Our family member started out eight years ago in another facility, and after a few months there, we moved her to MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care of Littleton. That move made a world of difference, and MorningStar was such a better facility. She stayed at MorningStar until she just recently passed. The staff at MorningStar is incredible. If possible, I would give them "Six Stars" on a Five Star scale. And as a whole, I was very satisfied with the entire facility. But there were a few issues over the years which I think I should mention.

First, are the laundry facilities. I think they are grossly inadequate for a complex this size. There is a routine where clothing and bedding are placed into a basket, and a notation made of all the items that went in. Yet, sometimes items would be sent to the wrong room, or misplaced. Granted, my family member was the sort of eccentric person who only wore a set of pants, for example, one day - before placing them in the laundry. But the situation developed to the point where myself and other family members would often take her items home to launder them, to avoid these kind of issues. I do not blame the staff for this, because the caregivers were doing the best they could. But I know this same situation occurred on other floors, also. More washing machines and dryers would probably help.

Another issue concerned the wifi access. My family member was in a corner room, and there are aluminum studs in the walls, so I understand the physical and technical aspects and limitations of making good wireless connections. But, I think the wireless technical support staff should have been consulted. We ended up installing a wifi booster ourselves to provide some more stable access, but the results were still spotty. This is not a minor issue. She wore an "alert button", which she could press if she fell, or had some other kind of emergency. But without a wifi connection, the button was useless.

Also, when my family member was in hospice, and in her final days, we had some advance notice of that fact, approximately four days or so. The monetary policy at MorningStar was that if a resident's room was unoccupied, a charge of $181 would apply each day until all furniture and belongings were removed. I certainly understand the concept of "opportunity cost", but during these final days, there were four unoccupied rooms on the floor. The facility suffered no lost revenue because furniture and belongings were left there in that room. Perhaps, "mercenary" is too strong a word to describe it, but we paid thousands of dollars per month for nearly eight years, and I think it a bit unfeeling, at the least, to charge such a fee at an already stressful time.

Finally, each year we attended a "Wellness Conference", and each year our yearly rate would increase between $4000 to $5000 per year. The last month our family member was there, we paid around $7,700. I wish that MorningStar could take some portion of these routine increases and pass it along to the staff. Perhaps if they did, some of the turnover rates would decline, and it would be easier to retain good people.

In summary, I do not mean these comments in any way to "knock" MorningStar. It was a great place, and a great facility filled with compassionate and caring people. And, no place is perfect, or does everything flawlessly, particularly when you consider the environment in which MorningStar operates. I hope that these comments will prove helpful in making MorningStar an even better place. That is all I intend by them, and I truly wish MorningStar the best!