MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge

Amelia

My first impression of MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge was overall good. This is the first place that we looked at, so we were surprised at how many people were actively moving about and being independent. It just seemed like a pretty vibrant community. We had two people during the tour, so they were both good. The food looked good, but we didn't try any. They had different classes that they could do, like exercise classes, card games, games that they would play, movie nights, and bingo. It seemed like they had lots of different things.

Provider Response

Shawn

My parents moved into MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge. The price was right. The facility was clean. I like the staff. The staff members are very helpful and accommodating. My parents have complained about the food. The quality of the food isn't very good. They have several different areas within their building where they can enjoy themselves. They have a salon, a gym, a pool, a spa, a restaurant, a library, a café, and a recreation center area. They were within our budget, but I felt like they were a little more expensive than other places.

Provider Response

Reviewer0513231

My sister is a resident of MorningStar at Golden Ridge. I like that it's newer, and that makes a big difference. It's clean, up-to-date, and just feels homey. It's more what she's accustomed to. People are very accommodating, and everyone seems very nice, and I appreciate that. You can get breakfast free, and then lunch if she wants. Even though she's independent living, she's taken care of. They have fairly basic food. I have no complaints about it. They have to accommodate everybody so it's very lightly seasoned. Because we are ethnic, we are more accustomed to a more heavily seasoned palate. But it's fine. They have a swimming pool where they do aerobics and such in the water. There are crafts, painting, an exercise room, and various other activities that they offer. The people that you would initially meet who would take you around and show you everything, I'd give them five. However, there is a little bit more of a lag when like, say, trying to get a TV turned on. It took four or five days before it was done. They sent someone once who couldn't take care of it, and then there's the weekend. My sister still had to go back in a couple of times and ask them to turn it on, so in that respect, I would give them a four for staff. Maybe they were short on staff. What I like is they have casitas that are separate from the main building for their independent living. Not everyone wants to move into the big block with long corridors, and an apartment kind of living. So, these casitas, I think, are ideal. They call them quadruplexes.

Provider Response

Terifive

My father in law has been a resident for the past year. The individuals who care have increased his quality of life exponentially. He has a wonderful relationship with the staff, Nicole (director of nursing) and Carrie (director of the home) are both amazing women who care deeply for their residents. We have found great comfort having my father in law reside closer to us and knowing that he is having his needs met. They are still experiencing some covid/employment issues (aren't we all) but I would absolutely recommend this establishment for your family member.

Randy

My mom has moved into MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge. We chose it because of the location and the price considering the amenities. We were primarily looking at just the room for my mother. They've got lots of activities, but they aren't significantly different from the others. The main reason we chose this is because of the location and the room. She has a studio room, with a bathroom, a washer-dryer, refrigerator, and sink. The food is very good, but the wait time can be long. In terms of activities, my mom's gone to church and to an exercise class. It's not perfect, so that's why I gave it a four.

ReviewerFC011823A

I liked MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge. That was honestly the one that I would have preferred to have my dad at, but my stepmother lives in Gilbert, and she wanted my dad closer to her. They did independent all the way through memory care, but I was looking at memory care. They did exercise and arts and crafts, they said they had music come in once a week, and they had "no cooking" cooking class. They had a very big foyer, a big dining area, and an outdoor area that was enclosed for memory care, so they could still go out, but it was still secured. The staff members were all really friendly. What I liked about that place was its philosophy was mingling the different levels of care. In a lot of places I went to, the memory care people just stay in that one unit and they couldn't go anywhere else. Whereas at MorningStar, they mix them, so all of the activities there were for independent living all the way through memory care. There was a lot more interaction happening. They were telling how the independent people living there would help the people in memory care do whatever the activity is. This is all that they told me. My dad did not end up going there, so I don't know how it played out in real life, but I liked that idea, especially with my dad. He's just barely at the start of memory care need. I liked the idea of him getting to be more socially interactive with others because that would help him with his cognition, just having that socialization happening. I like that the activities they plan were for everybody and they would take the people from memory care out, so they weren't just always locked away. I also like that if my stepmom had chosen to, she could stay with him in the memory care area, but still be independent. She could come and go as she wanted because in most of the places if they were in memory care, they couldn't have someone living with them. I liked that they could have stayed together at that place. They were the only place that I went to that had those options.

Provider Response

Charles

MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge was a nice facility. It's very open and very clean. The dining room was closer to the front door and they had a couple of outdoor patio areas. The lady was very informative. She gave us plenty of information. We had a chance to see all the rooms, the different activity areas, how the rooms looked like, and also different places where the memory care residents can just relax and recline. They have movie nights, scrabble nights, play cards, and pool tables. The building was clean and well-lit.

Provider Response

Clarke

We moved into MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge 4 months ago. When you marry independent living with assisted living and memory care, you lose a lot of the flexibility that you would like to have. The activities director has left, and they have not hired another person. My wife misses the activities. She likes to play cards. She likes to exercise and dance. The meals are included, but we only get one meal a day, plus a continental breakfast in the morning, and that's it. We either have lunch or dinner, but we don't get both. We just came back from lunch and the chef may be trying, but I don't think the food tasted very good today. We had chili today and some kind of a sandwich. They give you a weekly listing of the meals by the day. Sometimes they're OK, and sometimes they're not. But I think for what we're paying, we should get much better meals. I don't think that they are very good at managing. I don't like the fact that although they have a car that will take you to the doctor or the bank, it's only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We've got people in assisted living who just monopolize the use of the vehicle. I just always felt that the independent living people here are kind of like second-class citizens.

Provider Response

Maria

My mother is in MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge. The amenities were great, the physical therapy, the heated pool, and the extras that the staff was willing to do for her. The staff was very personable, very nice, and outgoing. They seem very genuinely concerned for her well being. I liked that a lot. There are activities all day, every day. Not only does the staff keep her engaged, but the other residents as well. They have what they call ambassadors that make sure they make it to her apartment to say, "Hey, we're all doing this, do you want to come along?" It's doing great. The kitchen is nice and clean. The food is really good and tasty, it just needs a little more variety.

Audrey

We were at MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge. It was very nice, but it was way too far out from where we wanted to be. It was a lovely place. The location was the only thing. The person who showed it to us was wonderful. We were very impressed with it. The appearance was very good. It was very impressive. The rooms were really beautiful. The staff who assisted us was excellent. She showed every single detail. She didn't just run it past or something. She had taken us through and pointed out the highlights. She was very enthusiastic about it, and she had a good reason to be because it was a lovely place. The dining area looked fine. We didn't have food. We saw the menu, and it looked good. They had quite a few activities, I noticed. They had a movie once a week in one of the rooms and they had parties. That part of it was very good, too. There wasn't anything I could say bad about it.

Larry

We toured MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge. We've looked at some of the perks and things that they give you, and that's why we chose them. We liked them, and they had a lot of the features that we liked. I liked that they have a garage, a lot of storage, and washers and dryers right in the facility. The garage was attached. We like the layout of the home, two bedrooms, and two baths. So basically, the layout of the casitas, we like those. The staff were great. They were friendly and helpful. There was another casita we wanted to see, but it wasn't available. We liked the one we saw anyway. We didn't try the food, but they gave us a great snack because it was right about the time we were hungry. They made that up special just for us. We didn't have any regular meals. They have a library, too.

Provider Response

Patricia

My father is in MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge. I have absolutely good things to say about them. Experience is outstanding. They were immediate in contacting me. I was welcomed and had a tour. They answered all of my questions. There was a vacancy, so my dad was able to move in quickly. They were very friendly. They were just outstanding: everyone. One of the things I really like is that they called me immediately. They were the first facility to call. MorningStar called me. I had a live voice, a live body to speak with. I met with them quickly. He has moved in, and he loves it. He absolutely loves it there. They have a variety for breakfast, lunch, and dinners. There are sandwiches and hot food. You can have breakfast (all day breakfast), lunch, or dinner. They always have a soup of the day.They generally have some sort of fish or seafood on Fridays. They have your menu for the entire month. They usually have a special every day. I have to see my dad twice a day. H's diabetic, so I'm there with him. I see the menu. There is a huge, huge variety. It's not the same thing every day. The meals that are supposed to be hot are hot. There's chicken, beef, pork, and one day they had meatloaf. My goodness, I haven't seen meat for a long time that was very well seasoned. It is not overseasoned. Because he's diabetic, I always ask him what he's had to eat that day, and he selects different varieties of things. It's just unbelievable. It's like going to a restaurant with what they do and what they have. The environment is so nice and clean. It's just wonderful. They have different activities. They had a Valentine's Day party with decorations. They have a heated pool with a spa. They have exercise classes. They have a salon for men and women for hair and nails. There's a little group of men that meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They invited my dad and they sit around and chit chat. My dad just moved in, and they invited him. Everybody is so friendly. "Oh, you're new, what's your name?" It's beautiful, brand new, and gorgeous. It's clean. It's marvelous.

Joanie

I've visited MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge, it looks like the Ritz-Carlton. If it wasn't a 28-mile round trip, we would have probably considered it. I like the openness, it deals not just with memory care but with assisted living. It's got a very welcoming entry, lobby, and activity area. It looks extremely clean, and they've already asked me to participate as an entertainer in their happy hour, because they know that's what I do. The memory care section was separate from assisted living, and it was kind of unappealing to me because they're separated from assisted living. The setting itself looked pleasant, but if you consider the residents, then it was just kind of depressing. They were playing bingo during our visit, and it was so nicely organized. It seemed everyone was enjoying their part and playing. The general location when coming in, and the assisted living was just very lovely. It was the first time I saw memory care residents that were locked away, because they had separate areas, and it seemed very forlorn. But it doesn't mean that it wasn't built to look bright and welcoming, it's just that during my visit and seeing the rooms there, it seemed kind of dismal. I talked to residents that were there and they were really happy.

Barbara

We like MorningStar Senior Living at Golden Ridge because it's a gated community. They have casitas with garages and it's not overly large. Their casitas are laid out well. The staff members were all wonderful. The casitas were like one-level townhouses. They have all your normal activities like cards, movies, and offsite places that they go to. Of course, they have a pool and aerobics. They have a nice gym. They have everything you need.

A reviewer

My brother is in MorningStar at Golden Ridge. It is brand new. The casitas are large, and the rooms are large. The decor is very modern. They have weight rooms, a bistro where you can get snacks, a library, a heated swimming pool, and garages connected directly to your casita. The food is very good, and they're very responsive to special requests. The staff is very nice, very friendly, very helpful, and responsive. We went to their margarita party. A lot of the residents are new to The Valley, so they took them around on a bus trip to places like the football stadium in downtown Phoenix. I've seen them play cards. It's a very nice facility.