Absolute Assisted Living in Mesa, AZ

Pros

• The Absolute Assisted Living facility offers lovely, excellent care.
• The staff are competent and intelligent.
• The facility provides excellent value for money and is clean.
• The rooms are large, spacious, nicely decorated, and include a TV.
• Residents receive excellent care from friendly owners and staff.
• Families consistently praise the owners and caretakers as awesome and welcoming.
• The home makes residents feel at home with caring, attentive staff.
• The facility maintains a high level of staffing on site.
• The caregivers are loving and invested in residents' well-being.
• The home is immaculate and the meals are good.
• Meals are home-cooked, with three meals a day and tasty options.
• Housekeeping and laundry services are provided, and caregivers are certified.
• The home offers a variety of activities and celebrations, and coordinates hospice care when needed.

Cons

• There are no activities for residents; they're left on their own.
• It probably wouldn't be the perfect place for someone with a handicap, due to lack of one-on-one attention.
• There isn't enough staff, and caregivers don't stay long, hurting the quality of care.
• Care is described as being all about the money, not the residents' well-being.
• The owner and manager are said to yell and may ask families to leave if concerns are raised.
• Residents were not dressed properly (one example featured diapers) and were left in inappropriate conditions.
• Abusive behavior by the owner is alleged, with care not coming from the heart but from financial motives.
• There are claims of forced feeding and indecent exposure, with ongoing concerns about overall treatment.
• One review succinctly warns: "If you like lies and yelling, this is the place for you."

Review

Absolute Assisted Living in Mesa, AZ is a small, private care home that excels for families seeking an intimate, home?like environment where a tight-knit staff can deliver highly personalized attention. With around seven residents, it functions more like a family residence than a campus, and that scale translates into remarkable accessibility: caregivers who know each resident's routine, meals cooked on site, and medication administration handled with obvious care. The setting is clean, rooms are spacious, and the owner-operator model fosters a sense of continuity and accountability that families often value. For residents who prioritize warmth, quick response times, and a neighborhood feel, this community can feel like the right fit. It is less clearly aligned with those who require ongoing, highly structured activity calendars or frequent, intensive rehab support.

The strongest warning signs appear for those who need robust programming and consistent, transparent governance. Several reviews describe experiences that raise red flags about management and staffing - yelling, questions met with defensiveness, and a perception that operations are "about the money." A handful of families recount serious concerns about abuse or neglect and say that staff turnover left care gaps, sometimes after complaints were raised. Those patterns are especially consequential for residents with high medical acuity, dementia, or behavior management needs, where steady supervision and a well-documented care plan become nonnegotiable. In short, an alternative with stronger oversight and a more predictable staffing model should be the default consideration for families prioritizing safety and accountability.

Yet the program's core advantages can meaningfully offset certain drawbacks for the right resident. The intimate scale often translates into very attentive, compassionate care, with owners who are repeatedly praised as "amazing" and deeply involved in residents' well?being. Families note that care feels personalized, and the facility's medical coordination - medication management, a house doctor and nurse, and transport to appointments - works smoothly in practice. The physical environment supports comfort: a large, well-kept room, home-cooked meals with options, and a sense of belonging that makes grieving periods and transitions feel less abrupt. For residents who thrive on personal attention, quick problem resolution, and a sense of being part of a small, caring family, these strengths can outweigh the lack of formal programming.

For families weighing Absolute, a disciplined due-diligence checklist is essential. Insist on a candid tour that includes interaction with staff over a full day so that pace, responsiveness, and tone are observable - not just spoken about. Request concrete metrics: current staff-to-resident ratios, turnover rates, and how emergencies - night and weekend coverage included - are managed. Ask to review a sample care plan, eligibility for specialized services, and how activities are actually conducted on a weekly basis. Seek references from multiple families and request copies of any recent inspections. The objective is to verify that warmth and competency are paired with reliable systems, documentation, and governance rather than isolated goodwill.

Compared with larger Mesa facilities or nonprofit options, Absolute offers a clear trade-off: a more intimate, flexible living situation versus potentially thinner programming, less formal oversight, and variable staffing stability. For residents with complex medical needs, agitation issues, or a desire for a calendar-driven social life, alternative options with steadier staffing, dedicated activity directors, and clearer accountability will better serve long-term needs. Conversely, for someone who places a premium on a home atmosphere, strong caregiver relationships, and quick, personalized responses, Absolute can remain highly appealing - as long as due diligence confirms that the management dynamics and staffing stability won't undermine daily safety and ongoing quality of life.

Bottom line: Absolute Assisted Living is a viable choice for families prioritizing warmth, personalized care, and a compact, home?like setting. It is less suitable for those who require consistent, high?acuity supervision, a predictable activities program, or transparent governance without question. The positive experiences around caregiving quality, family warmth, and medical coordination are compelling, but the serious negative reports demand thorough investigation. Prospective residents should prioritize direct observation of daily operations, confirm staffing stability, and compare with alternatives that offer stronger governance and more robust activity structures. If those assurances cannot be obtained, the prudent move is toward a community with clearer oversight and a more predictable program, even if it means sacrificing the intimate, family-style appeal that makes Absolute distinctive.

This part of Mesa, Arizona offers a convenient location with easy access to pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens for any medical needs. Nearby physicians like Glick Ronald M Do and Cornerstone Family Medicine provide quality healthcare services. There are also a variety of dining options including Whataburger, IHOP, and Chick-Fil-A for convenient meals. Residents can enjoy the outdoors at parks like Greenfield Park or Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. Additionally, there are cafes like Dutch Bros Coffee and Starbucks for coffee lovers. Transportation is easily accessible with Falcon Field Airport nearby. Places of worship such as Mesa Arizona Temple and First United Methodist Church of Gilbert provide spiritual support. Entertainment options include theaters like AMC Mesa Grand 14 and Superstition Springs 25 for leisure activities. Overall, this area of Mesa offers a mix of amenities that cater to different aspects of daily living for seniors looking for a vibrant community to call home.

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (0.5 miles)
• Walgreens (1.9 miles)
• Bashas' Pharmacy (2.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.6 miles)
• Walgreens (2.7 miles)
• Walgreens (3.3 miles)
• Walgreens (3.3 miles)

Physicians

• Glick Ronald M Do (1 miles)
• Riviera Opticare (1.4 miles)
• Cornerstone Family Medicine (2.7 miles)
• Simonmed Imaging (2.8 miles)
• Gilbert Primary Care (3 miles)
• Arizona Asthma & Allergy Institute (3.2 miles)
• Southwest Endoscopy & Srgcntr (3.4 miles)

Restaurants

• Whataburger (1.2 miles)
• Uncle Bear's Grill & Tap Greenfield (2.5 miles)
• IHOP (2.6 miles)
• Capriotti's Sandwich Shop (3.1 miles)
• Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers (3.2 miles)
• Culver's (3.3 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (3.8 miles)

Parks

• Greenfield Park (2.1 miles)
• Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch (4.5 miles)
• Finley Farms Park (5.7 miles)

Cafes

• Dutch Bros Coffee (2.5 miles)
• Panera Bread (3 miles)
• Starbucks (3.1 miles)
• Panera Bread (3.8 miles)
• Starbucks (3.8 miles)
• Over Easy (4.6 miles)
• The Human Bean (4.6 miles)

Transportation

• Falcon Field Airport (MSC) (3.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• Mesa Arizona Temple (3.3 miles)
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (4.1 miles)
• First United Methodist Church of Gilbert (6.1 miles)
• Salt River Assembly of God (6.2 miles)

Theaters

• AMC Mesa Grand 14 (3.7 miles)
• Superstition Springs 25 (5.5 miles)