Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed but polarized: many reviewers praise the staff, activities, cleanliness of common areas, and the facility’s social environment, while a smaller but serious set of reviews describe significant lapses in care, safety, and management. The positive comments are numerous and detailed—residents and families frequently describe friendly, caring, and accommodating staff, an active calendar of events (bingo, crafts, themed parties, Hawaiian luaus, birthday celebrations, movie nights with popcorn, tea celebrations), and a generally pleasant atmosphere. Multiple reviewers note spacious private rooms, a restored historic feel in parts of the building, well-maintained grounds, helpful tour staff, and amenities like a barber shop, cinema, and workout facility. Dining receives consistent praise for being home-cooked and well-organized, with open-all-day dining in some descriptions. For many families the combination of activities, cleanliness, and caring staff provide peace of mind and a strong recommendation.
However, several reviews raise serious concerns about the quality and consistency of clinical care and safety. Reported issues include missed medications, unattended nurse stations, unsecured doors and medicine rooms, lack of response to call bells, residents left in soiled clothing, delayed or absent assistance with toileting and feeding, and unaddressed injuries. A few accounts escalate to severe outcomes such as falls requiring hospital visits and at least one report of a patient death attributed by the reviewer to inadequate supervision. These safety-related complaints are accompanied by reports of staffing shortages, nurses or aides being seen only at medication times, and family members feeling they had to intervene to assist their loved ones. Such reports point to recurring patterns of understaffing and gaps in direct care coverage, particularly during off-peak hours.
Management, administration, and staff dynamics appear as another key theme. Several reviewers describe a lack of on-duty management and unprofessional administrators, with an impression that nurses or caregiving staff effectively run the facility rather than clinical or administrative leadership providing oversight. There are comments about staff expressing complaints regarding workload and morale, and some mention inconsistent staff behavior—some nurses and caregivers are described as kind and attentive while others are perceived as tolerant or less engaged. Communication with families is uneven: while some families praise clear, helpful tour directors and staff who are communicative, others report poor communication, especially surrounding incidents or care concerns.
Facility cleanliness and environment are overwhelmingly described positively in the common areas—many reviewers call the facility immaculate, odor-free, and well-kept, praising dining rooms, common rooms, and weekly big events. That said, there are isolated concerns about apartment-level cleanliness (some residents or families felt individual apartments were not as clean as elsewhere), small shared rooms, and an institutional feel for memory care units with limited outdoor access. Dining is generally well-regarded for quality and variety, though at least one reviewer noted limited availability of fresh fruits and vegetables. Activities programming is a strong point for the community overall: reviewers repeatedly highlight a robust schedule of events, social opportunities, and special celebrations that enhance resident engagement. A few reviews note promised outings or field trips that were scheduled but not yet executed, and some residents described boredom or a lack of certain activities—suggesting variability in program delivery.
In summary, Lakewood Place receives many positive endorsements for its atmosphere, equipment, activities, and a core of caring staff, but there are significant and recurring negative reports focused on clinical care lapses, safety issues, understaffing, and management deficiencies. These negative reports are fewer in number than the positive ones but are serious in nature, involving medication errors, unsecured areas, inadequate response to needs, and accidents leading to hospital visits. For prospective residents and families, the decision will likely hinge on the importance placed on social life and amenities versus the need for consistently reliable clinical oversight. If safety and dependable nursing coverage are the top priorities, families should ask detailed, specific questions about staffing ratios, on-duty management, medication administration protocols, incident reporting, and dementia-care policies during tours and seek recent, verifiable information about any incidents and corrective actions. If social programming, cleanliness of common areas, and a lively activities schedule are the priorities, many reviewers suggest Lakewood Place performs well in those domains.
