Overall sentiment across the reviews is predominantly positive about Old Main Village’s appearance, amenities, dining, and much of the staff — but there are persistent, important negative reports that create a mixed picture and warrant careful scrutiny by prospective residents and families.
Facilities and setting: Reviewers repeatedly praise the building’s beauty and historic character. The dining rooms and common spaces are described as elegant, bright, and well-appointed (cloth napkins, upholstered chairs, natural light). The campus offers many desirable amenities: an indoor pool and therapy pool, exercise areas, library, beauty/barber shop, on-floor laundry, post office, lounges, a courtyard and gazebo, and outdoor decks with views. Many reviews emphasize that the facility is clean and well maintained. At the same time a common thread is that the building is very large; several reviewers found it overwhelming or confusing to navigate, and a few said it felt too big for residents who prefer a smaller, more intimate setting.
Dining and food service: Dining receives polarized feedback. The majority of reviewers rave about the food — calling it restaurant-quality, chef-driven, and something residents “rave about.” Multiple reviewers described multi-course service, special touches, and high standards. Conversely, a subset of reviews complain about poor food quality, unhealthy meals, and inconsistent cooks. This split suggests variability in meal experience that may depend on staffing, time of day, or unit. Prospective residents should sample multiple meals and ask about menu rotations and consistency.
Staff, care quality and clinical concerns: Most reviewers describe staff as friendly, helpful, caring, and responsive. Many single out specific employees (including named staff) and praise the front desk, bus driver, maintenance, therapy staff, and activity coordinators. Several families reported smooth move-ins, individualized attention, and well-coordinated care. However, significant negative reports raise red flags: accounts include ignored concerns about a resident, failures of communication (nonfunctional phone lines, unanswered concerns), a reported fall that family said was not communicated to them, and very serious clinical outcomes including a noted death by sepsis and distressing hospice/end-of-life experiences. Staffing shortages and inconsistent aides/CNAs were mentioned and may contribute to lapses in care or communication. In addition, a few reviewers described contempt or disrespect from leadership or administrative staff — contrasting sharply with other reviewers who called the executive director proactive and supportive. These mixed reports point to variability in leadership/management behavior and possible staffing or operational stressors that affect care reliability.
Activities, therapy and social life: The community appears to offer a robust activity program: live music, plays, Lunch Bunch trips, happy hour, crafts, bingo, water aerobics, concerts, poker nights, movies, and frequent outings. Therapy services (PT/OT) onsite impressed reviewers. Many residents and families described a lively social atmosphere, engaged residents, and opportunities to form friendships. For people seeking an active social life with structured programming, Old Main offers strong positives.
Operations, safety, and communication: Several operational issues recur: heating/cooling complaints (too hot in summer, too cold in winter), a security lapse where a door was left unlocked during painting, and a long-standing nonfunctional phone issue. Financial/contractual matters raised include at least one complainant who said they were not reimbursed after a 30-day notice — prospective families should clarify financial policies and refund conditions. The presence of both glowing comments about high-touch service and reports of poor communication and administrative contempt suggests variability in day-to-day management and possibly variations between units or shifts.
Price and value: Multiple reviewers said the community is expensive or overpriced; however, many still felt the quality of food, amenities, and staff justified the price. Whether value is perceived positively appears to depend on individual expectations and experiences with care consistency.
Patterns and recommendations: Most reviewers highlight striking strengths — an elegant facility, excellent dining for many, comprehensive amenities, strong activity programming, and many compassionate staff members. But there are a number of recurring and serious concerns: inconsistent meal quality, staffing shortages, communication failures (including phones and notifying families of incidents), and several alarming clinical reports (fall not reported, death by sepsis, troubling hospice experience). The reviews also show a split on administration and executive leadership — some families praise proactive leadership while others report arrogance or disrespect. Because of these contrasts, prospective residents should do targeted due diligence: visit at different meal times, ask for current staffing ratios and staff turnover data, inquire about emergency and incident notification procedures, confirm phone and communication reliability, review policies about refunds/cancellations, and ask specifically about infection control, end-of-life protocols, and how the community handles clinical escalations. If a smaller, more intimate environment is preferred, consider whether the facility’s large scale and layout will feel overwhelming.
Bottom line: Old Main Village offers a beautiful, amenity-rich environment with many satisfied residents and families who praise the food, activities, and most staff. However, there are serious and recurring concerns around care consistency, communication, some management behaviors, and clinical safety in isolated but consequential reports. The facility may be an excellent fit for people prioritizing dining, social programming, and historic ambience, but families of residents with complex medical needs or high supervision requirements should investigate clinical protocols and staffing stability thoroughly before committing.
