Overall sentiment: Reviews for Homestead Senior Living are strongly positive in tone, with repeated praise for staff warmth, responsiveness, and resident-centered care. Families frequently describe staff as friendly, approachable, caring, and willing to go above and beyond. Many reviewers reported that their family member is happy, comfortable, and well cared for, citing examples of improved wellbeing, quick responses to incidents, and good clinical nursing support. The facility receives frequent recommendations from families and is described as offering good value despite its relatively high price point.
Care quality and staff: The dominant theme across reviews is the quality of human care. Caregivers and nurses are consistently described as attentive, compassionate, and welfare-focused. Reviewers note strong clinical care, good hygiene support, and appropriate responsiveness to health needs, including excellent hospice support in at least one case. Communication to families is highlighted as a strength — staff and management reportedly notify families quickly about incidents, explain situations clearly, and are willing to meet and help families make informed decisions. Accessibility and accommodations for specific needs (for example, hearing-impaired residents) have been explicitly praised. However, multiple reviews note staffing shortages or turnover that have impacted continuity of care and medication management; these staffing challenges are a clear concern for some families, though several reviewers observed staffing improvements over time.
Activities and social life: Activity offerings are another major strength. Reviews emphasize a wide range of daily activities: twice-daily exercise programs, games, music sessions, bible study, rosary, social gatherings, and outings. Many residents are reported to be engaged and benefitting socially; some family members say residents feel revitalized and enjoy companionship. A minor recurring comment is a desire for more male residents to participate in activities, suggesting gender balance in programs could be improved. A few reviewers noted that on some days there was "not much going on," which ties back to staffing variability.
Dining and food service: The food program is generally well-regarded: described as plentiful, fresh, nutritious, and homestyle rather than gourmet. Multiple reviewers praised meal quality, portion sizes, and the helpfulness of dining staff. There is also mention of a variety of dining options and weekly menus, with meals sometimes delivered to rooms. Constructive criticisms include occasional comments that some entreés could be tastier and specific dining-area cleanliness issues (sticky tables, and carpeting in the dining room that needs replacement). Overall, dining is considered a strength but with room for targeted improvements in presentation and housekeeping in dining areas.
Facilities and amenities: The facility itself is described as clean, bright, and well-maintained with pleasant common areas. Reviewers highlighted natural light in rooms, lake views, a porch, gazebo seating, library/reading room, small movie theater, salon, and comfortable apartment sizes (including a notably large "Premier studio"). Laundry service is provided, although there are no in-unit washers/dryers. Location is convenient for some (close to hospital), but the rural/edge-of-town setting may be less desirable for others. Several reviews specifically note strong housekeeping and upkeep, while a few point to smaller maintenance needs such as carpeting replacement in dining areas.
Management, admissions, and transparency: Admissions staff and leadership receive positive mentions for being honest, transparent, and responsive. One review called out an expedited application by a named staff member, indicating the admissions team can be proactive and helpful. Families appreciate management’s openness to meetings and family forums. However, some reviews express concern about management turnover and the impact of new hires on continuity; these concerns are linked to the broader staffing and medication-management issues noted above.
Cost and insurance considerations: Cost is a frequent, explicit concern. Multiple reviewers describe the community as expensive, and some say it is "worth every penny" while others warn that pricing is high for the Vermont market. It is also noted that Homestead does not accept Medicare, which is an important consideration for prospective residents evaluating financial fit.
Patterns and notable contradictions: Most reviews paint a consistent picture of a warm, well-run community with strong staff-resident relationships, good activities, and satisfying meals. Where there is divergence, it centers on staffing — several reviewers report excellent, consistent care while others cite low staffing or recent turnover that has affected service levels, particularly medication management. This suggests variability over time or across shifts. Cleanliness and facility upkeep are generally praised, but isolated maintenance issues (dining carpet, sticky tables) recur enough to merit attention.
Bottom line: Homestead Senior Living is presented by many families as a caring, well-equipped, and activity-rich senior community with strong clinical and hospitality strengths. The most frequent positives are the dedicated staff, robust activities, pleasant living spaces, and good food. Important considerations for prospective residents are cost (and Medicare non-acceptance), occasional staffing shortages or turnover that can affect continuity of care, and minor dining-area maintenance issues. Overall, reviewers overwhelmingly recommend the community while advising prospective residents to inquire specifically about current staffing levels, medication-management procedures, and any recent changes in management or personnel before committing.
