Pleasant View Retirement Comm

Pros

• Pleasant View Communities has a beautiful, clean, and modern facility.
• Pleasant View has a beautiful campus.
• The on-site bistro at Pleasant View is great.
• The staff at Pleasant View are truly wonderful.
• The Pleasant View community is close-knit.
• There are many opportunities to learn and grow at Pleasant View.
• The neighbors at Pleasant View are welcoming and friendly.
• Pleasant View is an outstanding place to call home.

Cons

• The skilled nursing section is a ridiculously expensive disappointment.
• The admissions director was unscrupulous, quoting about twice the going rate and implying it was "take it or leave it."
• The bureaucracy is beyond description, with lazy, overpaid staff who don't answer calls and only offer lip service when they do respond.
• There is only one caring nurse; the others are awful.
• Expensive hearing aids were lost and not reimbursed; the family had to replace them at their own expense.
• Watches disappeared and were blamed on another patient.
• Dehydration sent the parent to the hospital soon after admission because hydration isn't ensured and staff claim water placement is the extent of their responsibility.
• Nurse turnover is very high; only a couple of nurses stay for long.
• The Care at Home service was terminated with at least 10 days' notice, leaving families scrambling for essential services.
• The food is horrible and has drawn scrutiny from the Office of the Aging for subpar quality.
• Pleasant View is described as greedy and understaffed, especially for long-term care.

Review

Pleasant View Communities draws a wide spectrum of experiences from families and residents, with stories that range from rhapsodic appreciation to sharp disillusionment. On the positive side, many people describe Pleasant View as a place that feels like a true home: a beautiful, clean, and modern campus that supports an active, engaged lifestyle. Several reviewers emphasize that the community prioritizes residents, offers a welcoming and friendly neighbor network, and provides meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, volunteer, and participate in events. The campus environment itself is repeatedly praised - the setting is described as pleasant and rural, with on-site amenities like a Bistro, walking trails, and a strong sense of community that makes it feel intimate and close-knit rather than corporate.

The independent living experience frequently comes across as particularly strong. Residents report staff who are patient and resourceful, and a culture of accessibility and support that makes daily life smoother. Families note that the staff in independent living are approachable, and that the overall environment encourages connection among residents and with the people who work there. One couple, after researching several communities, concluded that Pleasant View stood out clearly as the best option for their needs and interests, highlighting the professional care, the welcoming nature of neighbors, and the numerous programs that foster activity and involvement. For many, the community is more than just a place to live; it feels like a shared home where friendships deepen, and daily routines have the structure and warmth of a small-town environment.

There is also substantial praise from residents and families who view Pleasant View as a place of purpose and belonging. Several accounts describe a strong sense of community and meaningful involvement - residents form friendships with both peers and staff, and the staff are appreciated for going above and beyond to help people feel connected. The sense of purpose is reinforced by testimonials about how residents contribute to making Pleasant View a vibrant home for others. The care networks described in these accounts extend into diverse aspects of life at Pleasant View, from social engagement to wellness activities, underscoring a belief that the community can support aging with dignity and companionship.

Yet, the overall picture includes important cautions and criticisms that accompany the glowing praise. On the less favorable side, some reviewers recount experiences that raise questions about core operations, particularly in the skilled nursing segment. They describe a level of bureaucracy that feels slow and impersonal, with calls going to voicemail and slow or lip-service responses when messages are finally returned. One reviewer recounts a troubling experience with the admissions process: a director who quoted a price that seemed twice the going rate and framed the choice as "take it or leave it." The frustration extends to the perception that some staff are overwhelmed and overworked, especially among the nursing teams, which in these accounts appear to be understaffed and under strain. Allegations include a single overworked nurse paired with other staff who were described as less effective, and claims that certain items - hearing aids and watches - went missing and were not reimbursed or satisfactorily accounted for. In a harsh observation, dehydration led to hospitalization after admission, and reviewers say hydration management and elderly care policies were not adequately addressing residents' needs, including assertions that merely placing water in front of a dementia patient was considered enough. The impression left in these reviews is that high turnover and inconsistent staffing undermine the quality of care in the skilled nursing areas.

These concerns are mirrored by specific incident narratives. Several reviewers mention a higher turnover of nurses and aides, with only a small core of carers appearing consistently, which can amplify feelings of neglect or inconsistency in care. One family described an experience with the skilled nursing floors where care quality varied by level, noting that one level produced excellent nursing and therapy support, while another level felt under-resourced. Such accounts contribute to a nuanced picture of Pleasant View's nursing operations: capable and caring staff can be found, but experience and reliability may be uneven across shifts and units.

Beyond the nursing floors themselves, a handful of service experiences created a more skeptical impression of Pleasant View's overall ecosystem. The community's "Care at Home" program, for instance, drew particular ire from a reviewer who described it as a failed experience: care was terminated with a full 10-calendar-day notice, leaving families scrambling to secure alternative arrangements at a vulnerable time. This specific service failure deeply unsettled a caregiver who felt they could not rely on Pleasant View's home health offerings when needed most, and it serves as a cautionary tale about the fragility of outsourced care within a larger senior living environment.

Food and staffing levels are another recurring point of contention. A few reviewers report that the quality of the food declined over time, with some residents and their families noting disappointment compared with earlier experiences or with expectations set by the community's image. In one case, an Office of the Aging meeting was cited as evidence of subpar food service, prompting consideration of moving a loved one elsewhere. Other comments touch on staffing adequacy in long-term care and the rehab or skilled nursing settings - some families describe a perception of chronic understaffing and inadequate attention to daily needs, such as timely assistance with wake-ups, bathroom assistance, and timely breathing treatments, which can have real impacts on comfort and safety.

In sum, Pleasant View Communities appears to offer a deeply cherished home for many residents - an environment that supports social connection, personal growth, and a sense of belonging in a scenic rural setting. The strongest praise centers on the beauty of the campus, the warmth and engagement of many staff members, and the meaningful opportunities to participate in a vibrant community life. However, there is a persistent thread of concern about the consistency and reliability of care, particularly in the skilled nursing segments and in support services like home health. Issues cited include bureaucratic friction, staff turnover, missing personal items without adequate reimbursement, hydration and basic care concerns, variable quality of care across units, and a problematic termination of home health services with little notice. For families considering Pleasant View, the takeaways are clear: the environment can be exceptional and life-enhancing, but conversations about staffing, care standards, and contingency plans are essential to ensure a reliable level of service across all facets of the community.

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (0.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (4 miles)
• Millennium Pharmacy Systems (4.3 miles)
• McElroy Pharmacy (4.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (6.3 miles)
• Weis Pharmacy (7.2 miles)

Restaurants

• Lititz Family Cupboard Restaurant & Buffet (3.6 miles)
• Bulls Head Public House (4.2 miles)
• Brickerville House Family Restaurant (4.9 miles)
• Pretzel Hut (5.9 miles)
• Maize Mexican Cantina (5.9 miles)
• Fiorentino's Italian Restaurant (6.2 miles)
• Knight And Day Diner (6.2 miles)

Physicians

• Cornerstone Family Health Associates (3.7 miles)
• Lititz Family Medicine (4 miles)
• Women's Place at Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center (5 miles)
• BMI of Lancaster (5.2 miles)
• Community Anesthesia Associates (5.2 miles)
• Simons David Pain Specialists Of Lancaster Lititz (5.2 miles)
• Heartland Family Health (5.2 miles)

Parks

• Lititz Springs Park (4 miles)
• A Herr Park (6.3 miles)
• Manheim Township Community Park (6.4 miles)

Cafes

• Tomato Pie Cafe (4.2 miles)
• Dosie Dough (4.3 miles)
• Panera Bread (8 miles)
• Starbucks (8.1 miles)
• Piccadilly Coffee & Tea House (8.3 miles)

Hospitals

• The Women's Place at Heart of Lancaster (5 miles)
• UPMC Pinnacle Lititz (5 miles)
• Pediatrics at Heart of Lancaster (5 miles)
• Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate (6.8 miles)
• Physicians Surgery Center (8.3 miles)
• Lancaster Rehabilitation Hospital (8.5 miles)

Transportation

• Lancaster Airport (LNS) (6.1 miles)

Theaters

• Penn Cinema (6.6 miles)
• Reel Cinemas Lancaster (8.1 miles)