Overall sentiment: Reviews for Five Star Residences of Lafayette skew positive, with a clear majority of residents and family members praising the staff, community atmosphere, range of activities, and well-maintained common areas. Many reviewers specifically call out friendly, caring, and attentive employees (Jennifer Ping is named positively in multiple comments), frequent socialization opportunities, and an environment that feels homier and supportive. There is repeated appreciation for the activity calendar, transportation to appointments and outings, and on-site amenities like the dining room, chapel, movie theater, art/music programs, and organized library. Numerous residents reported thriving socially and improving health due to the community engagement and available supports.
Staff and care quality: The staff receive the most consistent praise. Multiple reviews describe staff as warm, nurturing, and going above and beyond, with proactive communication to families and assistance navigating benefits. Several reviewers highlight specific staff members and leadership as caring and consistent, which contributes to residents feeling safe and welcomed. However, this positive picture is tempered by recurring reports of staffing shortages and turnover. Some reviewers note that staffing levels are not ideal and that there have been periods where staff were hard to reach or unresponsive. A number of comments point to coordination problems with outside medical providers, medication management back-and-forth, and occasional administrative errors in charts or documentation.
Facilities and apartments: Many reviewers describe the facility as clean, bright, and well-maintained, and several mention recently renovated or attractively updated apartments with modern appliances, updated carpets, and extra sunrooms. Common areas earn praise for being immaculate and inviting. That said, there are contradictory reports: a minority of reviews describe poor room cleanliness, odor issues, garbage not being emptied, and older parts of the campus with less curb appeal. Unit sizes vary — studio and one-bedroom units are commonly available and appreciated, while two-bedroom units are much rarer or unavailable to some, which may be a constraint for couples or residents needing more space.
Dining and amenities: Dining receives generally favorable comments, with multiple reviewers praising the food quality and a named chef; communal dining rooms are described as enjoyable and social. Still, a few reviewers wanted hotter meals or more variety, noted a lack of gluten-free options, or described food as unsatisfactory. The campus offers a broad array of services on-site (hairdresser, physical therapy, podiatry, physician visits) and many social/therapeutic activities (painting classes, music programs, bingo, yoga, field trips). Transportation services — both for outings and medical appointments — are repeatedly called out as a major positive.
Administration, costs, and policies: There are mixed impressions on management and costs. Several reviews commend leadership, administrative responsiveness, and value for price (including some who say they would recommend the community). Conversely, a number of reviewers raise concerns about management inexperience, billing or administrative mistakes (including an incident where a resident’s glucometer went missing and family was charged for strips), and large rent increases in isolated reports. Medicaid is not accepted per several reviews, and the community primarily serves private-pay independent or assisted living residents; notably, this location is not positioned as a nursing/skilled-care facility.
Safety, care limitations, and special-needs concerns: Most reviewers describe residents as largely independent and active, but a subset call out gaps in care for residents with higher needs—especially dementia-specific activities or supervision. A few reviewers reported falls or moved out due to safety concerns. Medication timing (evening meds perceived as too early), coordination issues with outside medical providers, and occasional lapses in housekeeping have been raised as areas requiring attention.
Pattern summary and recommendations: In aggregate, Five Star Residences of Lafayette presents as a warm, activity-rich community with many strengths: caring staff, lively social programming, good dining, on-site services, and generally clean, updated common areas and apartments. These strengths make it a strong option for independent-living or assisted-living residents who value social engagement and convenience. Prospective residents and families should, however, ask specific questions about staffing consistency, policies for handling personal medical equipment and billing, medication management protocols, dementia-specific programming if relevant, and unit availability/size. It would also be prudent to probe recent turnover, how management handles complaints or charting errors, and any history of price increases. For families weighing this community, the overwhelmingly positive comments about staff and activities are encouraging, but the repeated isolated incidents of administrative errors, cleanliness lapses, and care coordination issues warrant careful review during a tour and pre-move discussions.
