Sunrise at Countryside

I toured this community while looking into care options for a loved one. The facility was well kept and clean, and all of the staff I met seemed friendly and professional, although it was one of the more expensive options we looked at. We ended up selecting another community, but this is somewhere I would have considered as an option for my loved one.

We chose Sunrise Countryside for our loved one due to 1. immediate placement 2. proximity to family 3. Said they could provide service all the way through hospice 4. Staff seemed very friendly and residents appeared active, mingling in common areas, resident room doors were open and there was a sense of vitality. What we didn't know was that this particular location does not have Director or Head of Nursing; both positions are being covered by other staff until filled. This has contributed to poor communication between all parties...family, nursing staff, aides, etc. Our loved one has Kaiser insurance. We were told there would be no problem. our loved one gets prescriptions through Kaiser or free from the VA. We signed up for rhe medication management plan at Sunrise and handed over all the prescriptions at check in. The acting head of nursing told us that they would not handle any of the refills since we would not be using Sunrise's pharmacy. She said family is responsible for knowing when refills are required, we have to deliver them in person to Sunrise, they would not accept any RX delivered from the VA or Kaiser by mail, and all prescriptions have to be "repackaged" by Sunrise pharmacy at the resident's expense. None of this was explained to us beforehand, and we learned that medication management only means they will give the medicine to the resident as prescribed. Our loved one said the food is ok, not great. The buildings and grounds are nice. The aides seem attentive but I was disappointed when our loved one developed a skin problem and no staff reported it.

My Mother has lived here in Independent Living for over 3 years. There have been 3 Directors and a considerable amount of time without a full time Director. There are some very dedicated employees there who care but I don't think the Management is connected to what makes a difference to residents. New wallpaper and a bistro are not high on residents lists. The furniture is nice, but it is obvious the decorator isn't connected to what Seniors need. The chairs are large and overstuffed and many residents do no want to sit on them for fear they can't get up. The food preparation is generally poor and does not get good reviews by residents. This facility needs a pro-active Director who will get to the know the residents and make sure the dedicated caregivers are appreciated. There also need to be quality control of the food served to ensure that preparation and presentation are improved. Examples: onion soup should have onions, banana pudding should have bananas, chicken & dumplings should have dumplings, food should be tasted to ensure preparation and taste are as should be expected. The activities room at this facility is small and inadequate to have a larger range of activities for more diversity. This location is an anomaly in the Sunrise facilities in that the Independent Living side allows for assistance in activities of daily living (ADLs) which allows residents to remain in an apartment and receive help versus transitioning to Assisted Living too soon. This is the main advantage of this facility.

I think they do a great job overall at Sunrise at Countryside. They really put a lot of effort into making sure my loved one felt comfortable and at home when she moved in. The staff are all very friendly, and the facility itself is well kept and clean.

I think they do a good job at Sunrise of Countryside. The caregivers are friendly and professional, and the quality of care that they offer the residents is very good. The facility itself is well kept and clean, and they have a lot to offer their residents.

I have visited several Assisted Living places and have found this Sunrise at Countryside to be absolutely the best. The few concerns that I've had have all been addressed and resolved to my satisfaction. My father has resided at Sunrise for a year and a half and I am so happy with everything about the place. The new Executive Director has set high standards for the entire facility; consequently, services and morale have improved. The caregivers and med techs are outstanding and treat my dad with dignity and love! And I visit almost every day, so I observe everything!!!

It’s small, but intimate, really good for people with memory problems so they don’t get lost. Almost all the staff knows all the residents. She eats the food and she’s very picky, so that’s a good thing. It’s a perfect choice for persons with early Parkinson’s or dementia.

Overall our experience here was good. The staff were all very friendly and caring, and the location of the facility was very convenient for us. It was, however, very expensive, and for as much as it cost I think the quality of the rooms could have been much nicer. The carpet when we moved in was not in a good state of repair, and we had it replaced at our own expense.

Very nice independent living. This is the first place I visited. Major deal breaker is that internet would be dial-up in living quarters and that is unacceptable. Major plus was balcony off living room of apartment.

Toured Sunrise 4/24/14. The common areas are beautiful. Staff checks in with residents who have not appeared by 11 am. The monthly rates are very steep, and only 1 meal per day is included. There is a $25 surcharge per trip for travel (to doctor's appointments, etc). While the decorating is lovely, the apartments have very angular kitchen areas with a narrow passage into the living/dining area. One (aging) laundry room on second floor, and other on third floor with restricted hours. No laundry on first floor. Dining is all fresh not frozen, menu each day, dinner served at 5 pm or 6pm, but only 1 meal included (either lunch or dinner). 3 meal plan available but I didn't ask how much more that costs.

The Independent Living side is the focus here. My mother was a resident in Independent Living for a while and enjoyed it a lot. The staff is generally pleasant. The Assisted Living side seems dreadful. They just seem to be sitting around there without much to do. There is not enough space for them to plan many activities, and they pack the place, so it's a full money making house. The residents on the Independent side live in fear that they might end up there. Overhearing comments from the residents on the Independent side, such as, "I hope I don't end up over there" was quite common. They would be best as a fully Independent Living facility, which is what they do best.

I really like it! She says the food is awful. They were just bought out by another company, so there is a lot of transitioning going on. Independent living seems to be much nicer and there is much more to do, than the assited living side. I like the nurse, and she likes the nurse too.

Assisted living ok, but not great. Staff very friendly.

My dad was in independent living and at meal times, everyone sat at a table, they each had their own menus and servers would ask them what they wanted to eat, it seemed more people oriented and I would eat here. My father would sometimes need to get redirected and this facility was smaller so when he would go down the elevator the people at the front desk could redirect him. The administrators were the main reason we moved him, that, and the fact they didn't have a handicapped shower. I'm about 5'7, people would call me thin, and I would stand in the shower my father would use and I felt the walls were too close. It's about 20 years old and they're bene renovating lots of that building, so it's just old. I would describe the director that left there as a sourpuss, the women at the front desk, except for one of them, were in the same shoes, just sour. There were 3 interim directors and the time my dad was there, not that they were bad, but when we left there, nobody said goodbye, nobody told me where to turn in the keys or what would happen with billing, I had to go and ask, the residents were not told my dad left and many of them were upset. They replaced nurses on the assisted and independent living side, they replaced one of the activities directors, and when I left there they didn't have a chef; so there was all this change in personel which made the whole running of the place inconsistent. What they should have done is change out the concierge first thing.

Value? I wouldn't know if i'd go there if I were you, it's a lot of money per month, 5,500 dollars per month, so a lot of money but the care was pretty good, I'm not disatisfied. We chose it because it was the least expensive, it was convinient and that was that. He would sit by himself in his room and had issues, he didn't want to be there, it wasn't a pleasant experience for him. The problem was he was the only blind patient there and I don't think they had a lot of experience dealing with that but they did the best they could.

The building is gorgeous, the staff is warm and friendly when you visit, but don't let that fool you. The rooms on the AL side are very small, the floors are dirty, the staff ignores you, and the food is monotonous and awful. The case managers are disorganized. Expect at least a 30 min response time when you call for a care giver. The carpet is stained and rarely gets vacuumed let alone cleaned of stains. If your loved one falls out of bed, expect a phone call and that's it!! No bed rails are allowed but you have to fight to get any other safety options such as a pad on the floor to break a fall or a bed alarm. Then it will have to be ordered and your expense.

Studio is really small. One bedroom to expensive.

Building a bit older. Rooms smaller. Less light. Dinner area nice. Asst. living next door is nice. Some church services on site. have doctor who does weekly visits.

Director was fantastic!

It is convient to the house. Liked both the studio and the one bedroom options. Would want to convert the tub to a walk in shower with a stool in it. Liked the dining room and the staff was friendly.