Morningstar Assisted Living at Laurelhurst

We recently used the fifth floor club room for my aunt’s birthday party and it was such a great experience. The space is really nice and worked perfectly for our group. There’s a pool table and other games, so everyone had something to do and it didn’t feel stiff or boring at all. The life enrichment team and concierge were super accommodating and helped us with everything we needed to make it go smoothly. It ended up being a really fun day, and we were all impressed with how easy they made it.

My grandma lives in memory care here and we’ve had a great experience so far. The staff is kind, patient, and really good with her. One thing she always talks about is how good the food is, she genuinely enjoys her meals, which means a lot to us. It’s nice knowing she’s well cared for and happy where she is.

Our loved one lives in the memory care community here, and we truly couldn’t be happier with the care she receives. The staff is patient, kind, and genuinely attentive, which gives our family so much peace of mind. She absolutely loves the activities and staying engaged throughout the day. It’s been wonderful to see her involved, happy, and comfortable in her environment. The team does an amazing job creating a welcoming, supportive atmosphere that really feels like home.

My husband and I recently toured this community and had such a wonderful experience. The staff was incredibly kind, welcoming, and took the time to answer all of our questions without making us feel rushed or pressured. The community itself was clean, comfortable, and had a very warm, home-like atmosphere. While we’re not quite ready to make the move just yet, this is absolutely a place we’ll be keeping in mind for the future. We truly appreciated how welcoming everyone was and how thoughtfully everything was presented.

My mom and dad came to Morningstar Laurelhurst in June of 2024. Dad aspirated (as the doctor had predicted) and passed away 7 days into his stay there. While we don’t blame staff for this, I wish we had more indication than a call asking if the care team could administer morphine to help him calm his anxiety, an HOUR before he passed away. While I’m sure the severity of the situation cannot be predicted, a call asking we approve his medication to, “your dad just passed away,” was pretty shocking. It seemed the people in charge at that point didn’t stay at Morningstar long after dad passed. Makes me question his care plan. During the vetting process of different facilities we were exploring putting our parents into, Morningstar assured us that they could handle care for every stage of my parent’s life. I’m not so sure that is the case. Let me make this abundantly clear, the staff here at Morningstar, with little exception (but there is exception), is EXCELLENT. They have always seemed caring and compassionate with both parents, but there is a REAL ADMINISTRATION PROBLEM here. With so much turnover, there is clearly an over-worked and underpaid workforce here, not something you’d expect from a facility that you pay about $14,000/month to care for your loved ones. By my estimate, there is at least 125 residents, paying a CONSERVATIVE $12,000/unit, grossing Morningstar (CONSERVAITIVELY) $18 million a year. Why on God’s green earth would this facility be so understaffed? (See overworked and underpaid section). Now that our parent’s estate is paying for a higher level of care for my mom in hospice (Morningstar staff no longer has to bathe her), there is supposed to be a check in every 2 hours on each shift. That has certainly not happened, and my mom has been picked up off the floor no less than 3 times, I shudder thinking how long she lay on the floor before her accident was discovered. The 2nd to last time she fell, is when she got stitches and subsequently got designated as a hospice candidate. As I was crafting this, an employee just checked in on her and said, “I’m always checking in on her, every two hours.” Maybe my last email communication worked! The bigger issue is that this facility is so understaffed that staff response is a LOT slower than we were led to believe. We were told that after a resident hit the emergency button, Morningstar staff would respond within 10 minutes. In the latest episode, it took 20 minutes for staff to respond and the short window to address the “emergency” had already passed. This of course opens up the greater possibility of a UTI, further compromising the last days of my mom’s life. Now that she’s in hospice, and having difficulty consuming meals, her meals are supposed to be cut up into tiny bites to deter the possibility of aspiration. That is inconsistent as well (as I have documented). Communication has been fairly good, unlike some of the other reviews I have read and the facility is clean, they seem to have meaningful activities for residents to engage in (one of the reasons we chose Morningstar, but unfortunately my mom and her dementia didn’t enable her to take advantage of any of these activities) and the kitchen does produce good food. But at this time, I certainly can NOT recommend Morningstar to folks that need a higher level of care, the very reason we chose Morningstar in the first place. I’m not the guy that says if zero stars was an option, I’d use it, but one star does seem appropriate for us under met expectations. Update: My mom has since passed away, again, the staff have been exceptional in their caring and compassion, but GROSSLY understaffed, leading to gaps in care for those that may need it most.