Overall sentiment across the review summaries is mixed and polarized: many families and reviewers praise Shorewood Landing for its new, well-appointed facility, caring staff, strong programs, and attractive amenities, while other reviewers raise very serious concerns about care quality, hygiene, safety, and management stability. The facility is frequently described as modern, bright, and thoughtfully designed with numerous amenities — an excellent dining hall, salon/barber/nail services, a movie theater, outdoor patio and courtyard, secure common areas, and an integrated independent/assisted/memory-care model that supports aging in place. Several reviewers emphasized the home-like atmosphere, friendly residents, a central inclusive layout, and convenient proximity to Lake Minnetonka and local families. For many visitors and families the staff experience is a highlight: staff are called caring, compassionate, diligent (especially during COVID), and administratively accessible with good communication and helpful moving assistance.
However, these positive accounts sit alongside multiple, very serious negative reports that suggest significant variability in resident experience and care consistency. A recurring and alarming theme is understaffing and high staff turnover that reviewers link to neglectful care: specific allegations include weekends with residents left soiled, residents soaking in urine, staff on phones while residents fell, and only two aides caring for twenty residents. Several reviewers reported unsanitary conditions in rooms and bathrooms (feces, food left out, persistent urine odors in memory care), alleged abuse or mishandling, dehydration, weight loss, and an improper hospice response. Memory care (Pillars) is repeatedly cited as a troubled area in some accounts, with smell, hygiene, and staffing problems mentioned. These reports contrast strongly with other reviewers who describe immaculate apartments and thorough cleaning services, which indicates pronounced inconsistency between units, shifts, or time periods.
Management and operational concerns are another major pattern. While some families praise quick follow-up and excellent administrative communication, others describe management turnover, dismissive responses to reported problems, false promises, and a lack of corrective action when safety or sanitation issues are raised. This inconsistency in leadership and accountability appears correlated with reports of poor cleaning, staffing shortages, and unresolved safety concerns. Several reviewers also noted weekend staffing and training gaps, and alleged untrained staff contributing to negative outcomes. Pricing is a notable consideration: Shorewood Landing is described as top-market with rates cited around $11,000/month, which reviewers use as a baseline for expecting high-quality, reliable care; dissatisfaction is amplified where families feel the cost does not match the level of service provided.
Facility- and design-related feedback is similarly mixed. Many reviewers appreciate the bright, cheerful interiors, nautical theme, brand-new rooms, and thoughtful common areas. Amenities such as the dining hall, salon, movie theater, and outdoor spaces receive positive mentions. Conversely, reviewers raised specific design concerns for seniors: dark apartment rooms in some units, microwaves placed above stoves and stove controls located at the back (both potentially unsafe or inconvenient for reduced mobility/dexterity), uneven floors, and an inaccessible main entry. External site safety issues were also flagged — a busy highway, lack of sidewalks, and problematic approaches to the facility — which could be important for families considering location and walkability.
Given the breadth of praise alongside deep concerns, the pattern suggests Shorewood Landing can deliver an excellent experience under certain conditions (well-staffed shifts, attentive leadership, particular units) but has had incidents and systemic problems that have led to severe negative outcomes for other residents. Memory care and weekend coverage are areas repeatedly singled out as high-risk in the negative reviews. For prospective residents and families: a careful, specific tour is essential. Ask for current staffing ratios and turnover statistics, recent incident and complaint responses, cleaning protocols, hospice coordination procedures, and references from families with residents in the same unit you are considering. Tour during different times (including weekends and evenings), inspect memory care areas, request to see actual, not staged, resident rooms and recent inspection/incident logs, and clarify pricing and what it includes.
In summary, Shorewood Landing has many of the attributes families often seek — new construction, attractive amenities, caring staff at times, and a range of services — but also carries significant reported risks tied to staffing, management responsiveness, sanitation, and safety in some portions of the community. The decision should weigh the facility’s strong positives against the documented variability and serious negative reports; due diligence, targeted questions, and verification of current conditions and staffing practices are strongly recommended before committing.
