Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed but leans positively with strong, repeated praise for frontline caregiving and many of the facility’s physical and social amenities. The most consistent positives are attentive, caring nursing aides and staff who deliver a personal, home-like environment. Multiple reviewers explicitly say their loved ones "love it" there, describe staff as friendly and responsive, and note quick help and last-minute assistance. The building and grounds receive strong compliments: clean, immaculate grounds; bright, sunny apartments (including pond-view one-bedrooms); and clean common areas. Residents and families commonly praise the food as fresh, hot, generous in portion size, and varied for many — including a second meal option — and note that staff are pursuing more diabetic-friendly dining and are charting meals. Amenities such as an outdoor garden, theater-style viewing area, pub, chapel, game room, and a daily activity calendar support social engagement. Therapy services (PT/OT), bathing assistance, transportation to appointments, and the provision of a "journey book" for care planning are further pluses seen in multiple reviews.
However, several recurrent and serious concerns temper the positive feedback and point to operational and management weaknesses. Communication and management responsiveness are frequent pain points: families report poor communication from leadership and nursing, slow phone responses, difficulty getting feedback, and instances of perceived rudeness or lack of proactivity from nurses or administrative staff. Billing and admission practices appear to be a notable problem area — reviewers mention a confusing billing system, billing issues, pressure to sign paperwork at move-in, and at least one specific claim of a lost or withheld $1,000 deposit. There are also troubling reports around memory care. Some families allege denial of memory-care placement without proper evaluation, inconsistent memory-care quality, and one reviewer described an especially serious situation involving claims that a resident was failed by administration and experienced financial exploitation.
Clinical and safety concerns are another clear theme. Several comments indicate inconsistent RN follow-through, and specific diabetes-care problems were mentioned: no sliding-scale insulin available, inability to change a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor initially, and an initial lack of diabetic meal options (though reviewers also note corrective steps such as a new responsive LPN and meal-charting being implemented). Safety issues include the lack of locks on some room doors and reports of roaming residents that made families feel unsafe. Laundry and personal belongings management is a recurring operational complaint: reports of missing items, poor investigation into missing items (with some families alleging theft), excessive frequency of washing causing wear to clothing and bedding, and belongings not being kept together. These operational lapses contribute to an underlying theme for some reviewers: while aides and many frontline staff are compassionate and competent, managerial oversight, consistency of systems, and investigative follow-through are sometimes lacking.
There is also a split between experiences: many families would recommend Edgewood because of the caring staff, clean facility, good food, and activities; others had very negative, sometimes extreme experiences involving alleged financial mismanagement or poor clinical handling. Several reviews reference COVID-related limitations on touring, which affected perceptions and expectations at move-in. Remodeling and maintenance were also mentioned: some families noted mess related to remodeling and that some rooms need touch-ups. Activity programming is generally appreciated (one to two activities per day, piano, outings, storytelling, arts and crafts), but a few families felt activities were limited or had been lacking for extended periods.
In sum, the dominant strengths are compassionate, attentive caregivers, clean and attractive facilities, enjoyable dining, and a range of amenities and activities that promote resident engagement. The dominant weaknesses center on management, communication, billing and admission transparency, inconsistent clinical oversight (notably around diabetes care and RN follow-through), safety concerns in specific situations, laundry/personal items management, and troubling isolated allegations of financial impropriety. Prospective residents and families should weigh the strong, commonly reported interpersonal care and the appealing environment against these recurring operational and management concerns. If considering Edgewood Sartell, visitors should request clear explanations of billing and deposit policies, verify how diabetic and memory-care needs will be handled (including documented assessments), ask about staff turnover and supervisory coverage, and get a thorough tour of unit security and laundry/personal property procedures. If any family has specific clinical needs (e.g., insulin sliding scale or CGM management, or intensive memory-care services), confirm in writing how those needs will be met and who is responsible for follow-through before finalizing admission.
