Overall sentiment about Woodlake at New Hope is strongly mixed: many reviewers praise the therapy team, welcoming residents, warm atmosphere, and attractive grounds, while a substantial number of reviews report serious quality and safety concerns in nursing and long-term care areas. Positive feedback frequently highlights compassionate physical therapy and an on-site rehab center that families and residents found professional and helpful, and multiple reviewers singled out the chaplain and spiritual services (including a resident priest) as valuable supports. The campus and outdoor spaces are consistently described as beautiful and well-kept, and many residents enjoy the social life, activities, and dining. Several notes describe staff as friendly, kind, and informative, and some families reported thorough and responsive nursing care that made them feel their loved one was safe and well cared-for. In short, for certain residents and in certain departments (especially therapy and aspects of assisted living), Woodlake receives strong praise and recommendations.
However, a persistent and serious set of negative themes emerges across reviews — particularly in long-term care and with certain frontline caregivers. Multiple reviews describe small, hospital-like rooms (sometimes with only a curtain separating beds), lack of private baths, and an environment that feels more like a nursing home than a homelike assisted-living community. There are several alarming reports of medication errors, withheld or delayed medications, and nurses who were perceived as dishonest about incidents; these reports include accounts of inadequate pain control and a strong warning from at least one reviewer to avoid the facility for that reason. Equally troubling are multiple accounts of aide incompetence and neglect: language barriers, poor training, or inattentiveness that allegedly led to residents being dropped and hospitalized, being told to wet or soil the bed, and delays in starting physical therapy or care plans. One reviewer specifically reported a mother being dropped by aides and hospitalized, and others reported bedsores that worsened by discharge.
Safety, security, and management responsiveness are additional focal points of concern. Although assisted living security systems and spiritual support were noted positively, other reports claim theft of personal items (including a missing wedding ring) with no apparent action by management, privacy breaches such as doors left open during care, and unresponsiveness to follow-up complaints. Several reviews cite unreturned calls from administration and a general impression that management did not adequately investigate or remediate serious incidents. Star Tribune stories (mentioned by reviewers from 2014 and 2016) were invoked as part of a negative narrative by some families, suggesting past broader issues that concerned reviewers.
Staffing and professionalism appear inconsistent: many reviewers describe hard-working, compassionate, skilled, and friendly staff, while others recount rude, impatient, or unprofessional nurses and aides who wore mismatched attire or were dismissive when supplies (e.g., tissues) were not available. Short staffing was named as a likely driver of delayed responses to call lights and reduced dignity in care. Several families contrasted better experiences in Assisted Living with worse experiences in the Long-Term Care unit, indicating uneven quality across departments. Equipment limitations — missing lifts or outdated supplies — and the need for refurbishment in older parts of the building were mentioned as impediments to providing high-quality care.
Dining, activities, and community life are commonly appreciated: nice lunches, a lively dining room, activities, and opportunities for residents to socialize and form lasting friendships were repeatedly cited. The location and some operational conveniences (e.g., presentable common spaces, helpful front-desk staff) were also praised. Yet some reviewers noted that rooms are expensive despite being small and basic, contributing to a sense that cost does not always match perceived value.
In summary, Woodlake at New Hope appears to offer a strong therapy program, welcoming social community, attractive grounds, and a number of compassionate staff members who make a positive difference for many residents. At the same time, there are recurring, serious complaints around medication safety, aide competence and neglect, theft and privacy breaches, facility cleanliness in some areas, and management’s responsiveness to complaints. These polarized experiences suggest the facility may provide very good care under certain conditions or in certain units, but also pose material risks for residents requiring higher-dependency long-term nursing care. Prospective residents and families should weigh the consistent strengths in therapy, activities, and community life against the documented safety and management concerns; when considering Woodlake, visiting the specific unit, asking for incident logs, staffing ratios, medication error protocols, and clarification of security/theft policies are especially important to assess fit and risk.
