Overall sentiment across the reviews for The Retreat at Canton is strongly positive, with repeated emphasis on caring, attentive staff and a clean, bright, well-appointed facility. Many reviewers describe a warm, family-like atmosphere in which individual residents receive personalized attention — staff are frequently characterized as kind, responsive, and professional. Specific staff and leaders receive direct praise (examples named in reviews include activities director Ashley, Chef Larry, Executive Director Matt, Anjelle in admissions, and hospice caregiver Maggie), reinforcing the perception that leadership and frontline employees are engaged and hands-on. Families repeatedly note that staff make residents feel at home, provide regular updates, and prioritize dignity and individualized care.
The facility itself is described as new, beautiful, and thoughtfully laid out. Positive physical features highlighted across reviews include a bright, airy dining hall, a koi pond and landscaped grounds, and a covered outdoor area with swings and rocking chairs. Several reviewers noted attractive apartment spaces, a homey decor, and an overall clean environment. The Retreat’s location is a recurring strength — reviewers appreciate proximity to shopping, restaurants, and medical offices, and many say the community is convenient for family visits. The property’s smaller community size and privately owned status are presented as positives by families who value a more intimate, owner-involved model.
Dining and culinary services receive mixed-but-leaning-positive commentary. Many reviewers praise the food as “wonderful” and point to individualized meal accommodations for special diets; one reviewer specifically mentions Chef Larry taking lunch orders personally. Activities and engagement are also a major positive: reviewers regularly cite varied programming (movies, games, painting, Mardi Gras events) and meaningful partnerships (school involvement, scenic outings). The activities director Ashley is singled out by multiple families for creating fun, wellbeing-focused programming that benefits cognitive and physical function. Hospice and end-of-life care are highlighted as areas of strong performance, with families expressing gratitude for compassionate hospice services and dignified care.
Despite the large volume of positive commentary, there are notable and recurring concerns to weigh. Cost is frequently mentioned as a downside — several reviewers describe the community as expensive. There are consistent notes that the community may not be appropriate for people who require higher-acuity or long-term skilled nursing care; some reviewers explicitly say it’s best for capable residents and not for those who need extensive assistance. A striking operational issue raised by multiple reviewers is inconsistent meal temperature and occasional poor room-service food (cold or overly hot), which contrasts with other comments praising the cuisine. Staffing challenges are also reported: some reviewers describe periods of shortages that led to infrequent room cleaning, limited meal choices (sandwiches), and overworked or unfriendly staff. Isolated but serious concerns include medication mixups, record issues, and at least one report of rude behavior from a CMA supervisor.
Memory care impressions are mixed. While some families praise the memory care program and thoughtful engagement, others raise worries about resident engagement levels in memory care households — describing some residents in wheelchairs who appear unengaged. This split suggests variability in experience that could reflect differences in staffing levels, shift coverage, or resident mix. Similarly, management and ownership feedback is mostly positive — with reviewers noting responsive and present leadership and gratefulness for individualized attention from admissions staff — but a subset of reviews express a perception of impersonal or “big business” practices, and one thread mentions an entertainment downturn and unpaid performers after a Phoenix ownership change. Those comments point to episodic issues that have affected cultural and programmatic elements for some families.
In summary, the dominant themes are positive: a beautiful, clean facility with caring staff, individualized attention, strong activities programming, and convenience for families. The Retreat appears to excel at creating a homelike environment, offering meaningful engagement, and delivering compassionate hospice and assisted living care. The main caveats are cost, suitability for residents needing higher levels of medical or long-term skilled care, occasional operational lapses (meal temperature, cleaning frequency), periodic staffing shortages or lapses in customer service, and isolated medication/records concerns. Prospective families should tour the community (many reviewers recommend a tour), ask specific questions about current staffing levels, memory care engagement strategies, medication management protocols, and visit during meal service to judge food quality and temperature. Overall recommendation from reviewers trends positive, particularly for families seeking a smaller, well-kept, privately run assisted living or memory care option with strong activities and visible leadership — but with the usual due diligence around clinical needs, cost, and recent operational performance.
