Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed, with a strong pattern of high marks for the property, amenities, and many individual staff members, combined with recurring and significant concerns about management, dining services, clinical care quality, safety, and transparency. A number of reviewers are enthusiastic about the campus environment, describing Buckingham's Choice as beautiful, rural yet conveniently located near the city, and exceptionally well maintained. Multiple reviewers praise the grounds, landscaping, immaculate cottages, bright rooms, and a variety of housing options (cottages, bungalows, apartments). The physical amenities are repeatedly noted as a strength: a gym, indoor pool, lake access, salon, chapel, arts-and-crafts studio, and other on-site conveniences such as a coffee shop and bank. Activities are plentiful and varied, with bingo, exercise classes, guest speakers, and organized outings receiving positive mentions. For many families the community reduces caregiver stress and provides a supportive social environment.
Staff and care receive mixed but nuanced feedback. Numerous reviewers emphasize friendly, caring, and attentive staff who know residents by name and provide a nurturing environment; nurses and some caregivers are described as responsive and personable. These accounts suggest that day-to-day interactions can be very positive, and several reviews highlight how staff accommodation and responsiveness enabled independent living or satisfied family expectations. At the same time, there are persistent reports of decline after management changes: understaffing, poorer communication, and a perception that core values such as integrity and follow-through have eroded in some cases. Several reviewers directly describe lack of communication, staff who did not listen, and billing or administrative frustrations. Notably, some reviewers describe serious clinical and safety concerns — a groping incident involving a dementia patient, a room-entry barrier that failed, and patients entering rooms despite safeguards — which raise red flags around supervision, dementia care protocols, and physical security.
Dining and food service show a clear divergence over time in the reviews. Historically the dining program receives high praise: excellent presentation, tasty meals, chef interaction, and fresh produce. However, a sizable and recurring cluster of reviews reports a pronounced decline in food quality, reduced portions, carbohydrate-heavy or protein-deficient meals, and an overall shift toward what reviewers describe as cheap cafeteria food. Complaints extend beyond taste to management issues within the dining service — rude restaurant staff, broken reservation systems, promises not fulfilled, and poor follow-up from regional management. Several reviewers go so far as to report that the change in dining has affected residents’ health, and they strongly advise prospective residents to sample meals. This pattern suggests an operational problem affecting a core resident experience that has worsened for multiple families.
Clinical services and rehabilitation are also inconsistent in the reviews. Some reviewers describe attentive, capable nursing and responsive care, while others report rushed rehabilitation, incomplete or poor physical therapy, and staff lacking skill in managing chronic pain. There are also specific structural and environmental problems noted that impact comfort and safety: examples include HVAC installation problems leading to sweltering apartments (one cited at 82°F), dirty linens or wet beds in isolated reports, and concerns about downgraded or insufficient security staffing. Several reviewers stress that the upstairs units are nicer and brighter while some downstairs dementia or nursing areas are described as dark, locked away, and depressing — contributing to loneliness among more impaired residents.
Management, transparency, and financial issues are recurring themes. Positive comments about reasonable monthly costs and flexible, pay-as-used care models coexist with strong complaints about a high upfront entrance fee (one report of over $250,000), lack of price transparency, perceived price gouging, and poor responsiveness on estate and beneficiary matters. One reviewer described an estate dispute and delayed payouts, raising concerns about administrative competence or worse. Multiple respondents explicitly link a decline in service quality to a change in management, noting that previously praised aspects (food, responsiveness, staffing) have deteriorated under new leadership. These managerial and financial red flags suggest prospective residents and families should scrutinize contract terms, entrance fee/refund policies, and the community’s responsiveness around money and estates.
Patterns and recommendations: The strongest consistent positives are the campus, housing variety, amenities, and many individual staff who are caring and personable. The strongest consistent negatives center on operational and management failures (particularly dining and administrative responsiveness), inconsistent clinical care (rehab and chronic pain management), safety concerns for residents with cognitive impairment, and a lack of transparency about costs. Taken together, the reviews paint the picture of a community that can offer an excellent lifestyle experience in terms of facilities and social programming, but one where important service elements have become unreliable for a meaningful subset of residents. Prospective residents should (1) tour multiple times including evenings and lower-level care areas, (2) sample meals several times and speak directly to dining management about recent changes, (3) ask pointed questions about staffing levels, supervision and dementia protocols, (4) verify HVAC and unit temperature controls, (5) request details on entrance fees, monthly charges, billing practices, and estate/exit procedures in writing, and (6) seek recent references from current families to confirm whether management change effects have stabilized or continue to affect care. In summary, Buckingham's Choice offers many desirable physical and social attributes and a number of very positive personal experiences, but the reviews also identify serious operational and safety concerns that warrant careful due diligence before a commitment.
