Juniper Communities

Pros

• Lenny Taylor described Juniper in Chatham as beautiful, with friendly and accommodating staff and engaged residents, calling the experience wonderful and expressing a desire to return.
• The Lebanon reviewer found Juniper Village helpful during a stressful time, with no pressure and an easy admission process.
• The Lebanon reviewer praised the spacious and comfortable room and the wonderful staff, with the ability to visit often and reassurance about the level of care.
• The Chatham, NJ reviewer was very pleased with Juniper, noting a warm and welcoming atmosphere, genuinely caring staff, and very good communication.
• The Chatham facility was recognized for its improvement during the pandemic, becoming creative and rigorous with results to show for it.

Cons

• Juniper Bensalem is the most horrible place you could put any family member.
• The facility shows no communication and does not respond to complaints, ignoring after the initial check is cashed.
• Kathryn goes back on her word of credit she was giving.
• The living conditions are poor.
• It's so bad that you wouldn't put your worst enemy there.
• They only respond after a 30-day notice of moving out and the response takes months.
• Those four months were the worst.
• The facility struggled to get a handle on things in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Review

Across the collection of notes about Juniper communities, one thread is clear: experiences vary quite a bit by location, and individual encounters can range from glowing and uplifting to sharply critical. Yet within those diverse impressions there are moments that stand out for their warmth, professionalism, and the sense that residents and guests are genuinely valued.

One speaker, an entertainer who performed at Juniper in Chatham, paints a bright picture of the venue and the people. The performance was described as a totally terrific experience, with the place deemed beautiful and the staff described as totally friendly and accommodating. The residents, the note says, seemed very engaged with the performance, contributing to an overall sense of class and care. The performer's takeaway is enthusiastic: a wonderfully positive experience and a clear eagerness to return. It's a snapshot of Juniper as a setting where a visitor can feel welcomed, appreciated, and inspired by the environment and the people working there.

In stark contrast, another assessment targets Juniper Bensalem with a searingly negative verdict. The reviewer condemns the facility as "the most horrible place you could put any family member," accusing the staff and management of a complete breakdown in communication. Complaints are said to go unanswered, with people left to "totally ignore" after the initial check is cashed. The reviewer singles out Kathryn for breaking a promise regarding credits, and characterizes living conditions as poor. The sentiment is harsh and urgent: "Don't put your worst enemy in there." The complaint policy is described as ineffective, and responses to moving-out notices are alleged to take months, which reinforces the perception of neglect and mismanagement. It's a stark, highlycritical counterpoint to the positive experience described elsewhere.

Yet another location presents a markedly different narrative, this time a Lebanon facility where a family member required personal care. The reviewer recounts a very positive experience during a stressful time of needing placement. There was no pressure in the process; the admission was described as easy, and the move could happen the following week. The room was described as spacious and comfortable, and the staff was characterized as wonderful, with the resident speaking highly of them. The reviewer notes the ability to visit often and to hear from several staff members about medical issues, which provided reassurance about the level of care. Overall, the impression is one of reliability, accessibility, and visible attentiveness to both the resident and the family's peace of mind.

A separate review focuses on Juniper, Chatham, New Jersey, offering a more balanced but still positive perspective. The writer reports that they have been "overall very pleased," emphasizing a warm and welcoming atmosphere and staff who seem genuinely caring. Communication is singled out as a strength, described as very good. The narrative acknowledges the pandemic period, noting that communication remained consistent and informative through a time of heightened concern and disruption. The impression here is of consistent, people-centered care and open lines of communication that help families feel connected to the care being provided.

Even with the positive notes, there is an acknowledgment of rougher moments tied to larger, systems-level pressures. The review about the pandemic period concedes that, like many assisted living facilities, Juniper struggled in the early weeks to get a handle on COVID-19. Policies and procedures took shape in a way that reflected the uncertainty of the moment. However, the same reviewer closes on a hopeful note, saying that Juniper has been creative and rigorous since those initial challenges, and that the results have begun to show. It's a narrative of learning, adapting, and coming out stronger on the other side.

Taken together, the set of reviews presents a nuanced portrait of Juniper as a brand with significant strengths and notable vulnerabilities, highly dependent on location and individual experiences. The Chatham performances speak to a facility that can be not just a place to live, but a welcoming community where visitors and performers feel valued and engaged. Other campuses reveal both the best of compassionate care - where admission can be smooth, rooms comfortable, and families kept informed - and the worst of administrative friction - communication lapses, delayed responses, and dissatisfaction with how concerns are handled. The broader arc across these accounts is one of care that can be deeply meaningful, tempered by the realities of management, policy, and the extraordinary pressures that health and eldercare facilities can face during challenging times.

Restaurants

• Applegate Farm (0.9 miles)
• Mercado Cafe & Kitchen (1.4 miles)
• Wendy's (2.1 miles)
• Egan & Sons (2.1 miles)
• McDonald's (2.1 miles)
• The Rock Bar & Grill (2.5 miles)
• Faubourg (2.5 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1.2 miles)
• Walgreens (1.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.9 miles)
• Walgreens (2.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.5 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (1.4 miles)
• Paper Plane Coffee Co. (2.3 miles)
• Starbucks (2.4 miles)
• Panera Bread (5 miles)
• Panera Bread (5.1 miles)
• Starbucks (7.3 miles)
• Starbucks (7.3 miles)

Parks

• Anderson Park (1.4 miles)
• Edgemont Memorial Park (1.7 miles)
• Rutherford Memorial Park (3.3 miles)
• Eagle Rock Reservation (4 miles)
• South Mountain Reservation (4 miles)
• Degnan Memorial Park (4.9 miles)
• Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (5.3 miles)

Transportation

• NJT - Watchung Station (1.4 miles)
• NJT - Brick Church Station (5.4 miles)
• East Orange Station (5.5 miles)
• Harrison Path Station (7 miles)
• Newark Penn Station (7.2 miles)
• NJT - Hawthorne Station (7.4 miles)
• NJT - Frank R. Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station (7.7 miles)

Theaters

• AMC Clifton Commons 16 (2.3 miles)
• Cinemark (5.5 miles)
• Dreamscape at AMC Garden State Plaza (7.7 miles)

Physicians

• Summit Medical Group (2.4 miles)
• Women First Health Center (4.6 miles)
• Care Station Medical Group (4.9 miles)
• Summit Medical Group (5.2 miles)
• Paterson Community Health Center (6 miles)
• Retina Associates of New Jersey PA (7.3 miles)

Places of Worship

• Ahavas Israel (2.8 miles)
• Bais Torah U'tefilah (2.9 miles)
• Clifton Blue Mosque (3.1 miles)

Hospitals

• St Joseph's Regional Medical Center (4.5 miles)
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center (8.2 miles)