St John's Lutheran Community

    901 Luther Pl, Albert Lea, MN, 56007
    3.0 · 8 reviews
    • Independent living
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    1.0

    Privacy breaches, pests, unsafe care

    I moved my grandmother into their new rehab because staff seemed caring and supportive and the facility looked wonderful at first. Sadly we encountered privacy breaches, felt staff censored our complaints, and my family filed a formal complaint after alleged mistreatment; we also found bedbugs and were told there might be Legionella, so I don't feel it's safe as a temporary or permanent home. There may be good people there, but until safety and privacy issues are fixed across their locations I can't recommend it.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    Healthcare services

    • Activities of daily living assistance
    • Assistance with bathing
    • Assistance with dressing
    • Assistance with transfers
    • Coordination with health care providers
    • Medication management
    • Mental wellness program

    Healthcare staffing

    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

    • Diabetes diet
    • Meal preparation and service
    • Special dietary restrictions

    Room

    • Cable
    • Fully furnished
    • Housekeeping and linen services
    • Kitchenettes
    • Telephone
    • Wifi

    Transportation

    • Transportation arrangement (medical)
    • Transportation to doctors appointments

    Common areas

    • Beauty salon
    • Dining room
    • Garden
    • Outdoor space

    Community services

    • Move-in coordination

    Activities

    • Community-sponsored activities
    • Scheduled daily activities

    3.00 · 8 reviews

    Overall rating

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

      3.0
    • Staff

      5.0
    • Meals

      3.0
    • Amenities

      3.0
    • Value

      1.0

    Pros

    • Caring, supportive staff
    • Strong rehabilitation program
    • Comfortable for short-term rehab or long-term residence
    • New or well-maintained facility
    • Positive first-hand impressions from some families/residents

    Cons

    • Allegations of mistreatment of a resident
    • Family complaints about care and response
    • Concerns about censorship or suppression of complaints
    • Privacy concerns for residents
    • Reports of bedbug infestations
    • Reports of Legionella contamination
    • Broad safety and infection-control concerns
    • Inconsistent quality or issues across multiple locations

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment in the collected review summaries is mixed: many comments praise the staff and some aspects of care and facilities, while a number of serious safety, privacy, and management concerns are raised by other reviewers. Positive remarks focus primarily on direct caregiving and the physical environment, while the negative remarks are focused on alleged abuse, infection/control issues, and how the facility handles complaints.

    Care quality and staff: A recurring positive theme is that staff are described as caring, supportive, and attentive. Multiple reviewers identify the caregiving team as a strength, and at least one review highlights a strong rehabilitation program that made the facility suitable as either a temporary (short-term rehab) or permanent home. These points suggest that clinical and day-to-day assistance can be good in many cases and that rehabilitation services are an explicit strength called out by families or residents.

    Facilities and environment: Several summaries note a new or well-maintained facility; that impression supports the idea that the physical plant and amenities can be appealing. Reviewers explicitly refer to the place as a 'wonderful facility' in some instances, and the characterization of the community as suitable for first-time residents or as an initial placement underscores that the environment can be welcoming and appropriate for both short- and long-term stays.

    Serious safety and health concerns: Counterbalancing the positive comments are very serious reports of bedbugs and Legionella contamination. These are not minor complaints — bedbugs and Legionella carry significant implications for infection control, resident comfort, and regulatory scrutiny. The presence of such reports in reviews creates substantial safety concerns and suggests potential lapses in housekeeping, pest control, water management, or infection-prevention practices. Multiple mentions of 'safety concerns' indicate that these issues are prominent enough to affect overall trust in the community's ability to keep residents safe.

    Allegations of mistreatment, privacy, and complaint handling: Several reviews allege mistreatment of a resident (a grandmother in the summaries) and describe family complaints about how the facility responded. Related themes include censorship concerns and privacy violations. These issues point less to isolated operational problems and more to perceived deficiencies in transparency, communication, and grievance resolution. When families feel their concerns are censored or ignored, it amplifies mistrust and may indicate weaknesses in management practices, staff training around resident rights, or complaint escalation procedures.

    Variability across locations and patterns: The phrase 'multiple locations' suggests that the community operates in more than one site and that issues or strengths may not be uniform across them. The combination of strong praise for staff and rehab at times, together with severe health and safety allegations and concerns about censorship and privacy at others, indicates inconsistent performance. Some locations or shifts may provide excellent care, while others may have significant problems — a pattern that can make experiences highly variable for residents and families.

    Implications and patterns: The most salient patterns are (1) positive interpersonal care experiences and rehabilitation services; (2) a generally favorable physical environment in at least some reviews; and (3) serious, recurring concerns about infection control (bedbugs, Legionella), resident safety, privacy, and the handling of complaints. The seriousness of reported infection issues and allegations of mistreatment are particularly noteworthy because they affect resident health and legal/regulatory risk, and because they reduce confidence in the facility even where staff are otherwise praised.

    Conclusion: Prospective residents and families should weigh the apparent strengths — especially caring staff and a strong rehab program in a new-feeling facility — against the substantial negative reports around safety, privacy, and complaint handling. Because the negative items include infection-control problems and alleged mistreatment, it would be prudent to verify current licensing and inspection records, ask for documentation of pest-control and water-safety remediation, request the facility’s policy on complaints and resident privacy, and seek recent references from current residents or families. The mixed but polarized nature of the reviews suggests that local variation and management/oversight practices will materially affect the resident experience.

    Location

    Map showing location of St John's Lutheran Community

    About St John's Lutheran Community

    St John's Lutheran Community is a nonprofit, faith-based community in Albert Lea, Minnesota, with a focus on providing physical, emotional, social, and Christian care for people with dignity and respect. The staff welcomes everyone with kindness and follows a strong mission rooted in God's grace. There are two main campus locations: Fountain Lake Campus at 1861 Eagle View Circle and Luther Place Campus at 901 Luther Place. The community is a continuing care retirement community, or CCRC, which means people can choose from different levels of care and housing such as Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing Care, and options for Rehabilitation and Short-Term Stays. Luther Place Campus has 48 apartments and 146 private rooms, and residents have the option for furnished rooms with telephones and helpful services like housekeeping, move-in help, daily activities, and outings.

    Residents get a 24-hour call system for safety, and the staff provides care like medication help, bathing, dressing, transfers, and full-time supervision when needed. The community offers special care for people living with dementia in a memory unit with supervision and security. There's also skilled nursing care for those with serious medical needs after an illness or hospital stay. For active older adults who want to downsize, there are independent living choices. People can enjoy walking paths, gardening, the library/art room, beauty shop, barber shop, exercise room, movie nights, and community activities for residents, friends, and family.

    Dining services cover special needs such as allergies or diabetes and let people eat any time during the day. Other conveniences include on-site laundry and dry cleaning, transportation and parking, and a garden for relaxation. The staff aims to brighten people's days and get to know each person. St John's Lutheran Community allows everyone to belong, with policies against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, , age, disability, religion, or family status. The Luther Place Campus is a senior care campus, and residents at both the Luther Place and Fountain Lake communities get help that matches their needs, in an environment meant to feel like home.

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