Overall impression: Reviews of WestLake Care Community are highly polarized. A substantial portion of reviewers praise the frontline caregiving staff, rehabilitation services, hospice support, and friendly aides and kitchen staff, describing the nursing team as caring, attentive, and instrumental in residents recovery. Many families report a homey atmosphere, good communication, celebration of resident milestones, clean private rooms, and successful rehab outcomes. Some reviewers go so far as to call the facility exceptional and to recommend it strongly for medical and rehabilitative care.
However, a significant and troubling minority of reviews describe severe safety, administrative, and quality-of-care problems. The most serious allegations include mishandling of a resident death (belongings packed in trash bags, items missing, and an allegation that the death was not reported to the Department of Health), a new resident being moved into the room within hours, and other major lapses in dignity and procedure. Additional safety-related reports include an assault on a patient, police involvement, residents wandering and appearing sedated or 'drugged', medication administration errors or expectations for residents to self-administer medications, and instances of pressure injuries, bedsores, and severe neglect such as lying in urine and untreated foot ulcers. These reports point to potentially systemic failures in supervision, medication management, and resident safety in some cases.
Staff and management: A consistent theme is a split between praise for frontline clinical staff (nurses, CNAs, aides, kitchen and cleaning staff) and criticism of administrative leadership. Many reviewers explicitly note that nurses and aides are compassionate, professional, and attentive, and that these staff members make a positive difference in resident wellbeing. Conversely, multiple reviews describe administrative staff as rude, defensive, or dismissive; families report being scolded, ignored, or treated as an inconvenience. There are also allegations of a confrontational director who allegedly forced psych evaluations and evictions in at least one report. Communication lapses surface repeatedly, including poor follow-up from administration, lack of timely callbacks, and inconsistent coordination of care.
Facilities, cleanliness, and operations: Several reviews praise cleanliness and report no odor, while others describe overwhelming smells and neglected dining tables. The building is reported by many as older and undergoing renovations; some reviewers appreciate improvements and note private rooms and a clean environment, while others report missing wheelchairs, denied equipment requests, and an absence of a formal inventory policy for resident belongings. Multiple accounts of clothing and personal items missing or being improperly handled suggest weaknesses in intake and property management processes.
Dining and activities: Opinions on food are mixed. Positive comments highlight friendly cafeteria staff and enjoyable items like cheeseburgers and celebrations. Negative reports focus on limited and unnutritious menu options, inappropriate food choices for frail elders (for example, corn on the cob causing a broken tooth, hamburgers and hot dogs seen as poor choices), and overall dissatisfaction with meal variety. Activities are described as redundant by some residents, suggesting limited programming variety for engagement.
Patterns and reliability: The reviews indicate inconsistent experiences — many families find WestLake to provide excellent, even outstanding care, while others recount serious neglect and administrative failures. This polarization suggests variability tied to staffing levels, particular units or shifts, and individual staff members or administrators. Staffing shortages are referenced as contributing to diminished quality and responsiveness in some reports. Positive accounts often highlight attentive nurses, good rehab outcomes, and responsive staff, while negative accounts center on administration, safety incidents, property mishandling, and medication/medical errors.
Recommendations and considerations: For families considering WestLake Care Community, the evidence points to several actionable considerations. Verify which neighborhoods or units have stronger reputations for care and ask for up-to-date staffing ratios, medication management protocols, and inventory/property policies. Tour the specific unit and speak with frontline nursing staff as well as administration about incident reporting procedures, how deaths and serious events are handled and communicated, and how personal belongings are documented and secured. Ask about nutrition and menu planning for residents with dental issues or special dietary needs, and inquire about resident engagement programming. If choosing WestLake, frequent family visits and active advocacy may help ensure consistent care, given the variability reported.
Bottom line: WestLake Care Community appears to offer high-quality, compassionate care in many cases, especially in rehabilitation and with certain frontline staff. At the same time, the facility has multiple reports of severe administrative and safety failures that warrant careful scrutiny. Potential residents and families should weigh the positive testimonials about nursing and rehab against the serious allegations regarding safety, property handling, and management, and should seek detailed, up-to-date information from the facility before making care decisions.
