The Rose of Council Bluffs

    2306 Sherwood Dr, Council Bluffs, IA, 51503
    3.6 · 19 reviews
    • Assisted living
    AnonymousCurrent/former resident
    3.0

    Spacious peaceful but poorly managed

    I'm conflicted: the community is spacious, peaceful, and offers lots of activities, and several staff, the administrator and a new cook have been wonderful, but persistent problems sour my experience. Communication is poor and often unresponsive-water shutoffs with no notice, a door buzzer broken for months, work orders ignored, and unreliable heating. Meals are hit-or-miss (often awful), with mandatory extra charges and rent hikes that feel unfair. I feel safe and the place can be nice, but I'd hesitate to move in given the upkeep, value, and management issues.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    3.58 · 19 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      5.0
    • Staff

      3.9
    • Meals

      2.7
    • Amenities

      2.6
    • Value

      2.3

    Pros

    • friendly and caring staff
    • fantastic nursing staff and individual caregivers
    • helpful and responsive maintenance staff (when available)
    • strong, praised administrators and manager
    • clean facility overall
    • spacious, easy-to-navigate apartments
    • quiet, peaceful and secluded location
    • nearby shops, restaurants and delivery options
    • sense of community and 'feels like family'
    • lots of activities and social opportunities
    • residents feel safe with up-to-date security
    • long‑term residents report satisfaction
    • new cook improved meal quality for some
    • independence/freedom to come and go
    • recommended by several residents
    • affordable or good value for some residents
    • pampered, friendly atmosphere cited by some

    Cons

    • owner perceived as greedy or uncaring
    • frequent or prolonged water shutoffs without explanation
    • door buzzer/security hardware left unrepaired for months
    • work orders not followed up on or left unaddressed for months
    • mixed-to-poor meal quality with reports of burnt/nasty food
    • mandatory meal charges and extra fees for laundry/housekeeping
    • rent increases (including after COLA) and high rent concerns
    • poor communication and unresponsive staff/management at times
    • laundry rooms often trashed or poorly maintained
    • radiant heating unreliable
    • accessibility issues for those using walkers (too much walking)
    • couldn't view handicapped-accessible units on request
    • rooms somewhat dated/older
    • dining area can be crowded with waits
    • some residents experienced significant health incidents (falls, dehydration) early on

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment in these reviews is mixed but leans toward a positive experience with notable and recurring operational concerns. Many reviewers praise the frontline staff — nursing aides, care staff, maintenance personnel and administrators receive frequent compliments for being friendly, helpful and professionally supportive. Residents repeatedly mention feeling safe, enjoying a calm, peaceful environment, and appreciating the spacious, easy‑to‑navigate apartments. The community atmosphere is often described as familial; multiple long‑term residents report satisfaction, active involvement in activities, and a strong sense of community. Location is viewed positively: the setting is quiet and secluded yet close enough to shops and restaurants, with delivery and grocery options available.

    Care quality and staff interactions emerge as one of the strongest themes. Several reviewers explicitly name nursing staff and individual caregivers as "wonderful" and cite successful rehabilitations and attentive care during recovery from hospital stays. Administrators and managers are also frequently praised for being easy to work with and responsive in many cases. Activities programming gets good marks for variety and engagement, contributing to residents' overall contentment.

    However, operational and management issues are repeatedly raised and are significant enough to temper otherwise positive impressions. Multiple reviews complain about water shutoffs that occurred without explanation and sometimes for long durations. There are consistent reports of maintenance issues left unresolved for months — including a door buzzer that went unrepaired for an extended period — and reviewers describe poor follow‑up on work orders. Laundry rooms are noted as being trashed at times, and radiant heating unreliability was mentioned. These maintenance and infrastructure problems contribute to perceptions of poor value, particularly when coupled with rent increases and additional mandatory charges.

    Dining receives highly mixed reviews: some residents praise meals and note a great new cook who improved quality, while others describe food as awful, burnt, or nasty. There are also recurring complaints about mandatory meal charges and extra fees for services such as housekeeping and laundry. Financial concerns extend beyond meal charges — several reviewers call out rent increases (including a rent increase after a COLA adjustment) and describe the ownership as greedy or uncaring. This combination of rising costs and perceived poor responsiveness from management is a prominent negative theme.

    Communication and accessibility issues are also common. Reviewers report poor communication about outages, repairs and general updates; contact information online is hard to find or insufficient. Accessibility concerns include units and common areas that require too much walking for residents who use walkers, and at least one reviewer was unable to view a handicapped unit when requested. While security systems are said to be up to date and residents feel safe, physical accessibility and prompt maintenance remain problem areas.

    In summary, The Rose of Council Bluffs appears to offer strong person‑to‑person care, a warm community atmosphere, good security and appealing living spaces for many residents. At the same time, repeated operational shortcomings — water outages, delayed repairs, inconsistent meal quality, extra fees, rent increases and occasional poor communication — are substantial and recurring complaints that prospective residents should investigate. If considering this community, ask specific questions about maintenance response times, policies on utilities and outages, recent or planned capital improvements (heating, door buzzers), exact fees and what is included in rent, meal plans and refund/credit policy for service failures, and availability of handicapped-accessible units. These targeted inquiries will help determine whether the strong staff and community environment outweigh the management and infrastructure concerns highlighted in these reviews.

    Location

    Map showing location of The Rose of Council Bluffs

    About The Rose of Council Bluffs

    The Rose of Council Bluffs sits in Council Bluffs, IA, and focuses on comfort, safety, and community for older adults, especially those with limited income, and it's managed by a well-known administrator who supports residents and runs things well, so folks seem to get decent care here. This place has different living options, so there's independent living for seniors who want their own maintenance-free apartment, plus assisted living, memory care, and even nursing services for those who need more help every day. You'll find one-bedroom, two-bedroom, studio, and semi-private apartments, many designed with ground-floor access, wide doors, roll-in showers, and wheelchair-accessible features. The layouts are practical, with kitchens that have dishwashers and disposals, laundry on each floor, air conditioning, ceiling fans, and lots of big windows for natural light. The building has a walkway outside, porches and patios with outdoor seating, flower beds, garden plots, a waterfall, and a sunroom, making it pretty easy to get outside, relax, or visit with others if you're up for it.

    The main dining area has a restaurant-style setup and sits in an atrium, which gives meals a bright and open feeling, and there's also a community room with a kitchen that lets people gather for table games, movie nights, or to celebrate birthdays and holidays. There's a fair number of on-site activities-gardening clubs, stretching classes, hobby and craft areas, card games, parties, and regular live performances, plus social and educational programming to help folks stay engaged and connected. Residents also get Wi-Fi, a theater/chapel, a computer den, a reading area with a fireplace, and a beauty/barber shop if they want a haircut.

    Care services at The Rose of Council Bluffs include help with medication, moving from bed to wheelchair, incontinence needs, insulin monitoring, and 24-hour on-site staff for emergencies or basic daily support. There's ambulatory care, respite care for short-term stays, and the staff can handle folks with memory challenges or higher physical needs, so it's a good fit if daily help is needed or if someone's health changes over time. On the social side, residents can bring cats or dogs if they're within pet rules, and there's a strong focus on helping everyone feel at home and involved.

    This place sets aside units for people with lower incomes and follows income and age guidelines for senior housing; usually, rent's based on 30% of a person's adjusted monthly income, and there are affordable options when income-based rents aren't available. Applicants might need to visit in person, complete background checks, and show various forms of ID and financial proof, with an application fee paid by money order. The Rose of Council Bluffs participates in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, which helps keep rents reasonable for people in Pottawattamie County who qualify.

    The facility also welcomes veterans' benefits, Social Security, private pay, and commercial insurance to help pay for care, with different fees depending on how much support is needed. Residents or their families need to speak with management to get details on costs, as prices aren't published, but it's known they offer a range of fixed and income-based rent options, plus community and buy-in fees. Reviews average around 4.0 stars, with praise for the staff's dedication and the careful management. Folks here tend to appreciate the landscaped grounds, variety of activities, strong sense of safety, and accessible everyday support, which helps everyone have as much independence and community as possible as they age.

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