Overall impression: Reviews of Peregrine Senior Living at Colonie are mixed but skew positive on the facility, dining, and many individual staff members. A substantial portion of reviewers praise the community as clean, modern, bright, and well decorated, with strong, personable caregiving staff who create a home-like environment. The dining program is repeatedly highlighted as a major strength—many reviewers mention delicious-smelling food, fresh-baked items, a diverse menu, and a chef who solicits resident input. Amenities such as an indoor aviary and aquarium, animal-friendly features (including a resident pig and rabbits), courtyards, chapel, salon, and restaurant-style dining contribute to a lively, engaging atmosphere that many families and residents enjoy.
Care quality and staff: Many reviews describe caring, competent, respectful, and attentive caregivers and nurses, with specific praise for individual employees (caseworkers and directors named positively in several summaries). Families frequently report peace of mind, responsive medical staff, weight gain and improved sleep for residents, and frequent checks and hands-on support. At the same time, a recurrent and significant theme across reviews is inconsistency in staffing and care. Multiple reviewers describe high turnover, staffing shortages (including nights), and an inconsistent skill level among staff—particularly regarding dementia and memory-care training. Several reports detail gaps in personal care (examples include insufficient help with bathing, teeth brushing, or changing clothes) and at least one concerning account of a resident being found soiled. These serious negative anecdotes contrast sharply with other families who report top-notch nursing and individualized attention.
Facilities and amenities: The physical plant is a consistent strength. Reviewers repeatedly cite bright, airy common spaces, tasteful decor, well-maintained courtyards and secure outdoor areas, and private bathrooms in many rooms. Unique touches — an aviary/bird viewing area, aquarium, railroad track/rock fountain, sports room and frequent live entertainment — are commonly noted as setting the community apart. Housekeeping and maintenance receive frequent praise for keeping the building tidy; however, there are isolated reports of unclean conditions or odors. Overall, the campus and amenities are among the community’s most praised features.
Dining and activities programming: Dining is one of the facility’s best-publicized positives. Many reviewers praise the chef, varied menus, restaurant-style service, and occasional family meal inclusions. Activities programming is robust in many reports: full calendars, bus trips, live music, art, cooking, dancing, chapel/rosary groups, and other enrichment opportunities. These offerings appear to create a genuine sense of community for many residents. Conversely, a subset of reviews says activities sometimes skew toward low-effort options (puzzles, coloring) and could be refreshed; a few families report bored residents and call for more stimulating or personalized programming.
Management, communication, and operations: Opinions on leadership and communication are polarized. Several reviewers explicitly compliment the executive director, admissions team, and specific caseworkers for excellent communication and smooth admissions. Others describe management as disengaged, slow to respond, or even antagonistic, with reports of poor follow-through and coordination problems — for example, between in-house clinicians and outside physicians. Complaints about inconsistent communication often co-occur with concerns about staffing stability and follow-through on family requests.
Safety, regulatory and admission concerns: While many families report feeling safe and confident in the community’s oversight, several reviews raise serious safety and compliance-related concerns: allegations of unsafe staffing ratios (especially at night), instances where staff lacked memory-care knowledge, and at least one mention of a Department of Health report and families leaving the community. There are also accounts of admittance or placement problems — including reports of misrepresentation during the admissions process, refusal of rooms because staff claimed they could not manage a resident’s diabetes, and long wait times for vacancies. Prospective families should seek up-to-date information on staffing ratios, incident history, and licensing/inspection records.
Cost, billing and policy issues: Cost is a clear consideration across reviews. Many families accept higher pricing in exchange for the observed amenities, dining, and perceived quality of care. However, others express concern about rising prices, perceived inadequate increases in care for the price, and additional fees for services such as the on-site hairdresser or grooming. Medicaid is not accepted, which limits options for some families. Prospective residents should request full written fee schedules and clarify what services are included versus billed separately.
Patterns and recommendations: The dominant pattern is one of contrast: a well-appointed, modern facility with appealing amenities, strong dining, and numerous compassionate staff members, paired with operational and staffing inconsistencies that can materially affect resident care. Many families report excellent experiences and would highly recommend Peregrine Colonie. A minority report very poor experiences — including allegations of neglect, deceptive admissions practices, and management problems. For families considering Peregrine Colonie, it is advisable to (1) tour during active hours to observe staff-resident interactions and activities, (2) ask directly about current staffing levels and turnover (including night coverage), (3) request recent inspection/DOH reports and incident logs, (4) clarify costs and extra fees in writing, and (5) probe training protocols and experience specific to dementia and personal care. Doing so will help validate whether the community’s many strengths align with a given resident’s care needs and whether the reported inconsistencies have been addressed.
