Leland House: A 2Life Community

    21 Newton St, Waltham, MA, 02453
    3.8 · 5 reviews
    • Independent living
    • Assisted living
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    2.0

    Caring staff, cruel administration, beware

    I love the caring, welcoming staff, daily cleaning, decent meals, an awesome social director, and the beautiful grounds with willow trees and old-house charm. But I'm horrified by cruel evictions: residents kicked out after hospital stays or falls with little or no notice, a dishonest director of nursing, and a lack of compassion that left someone homeless in cold weather. I can recommend the caregivers and community activities-but not the administration; proceed with extreme caution.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    3.80 · 5 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      2.5
    • Staff

      3.3
    • Meals

      3.0
    • Amenities

      3.8
    • Value

      3.8

    Pros

    • Beautiful complex and landscaping (willow trees, nice front yard)
    • Old-house charm and attractive design elements
    • Welcoming, friendly and caring staff/teams
    • Daily cleaning and attention to cleanliness
    • Decent meals
    • Engaging social director and active programming
    • Comfortable, friendly community atmosphere
    • Well-designed communal spaces

    Cons

    • Reports of cruel or improper evictions
    • Evictions reportedly triggered by hospital stays or falls
    • Lack of proper notice for evictions
    • Allegations of dishonesty by the director of nursing
    • Perceived lack of compassion from management
    • At least one report of a resident left homeless in cold weather
    • Promises of long-term housing described as false hope
    • New building criticized as looking like a half-baked office
    • Smaller brick building with tiny windows

    Summary review

    The reviews present a strongly polarized picture of Leland House: A 2Life Community. On the positive side, multiple comments emphasize the site's attractive physical setting and comforting aesthetic details — references to old-house charm, willow trees, and a pleasant front yard recur, alongside praise for beautifully designed communal spaces. Several reviewers describe the complex as beautiful and the community as wonderful, suggesting that the campus and its grounds are appealing to many residents and visitors.

    Staff and day-to-day services receive substantial positive mention. Reviews highlight welcoming, friendly, and caring staff and teams described as "making things happen." Residents note daily cleaning and decent meals as consistent positives. Activities and social life are singled out as strengths as well: an "awesome social director" and engaging programming were specifically praised, and some reviewers explicitly "highly recommend" the community. Together these comments indicate that frontline caregiving, housekeeping, dining, and social programming are experienced as caring and competent by multiple reviewers.

    Despite those positives, there are extremely serious and recurring negative allegations related to management decisions and resident protections. Several reviews accuse the facility of "cruel evictions," with specific claims that residents have been asked to leave following hospital stays or falls. Additional complaints include lack of proper notice before eviction, promises of long-term housing that were not honored, and at least one allegation of a resident being left homeless in cold weather. These descriptions point to a pattern of concerns about housing security and how the community handles medical or functional declines.

    Management and clinical leadership are focal points of these concerns. One review directly accuses the director of nursing of being dishonest, and other comments describe a broader perceived lack of compassion from management. These criticisms contrast sharply with the praise for frontline staff, suggesting a potential disconnect between caregivers who interact daily with residents and higher-level administrative or clinical decision-makers who enforce policies. The pattern in the reviews is not just dissatisfaction with policy details but contains severe claims about outcomes (eviction, homelessness) that would be of high concern to prospective residents and their families.

    Facility design receives mixed feedback. While the older house and landscaped areas are admired, the newer building drew criticism from some reviewers: described as appearing "half-baked" and office-like, with a smaller brick building and tiny windows. This indicates that while the overall campus may be attractive, not all architectural updates or new sections are universally liked and some aspects may feel institutional to certain residents or observers.

    In summary, Leland House appears to offer many strengths that matter for everyday life in senior living: attractive grounds, caring and welcoming frontline staff, regular cleaning, decent meals, and a lively social program. However, these positives coexist with serious, recurring complaints about eviction practices, lack of transparent notice, broken promises about long-term placement, and alleged poor responses to residents who experience health setbacks. The juxtaposition of praised caregiving staff and severe criticisms of management policies suggests prospective residents and families should look closely at contractual terms, eviction policies, and how medical changes are handled, and should ask direct questions of leadership about safeguards and appeals processes before deciding on residency.

    Location

    Map showing location of Leland House: A 2Life Community

    About Leland House: A 2Life Community

    Leland House: A 2Life Community stands as a three-story, affordable senior residence in Waltham that began welcoming older adults in December 2024, right next to the William F. Stanley Senior Center, and provides a peaceful, homelike place for people aged 62 and up who need help with daily living or just want a safe place to call home, and since it was purchased by 2Life Communities in 2022, it was designed to let residents age in place while getting support like memory care, assisted living services, respite care, and help with medical needs including hospice, therapy, and rehabilitation on site. People who live here find 68 apartments, mainly one-bedrooms but also two two-bedroom units, each with its own kitchen and bathroom, showers, wheelchair accessible rooms, Wi-Fi, and universal design that helps people as their needs change, and because it's positioned close to the busline, folks can use public transportation, but there's also resident parking and transportation services for things like grocery shopping and going to appointments. Folks get three meals a day planned and cooked by professional chefs with options for special diets like vegetarian, gluten-free, low/no sugar, or low/no sodium, and you can get meals in the dining room, your own apartment, or share guest meals with family, so nobody has to worry about going hungry or finding something they can eat, and the staff takes care of housekeeping, laundry, and even dry-cleaning, making things easier for everyone. The community offers a mix of activities and programs each month-fitness classes, music, games, pet visits, learning workshops, and even lifelong learning programs, while also having religious services for both Protestant and Catholic residents with a Visiting Chaplain, which lets people keep up with the things that matter most to them. You'll see comfortable shared spaces like a movie room, library, TV lounge, atrium, and garden patio, and if you need a haircut or want to get pampered, there's a Beauty Salon and Barber Shop, while the Village Center has space for arts, cultural programming, and wellness events, and the Nichols Solarium gives everyone a cozy spot for music and visitors. Since its founding in 1892, this building's changed over time-with big renovations in 1938-39 and new wings added in the '50s-moving from a small rest home to this modern place that holds 68 seniors now, serving people with Alzheimer's or other dementia, single folks, men, and couples, as management shifted to Deaconess Abundant Life Communities, a Massachusetts-based non-profit. Residents get around-the-clock emergency response, on-site management and care coordination, support for basic needs, and a schedule that encourages dignity and independence, with everything like utilities, transportation to appointments, and stimulating activities included in monthly fees for those who qualify based on income-up to 60% of area median income-so seniors who couldn't afford other places get to stay here. A Board of Managers made up of community volunteers helps guide things, and the mission's always focused on safety, community, respect, and giving older adults a place where they can stay connected, well cared for, and valued for who they are, backed by a staff who tries to treat everyone with the care and kindness they'd want for their own loved ones. The architecture has that classic colonial revival style, the spaces stay tidy and welcoming, and folks living there can enjoy music, talks, and holidays together, finding friendship, understanding, and easy comfort each day-because living with connection, care, and dignity means a lot when you get older and want to keep your independence without giving up what makes life meaningful.

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