operational execution: certain units, teams, or time periods appear to function very well, while others suffer from neglect, understaffing, or management breakdowns.
For prospective residents and families, the key takeaways are: (1) Waterside Landing can offer strong staff engagement, attractive apartments, and a full slate of amenities and activities; (2) conduct multiple, unannounced visits (including evenings and weekends) and observe dining, housekeeping, and activity periods; (3) explicitly ask about pest control records, medication administration protocols, staffing ratios, and recent incident reports; and (4) verify billing practices, renovation timelines, and which wings were recently updated versus those still needing work. The reviews point to real strengths worth considering, but also to real risks and variability that should be carefully investigated prior to making a placement decision.
