My father lived at Emerald Glen Memory Care Plus from April to August 2025. The experience was overwhelmingly negative and I hope sharing this will help other families avoid what we went through.
At first glance, the facility is beautiful. Upscale decor, spotless halls, and a grand entrance. It looks like a luxury resort. But behind the polished appearance is a facility that is understaffed, undertrained, and unequipped to handle true memory care. The use of the term Memory Care Plus is false advertising. There is no specialized training, no consistent structure, and no appropriate staffing for residents with dementia.
My dad has dementia and needed patient and consistent support. While there were two or three genuinely compassionate caregivers, most of the staff lacked basic memory care training. They were rushed, disconnected, and focused on completing tasks quickly. If my dad didn’t comply right away, they would simply move on to the next resident. They did not have the time or resources to build trust or problem solve.
Activities were rarely offered, and when the home manager was fired just a couple months after we moved in, the entire structure fell apart. My dad needed help using the bathroom, but instead of working with him, they put him in diapers. This led to recurring urinary tract infections—something he had never experienced before living here. He was often left sitting in waste, and no one took time to assist him. On one occasion, he was found on the floor after being left there for a prolonged period of time. We had a camera in his room so thankfully could see the neglect.
We ended up hiring a private caregiver just to make sure his basic needs were met. With that, we were paying close to $10,000 dollars a month, and still the facility staff could not manage his care. He was being overmedicated throughout the day, not for medical reasons, but to make him more manageable. He was seen as too needy, and sedation became their solution.
Eventually, Emerald Glen evicted him, claiming he pulled his arm away from a caregiver. For someone with dementia, this is a common and understandable reaction. Instead of adjusting their approach, they removed him. After this, we interviewed several other facilities. A few of them were already aware of Emerald Glen’s reputation. We were told that the owners have a pattern of cutting corners and moving out residents who require more time or do not generate enough revenue.
If your loved one cannot be safely left alone, this is not the right place. My dad could not get to the bathroom by himself, and they were not able to assist him as needed. He became disoriented, confused about where to go, and they made little effort to work through it other than diapers and placing a bucket in the corner of his room. This is for a man with dementia and very high fall risk.
He is now in a small, home based care setting and the difference is incredible. He has had no UTIs, no accidents, and is treated with respect, patience, and consistency. The caregivers take him to the bathroom, speak with kindness, and support him fully. The standard of care is dramatically better. It’s fascinating to me that the new caregivers at his new place were able to get him to bathe and use the bathroom from day one. The difference is they were able to put in the time to communicate and work with him. Emerald Glen always said he was difficult to work with so it’s interesting to see the other side of it when it is done professionally and with care.
Because of the severity of our experience, I filed an official complaint with the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services. Families deserve to know what is really happening behind the clean surfaces and attractive design.
Please consider smaller home based care settings. They offer the kind of real, compassionate support that Emerald Glen simply does not provide.
Delia Villarreal
-
September 18, 2025
Placing my husband at Emerald Glen was one of the hardest transitions of my life. It was the first time he had ever needed full-time care, and I wanted so badly to believe he would be safe and supported. Unfortunately, I was disappointed—and honestly, scared a lot of the time.
I wish I had done more research before choosing Emerald Glen. The building is beautiful and the marketing sounds impressive, but the reality didn’t match. What you see is not always what you get. Thankfully, we had a camera in his room, and I could see that he wasn’t getting the help or attention he needed. I had to go over there frequently just to make sure things were OK. I would see him fall and stay there for long periods of time. I would see him sleep at night with lights and TV on, uncovered and slumped in bed. He has dementia and can’t walk well. He would be left in soiled diapers for long periods of time resulting in UTIs, which he never had in his life and has not had one since he’s been in his new place.
There were a couple of caregivers who were truly kind and compassionate, and I’m grateful for them. But they couldn’t make up for the overall problems with the staffing, the lack of proper memory care training, and the way the owners were hardly ever involved. The memory care sign is a joke. There is no specific training or qualifications that they offer for memory care.
It was a scary and painful few months. Now that he’s in a smaller home where he gets the care, attention, and compassion he truly deserves, I finally feel peace. I would encourage anyone placing a loved one to really do your research. There are much better places out there if you look closely. I just wish we had found one sooner.
Brenda Lewis
-
May 01, 2025
This place was a God send for my parents. Every single person that works there is so attentive and loving and supportive and fun!!! We were so blessed to have them there. The food is amazing and it is a lovely community. We got to know all the residents and their families, and enjoyed family style dining every day. Your loved ones are well cared for here. Thank you so much Emeral Glen community and the wonderful owners Jennifer and Patrick, truly a gem!
Big Traveler
-
April 24, 2018
Even while under construction this place was stunning! The attention to detail is incredible from the grand piano to the different themed hallways, huge rooms with enormous windows, a shelf outside of every room to showcase the resident, enormous garden boxes to grow food, access to the outdoors with security around the perimeter. It is well planned and clearly a lot of thought went into how to make the memory patients comfortable and safe.
Aaron Meyer
-
August 06, 2025
I can’t thank Emerald Glen enough for how they cared for my dad in his final years. Everyone showed extreme care, was responsive, and treated my dad like their own family member. Thank you Emerald Glen!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
My father lived at Emerald Glen Memory Care Plus from April to August 2025. The experience was overwhelmingly negative and I hope sharing this will help other families avoid what we went through. At first glance, the facility is beautiful. Upscale decor, spotless halls, and a grand entrance. It looks like a luxury resort. But behind the polished appearance is a facility that is understaffed, undertrained, and unequipped to handle true memory care. The use of the term Memory Care Plus is false advertising. There is no specialized training, no consistent structure, and no appropriate staffing for residents with dementia. My dad has dementia and needed patient and consistent support. While there were two or three genuinely compassionate caregivers, most of the staff lacked basic memory care training. They were rushed, disconnected, and focused on completing tasks quickly. If my dad didn’t comply right away, they would simply move on to the next resident. They did not have the time or resources to build trust or problem solve. Activities were rarely offered, and when the home manager was fired just a couple months after we moved in, the entire structure fell apart. My dad needed help using the bathroom, but instead of working with him, they put him in diapers. This led to recurring urinary tract infections—something he had never experienced before living here. He was often left sitting in waste, and no one took time to assist him. On one occasion, he was found on the floor after being left there for a prolonged period of time. We had a camera in his room so thankfully could see the neglect. We ended up hiring a private caregiver just to make sure his basic needs were met. With that, we were paying close to $10,000 dollars a month, and still the facility staff could not manage his care. He was being overmedicated throughout the day, not for medical reasons, but to make him more manageable. He was seen as too needy, and sedation became their solution. Eventually, Emerald Glen evicted him, claiming he pulled his arm away from a caregiver. For someone with dementia, this is a common and understandable reaction. Instead of adjusting their approach, they removed him. After this, we interviewed several other facilities. A few of them were already aware of Emerald Glen’s reputation. We were told that the owners have a pattern of cutting corners and moving out residents who require more time or do not generate enough revenue. If your loved one cannot be safely left alone, this is not the right place. My dad could not get to the bathroom by himself, and they were not able to assist him as needed. He became disoriented, confused about where to go, and they made little effort to work through it other than diapers and placing a bucket in the corner of his room. This is for a man with dementia and very high fall risk. He is now in a small, home based care setting and the difference is incredible. He has had no UTIs, no accidents, and is treated with respect, patience, and consistency. The caregivers take him to the bathroom, speak with kindness, and support him fully. The standard of care is dramatically better. It’s fascinating to me that the new caregivers at his new place were able to get him to bathe and use the bathroom from day one. The difference is they were able to put in the time to communicate and work with him. Emerald Glen always said he was difficult to work with so it’s interesting to see the other side of it when it is done professionally and with care. Because of the severity of our experience, I filed an official complaint with the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services. Families deserve to know what is really happening behind the clean surfaces and attractive design. Please consider smaller home based care settings. They offer the kind of real, compassionate support that Emerald Glen simply does not provide.
Placing my husband at Emerald Glen was one of the hardest transitions of my life. It was the first time he had ever needed full-time care, and I wanted so badly to believe he would be safe and supported. Unfortunately, I was disappointed—and honestly, scared a lot of the time. I wish I had done more research before choosing Emerald Glen. The building is beautiful and the marketing sounds impressive, but the reality didn’t match. What you see is not always what you get. Thankfully, we had a camera in his room, and I could see that he wasn’t getting the help or attention he needed. I had to go over there frequently just to make sure things were OK. I would see him fall and stay there for long periods of time. I would see him sleep at night with lights and TV on, uncovered and slumped in bed. He has dementia and can’t walk well. He would be left in soiled diapers for long periods of time resulting in UTIs, which he never had in his life and has not had one since he’s been in his new place. There were a couple of caregivers who were truly kind and compassionate, and I’m grateful for them. But they couldn’t make up for the overall problems with the staffing, the lack of proper memory care training, and the way the owners were hardly ever involved. The memory care sign is a joke. There is no specific training or qualifications that they offer for memory care. It was a scary and painful few months. Now that he’s in a smaller home where he gets the care, attention, and compassion he truly deserves, I finally feel peace. I would encourage anyone placing a loved one to really do your research. There are much better places out there if you look closely. I just wish we had found one sooner.
This place was a God send for my parents. Every single person that works there is so attentive and loving and supportive and fun!!! We were so blessed to have them there. The food is amazing and it is a lovely community. We got to know all the residents and their families, and enjoyed family style dining every day. Your loved ones are well cared for here. Thank you so much Emeral Glen community and the wonderful owners Jennifer and Patrick, truly a gem!
Even while under construction this place was stunning! The attention to detail is incredible from the grand piano to the different themed hallways, huge rooms with enormous windows, a shelf outside of every room to showcase the resident, enormous garden boxes to grow food, access to the outdoors with security around the perimeter. It is well planned and clearly a lot of thought went into how to make the memory patients comfortable and safe.
I can’t thank Emerald Glen enough for how they cared for my dad in his final years. Everyone showed extreme care, was responsive, and treated my dad like their own family member. Thank you Emerald Glen!