Sunrise at North Hills

Harold

We toured Sunrise at North Hills. It's very, very nice. It has a lot of extras that a lot of places don't have. The staff were very nice and very helpful. The guy Grant was very helpful. He took us around and showed us exactly what they have. The rooms were very nice. They're spacious and larger than we think they would be. They separate the bedrooms from the seating areas, so I like that a lot. The activities seemed to be wonderful. We watched an exercise class for some of the residents when we got there. They have outings. They can take people to doctor's appointments on certain days. They have bingo. They have all kinds of things. There are great activities scheduled every day. They're like the ultimate place to feel comfortable in an assisted living situation. It's very clean. The staff is all friendly. Grant introduced us to some of the nurses and activities people there, so we got to see quite a few people there. It was very comfortable and very cozy.

Provider Response

James

Sunrise at North Hills was nice, and it's in line with what we're looking for. It was clean. They have a barber shop. The room was really nice and in tiptop shape. It would be roomy for one person. It had a refrigerator in it. They have a patio and a mini golf course. They have arts and crafts and different activities. They go out and visit different places.

Provider Response

Suzanne

I'm particularly looking at Sunrise at North Hills because of the layout, apartment size, and courtyard area, as well as the resident and staff ratio. I had looked at a one-bedroom and a den. The building was clean. I didn't get to visit a lot of the areas because unfortunately, they were on restriction. Two residents had COVID. The dining hall was very nice. They had a physical therapy room and a crafts room. No activities were going on when I was there.

Provider Response

Ashley

What we like about Sunrise at North Hills more than the other place was the private rooms. The rooms were a little bit bigger and a little bit better for my grandparents. However, we didn't like the common areas as much as we did the other place. For example, they had one library for the whole building. It was really just a room with a bookshelf and some books, and there was no table nor a chair. One common area had a table with no chairs and another common area would have a chair with no tables. It just seemed like a little bit of a disconnect in some ways in that regard. My grandmother likes to do crossword puzzles. We were looking specifically for areas that she could sit down with a crossword puzzle in the common areas, and we weren't really finding that. It was a little bit older and it has not been renovated recently, but overall, it looked good. The staff was very friendly. I really liked how the guy who gave us the tour, as we walked around and he was encountering residents, he was calling them by their names and they knew him. It seemed very personal and I liked that a lot. We saw three different rooms and each had a slightly different layout. The two-bedroom ones had a little kitchenette and a little common area. It was a fairly large room. It felt like a small apartment in a way, like you walk into a very large, sort of living room area, and it had two bedrooms on each corner of the room. We walked into another one with a kitchenette and a living room area. The living room was a little bit smaller, but it actually had a hallway with two bedrooms off of the hall, and I think the bathroom was off of that hall as well. They were very nice rooms. They had a menu for the day to order from. They also had certain things that could be ordered every day, like you could get a hamburger any day and hot dogs. They had options if you didn't want what's being served.

Clean Up

There is a nasty trash lying outside the garbage area with loose plywood, and junk on top of seeing the trash. How they care for the place is indicative of how your loved one is care for. Also they leave a back door open so anyone can come in. The exterior and interior looks unkept and dated and TRUST ME: that is an indication of how your loved ones are tended to - AVOID

Provider Response

April

Sunrise at North Hills is vibrant. It seemed like a newer facility and more homely. It felt comfortable. My mom is in the memory care area and I like that they involve her in activities with the assisted living, too. She's mobile, able to take care of herself, and have a conversation with you, so they allow her to have activities with them. She loves to help in the kitchen or to help sweep the floor or do whatever she likes, and I love the fact that they involve her and things like that to make her feel like she's one of the staff members instead of a resident, and that keeps her happy. When I go in, the staff speaks highly of her and she's always smiling and that makes me feel like she's getting good quality care. Just speaking to my mom, she said the food is incredible, too. So, you get a lot of great value out of it. The cost is just very high.

Provider Response

Sandra

My mom moved into Sunrise at North Hills. I do like that they have the Smile app, so you can see what activities and things your loved one is attending. I like that their environment was more like an apartment because it's a bedroom, living room, and bathroom. My mom felt like she was still having her own place, not just a bedroom that seems more like it's a hospital. It's very new, yet everyone has been extremely nice and helpful. One of the things, why we chose them, is they require all of their staff and all of their residents to be vaccinated; it was very important to us. I have no complaints; everything has been good (including the communication). The facility's very clean. My mother loves the food. Everything has been good. It's in great shape. It's not brand new, but it's very clean and very well maintained. They have a lot of activities, and that's why they have this app called Smile. You can go on the app and see what activities your loved one is participating in, and which I think is good. They watch that to see, well, what do they like and what they don't like? So I think that's very good. They have a lot of activities and they give the residents a paper every day with what the activities are and what time they are. They start from nine in the morning until five-thirty, so they have plenty of activities.

Julius

Sunrise at North Hills was excellent. It was the favorite one we visited. The least thing I liked was the price. What I liked the best was the facility. It was very clean and very nice. The employees seemed very interested. I enjoyed the place that well. They were the cleanest, seemed to be the most organized, and had the most activities. We just liked them better than the others. Their facilities were excellent. They were the best that I've seen so far. They had a courtyard and a salon. I did not see a gym, but they had plenty of activities, and plenty of indoor and outdoor space.

Susan

Sunrise at North Hills was a nice facility. The staff was friendly, and they had a dog out there (which was nice to me). I didn't see many people. I was there in the morning, so I didn't see anybody eating or anything like that. The grounds looked nice,, and they had places people could go out. I didn't see any activities. I saw the activity room and that was just kind of very plain looking. The outside in the back looked nice. They had garden areas and a place where people could go sit or walk.

Sandra

My mother is in Sunrise at North Hills. We really liked it. It was bright and sunny when we walked in, and it seemed to be full of activity, and like the lobby of a hotel. It just seemed really, really nice. We've been very pleased with the care. I'm pleased with the accommodations. They've worked with us because Mom had to move from assisted living into memory care. They have lots of fabulous activities to keep her busy. They've just been great. They gave us a lot of peace of mind. I speak with the supervisor of her unit a lot and I met a lot of the different caregivers. They give me a report on how Mom's doing, so they are aware of her schedule, or whether she's been eating normally, or sleeping good, or up in the middle of the night looking for me and my brother or my sister. They can tell you the details. I've eaten with her several times when she was in assisted living especially. I always enjoyed the food. They had a nice variety. The only thing Mom ever really complained about is that it wasn't Southern enough. The vegetables weren't cooked enough or it was something kind of a little out of her normal comfort zone because she's just a simple country North Carolina lady who's used to eating Southern food. I think overall she was always happy, but it wasn't her mama's cooking in other words. I don't think I ever had a concern about the upkeep and cleanliness of the place. The dining room, the activity room, the cafe, and the lobby area, everything always looks very nice, and they do a good job of keeping Mom's room straight, too. They have a hair salon, and she's gotten her hair done pretty much there ever since she moved in. We've always been pleased with how they do her hair. They do a good job. They had the activities and the entertainment and things that they bring in. Mom always enjoyed the music. They'd have people who came and sang or played the piano. She was always really interested in going down to see that. The reason I say it in past tense is because I haven't been over there in a year and been able to go inside. I've only seen her through the window since all this mess started. They had bingo and flower arranging. She loves the local church that comes in, and they do Bible study. It would be nice if there was more communication, and more assistance for the family, because my brother and my sister and I have learned an awful lot in that time period, and some of those things we learned the hard way. They don't really have any services for families in terms of a support group, or helping connect the different families together so that maybe we're all connected and can draw help from each other, because it's really hard to figure all this stuff out yourself. Specifically, it's hard to know how to handle your parent going into assisted living having Alzheimer's, and how that changes everything about their world and yours. Value for money is really good. because I know it is about the same amount as most places that provide that level of care and activities. They do a lot. They keep her safe, they feed her, they give her things to do, they handle her medical care, and they clean her. They do everything. I can't put a price on my mom, so it is definitely a good value.

north raleigh daughter

Please look elsewhere. The facility lacks leadership and compassion. The caregivers are not well trained, and the staff turnover is awful. The 'bulldogs' who answer the phone do not facilitate communication either. Despite a new director, this facility has huge systemic issues that need correction. It will take a major overhaul and restructure which is unlikely given current situation with pandemic. Sadly, I can not recommend this facility if you care about your loved one. They were a major cooperation who had funding to test their staff, but instead tested in reactionary fashion only. Shameful. Perhaps if we had been able to visit it would have been some better, but without family advocates who can physically enter the building your loved one will not be taken care of. Other facilities in the area used wisdom and compassion. They tested residents and staff weekly, and allowed one family member to be tested weekly and enter the building to provide essential support. They had ZERO outbreaks. Sunrise is all about the money, they could care-less about the care. Please look elsewhere.

Provider Response

B.R.

We visited Sunrise at North Hills and that was our first choice, but because of some of my mother-in-law's medical conditions they were unable to admit her. The reason for our choice was the size of the room. She could have gotten a one-bedroom unit, which was much closer to what she had at home. Sunrise is a terrific facility; they're first class. I've had follow up phone calls from Jaime who's the director of admissions there just to find out how my mother-in-law was doing, and that's pretty extraordinary. It's an urban setting, and depending on the room locations there are trees and some natural surroundings there that are pleasant. It's convenient, centrally located, it's an updated facility, and it's a multi-story building with elevators. However, if there's an emergency, the elevator situation is a drawback I would consider. You walk in the door, the people greet you in a friendly fashion, they have a nice living room area with a fireplace, they have an open area for all types of drinks, and the rooms are well kept. They have several dining areas and that was a nice add-on also.

Paul

My mother is in Sunrise at North Hills. It's been very good so far. The staff is very caring and the food is good. Her 1-room studio is nice and well kept. They have a lot of activities. The food is very good and healthy, and they have quite a bit to choose from. The dining room is very nice. They have different trips, a nice courtyard outside, and exercises.

Marcia

I loved the staff at Sunrise at North Hills. They were very nice. The nurse was a little snooty but the marketing director was excellent and lovely. Everything was above the first floor which Mother could not have done because she doesn’t ride elevators. The rooms were nice and a good size, but not for $7,000. You would need to be a very high level assisted or more of an independent living person to live there personally.

Jim

Sunrise at North Hills has been really good. The place is very nice, neat, and clean. The food is exceptional. The staff is professional, helpful, and caring. My mom is very pleased with all the activities that they have to offer.

Karen

Sunrise at North Hills was very nice and clean, and it looked well taken care of. I really liked it. The staff was nice and organized. They knew I was coming and they were ready when I arrived. I saw their residents doing activities.

nicolestoneback111

My mother lived at Sunrise at North Hills from October 2016-June 2017. Positive: Overall, it was a great place for her to live and reacclimate after a brain injury. The facility is beautiful, well-kept, and has a positive energy about it. They always have fresh flowers on display and the community Labrador, Tilly, always greets you at the door. They have therapy services on-site and an abundance of activities all day long. My mother was able to have her small dog and even take him to the activities. All of the staff have good intentions and are very friendly. They have difficult jobs and they do them with a smile on their faces. Suggestions for Improvement: The Med Techs and LPNs at Sunrise at North Hills are absolutely wonderful, but the facility would greatly benefit from having more RNs on hand. RNs possess the level of education necessary to assess and manage more complicated illnesses such as Type 1 Diabetes. The staff failed to recognize their improper use of insulin needles and my mother’s subsequent symptoms of Diabetic Ketoacidosis, a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of Diabetes. Fortunately, I am a nurse and live nearby, so I was able to recognize the severity of the situation and take her to the hospital, but that was the duty of the Sunrise staff. They eventually learned to manage her Diabetes and did so very well for many months afterwards, but the ordeal was stressful, expensive, and avoidable. Therefore, I would highly recommend Sunrise at North Hills for loved ones with easily manageable chronic illnesses, minor disabilities, or those in need of respite stays.

Anonymous600611

I am in Sunrise at North Hills. I like the people, and I like the food. Something that concerns me is the staff seems to be turned over pretty rapidly. They have some issue about occupancy. I do not think they are fully occupied. I wonder if my favorite people will go out and get another job. The place is very nice. It is clean, and it has no nursing home smell.

Provider Response

Angie435367

I visited Sunrise at North Hills. The staff was friendly. The room was spacious. There was a lot of light coming in through the windows, and I thought it was nice for the residents. The place seemed fine. It did not seem to be overcrowded. It was just right.

John P.735351

Sunrise at North Hills provides a high level of care, and the staff was fine and friendly. The rooms seemed fine, and it seemed like a pretty good place. They definitely provide a lot of care past the certified nursing assistance, so we like that.

Jim607123

Sunrise was a bigger facility. It was on the list of consideration, but the location didn’t work well with the family members. The rooms were comparable, and this was built by a separate company and then purchased by Sunrise. It had more to offer as far as service is concerned, but it was larger, and the distances my parents would need to travel would be a little bit more.

nytransplantAMCCR

I’ve been to Sunrise in Raleigh (Sunrise at North Hills). I love Sunrise. They had a beautiful dining room and very nice suites and studio apartments. They have arts and crafts room, a beautiful gathering area, and little theater. They had a lot of nice stuff and looked like they had a very impressive physical therapy room. I thought they had the best ratio of nursing care to patients.

Julie105783550

Our experience with Sunrise at North Hills is very positive. The rooms are nice and well maintained. My father goes to the dining room, and the food is good, although the challenge is that he does not want to eat many different things. They have a good activity schedule and took him on a couple of outings. It's conveniently located, and the staff response to the call bell is very quick.

Anonymous115507150

My mother is at Sunrise at North Hills. I like the ratio of the staff to the residents. I also like their programs. They have baking class, they have volunteers that come in and play piano, and they have little activities, like bowling. The rooms are very sufficient. The staff is very kind.

Barbara110584350

Sunrise at North Hills was one of the assisted living communities that I liked. I also liked their philosophy about memory care, and how they were setup. It was surprisingly large. The rooms were very nice. The maintenance was fine. It was a newer facility. They had activities like chair yoga, games, and movies available for the residents.

Linda107192950

I also liked Sunrise at North Hills. It was very attractive. I found the staff very responsive and the activities adequate. I thought the rooms were well appointed. They looked nice. The staff was very great. They were very accommodating and friendly.

Robert107285650

I had a very positive impression of Sunrise at North Hills. I brought my mother there, and we were both very impressed with the place. It seemed pretty nice. They were doing some arts and crafts with the residents, and I saw them doing physical therapy. I thought it was all good. The food was very good. It seemed very well kept.

Jeff34

Sunrise’s staff is very helpful and professional, and they are there when we need them. The apartments are very nice; you can put your own shelves up there however you want it. My parents enjoyed a lot of their meals, and if you don’t like the ones they serve, then you can choose anything you want. It is a little apartment community. They have a whole bunch of activities for seniors all day long; every two hours they have different activities. What I like the most is how helpful they are to the people staying there and to their families. Security is good.

Caring97559750

Sunrise at North Hills was larger, it had a lot of activities, and everybody seemed very involved. There was a separate wing for the assisted living versus the people with memory care issues. The rooms were not as nice; they were choppy. If you wanted a two-bedroom, it was actually more like a one-bedroom cut in half. They had a lot of activities and a lot of stuff that they encourage the family to come to. They had a really nice exterior area for the memory care and for the assisted living. There were two separate areas for them to walk around. Their menu looked fine; it was adequate. The staff seemed very friendly, and the memory care was OK. I liked it.

Loving, Caring & Concerned

The staff was very nice. The building was clean and pleasantly decorated. The only complaints I could find have to do with the meals and lack of activities/opportunities to go out. I did have a meal with the resident and if that was an indication of all the meals, there is a problem. I'm far from a picky eater, but the food was bland, luke warm and unappealing. Also, we were made to come to the front part of the dining room near the kitchen and bus bins, when the middle dining room was much nicer. I didn't understand that. I think meals should be a great experience for the residents. For some, it's their only real time for socializing and it's three times a day. I would like to add, the servers were very friendly when I was there and the resident like the staff very much. As for the outings, the resident said there were only two a week, and one was shopping. Having a resident feel they can go out more, and not feel confined, is so important for their emotional and physical well-being. Most residents have lost their driver's licenses and much of their independence. Sadly some don't have family visiting, so any chance to go out is a treat and a highlight. Those were the only complaints I heard about, and thankfully, they can be easily remedied by management. All in all, I would recommend Sunrise, North Hills if I had a family member needing assisted living. (I wouldn't mind living there myself if the meals were better!)

Provider Response

Shelley7

We really liked everything about Sunrise at North Hill: the different rooms that were available, the different types of setups, and the activities that they had. It was a much larger community than what we were looking for. The staff was great. We liked the dining room, but didn't try the food. It was very secure.