Overall sentiment in the reviews for The Retreat at Sunbrook is strongly positive on staffing, facility appearance, apartment size, and resident engagement, with a small but significant cluster of severe negative reports that families should investigate carefully.
Staff and care quality: The dominant theme across most reviews is praise for the staff. Many reviewers describe staff as warm, friendly, compassionate, and attentive, with personalized greetings and name recognition for residents. Nurses and CNAs are frequently commended for prompt follow-up after falls, quick responses to medical questions, and a resident-first approach. Several reviews specifically name or highlight managers and staff members (for example, positive mentions of an assistant manager, Dustin, and Annette) and emphasize that administration often goes above and beyond. There is also repeated mention of RN presence and competent medical oversight. However, this broadly positive picture is tempered by a small number of very serious allegations describing neglect and elder abuse (reports of denied diaper changes, bedsores, dehydration, and an ER visit). Those allegations are outliers compared with the majority of comments but are severe enough that prospective families should directly address them with management, ask to see policies, staffing ratios, incident records, and follow-up actions during tours.
Facility, rooms, and amenities: Reviewers consistently praise the building aesthetics and cleanliness — bright, open layouts with high ceilings, archways, large common spaces, and attractive landscaping/courtyards. Many note that rooms and studios are larger than comparable facilities, with examples of 10-foot ceilings, roomy apartments, and in-room conveniences like a fridge and microwave. On-site amenities mentioned include a workout/exercise area, salon, shuttle service, hair salon, parking, and recreational outdoor spaces (pond outings, shuffleboard). Maintenance and housekeeping receive frequent positive mentions for keeping the building in excellent condition. A few reviews contrast this otherwise clean picture with isolated reports of cleanliness lapses and a single mention of a mouse infestation — again, an isolated but important concern to verify in person.
Activities and social life: The community appears active and family-friendly, with many activities, games, crafts, outings, and social programs that keep residents engaged. Reviewers frequently describe residents participating in games, crafts, and outings, and a number of comments highlight a home-like, family atmosphere and robust programming. At the same time, there are several notes that activities are not always well tailored to every resident’s preferences or abilities; personalities and individual needs affect engagement levels. Some reviewers recommend more individualized or varied programming to better serve residents with different interests and functional levels.
Dining: Dining receives mixed to negative feedback overall. Several reviewers describe the food as merely "okay," reheated, or atrocious, and a recurring theme is limited meal options and fixed mealtimes that may not accommodate all residents. A few reviews do mention positive aspects such as a salad bar and accommodating meal service when choices are requested, but food quality and lack of variety are common points of dissatisfaction. Given these repeated comments, food quality and menu flexibility are areas to probe during a visit (tasting a meal, asking about special-diet accommodations, and observing dining times and service).
Management, communication, and cost: Many reviewers praise administration for being helpful, communicative, and proactive — with staff making follow-up calls after incidents and providing thorough explanations during tours. Nonetheless, occasional lapses in communication are reported (missed messages), and a handful of reviewers note that the community is expensive and subject to rent increases. These financial and communication concerns appear intermittent but important to raise with admissions staff and to review contract terms and fee schedules.
Patterns and recommendations: The overall pattern is one of a newer, attractive, well-maintained assisted living/memory care community with strong, compassionate staff, generous common spaces, and active programming. Most families report satisfaction and would recommend the community. However, two categories of outlier concerns recur and merit attention: (1) consistent dissatisfaction with dining quality and limited menu choices, and (2) a small number of extremely serious allegations of neglect and abuse reported by reviewers. Prospective residents and families should balance the many positive reports by conducting in-person visits, meeting nursing leadership, asking for references from current families, reviewing inspection and incident records, and sampling meals. Also confirm specific points important to you: staffing levels (including RN coverage), policies for responding to falls and medical events, cleaning and pest-control practices, activity calendars and personalization, and the written fee/rent escalation policies.
In summary, The Retreat at Sunbrook receives strong praise for staff compassion, facility quality, spacious apartments, and a lively community atmosphere, but reviewers repeatedly point to dining shortcomings and there are a few severe negative allegations that require direct verification. A careful, informed tour that includes discussions with management and clinical leadership, a meal sampling, and conversations with current residents and families will help determine whether the community is the right fit for a given individual.
