Overall impression: Reviews for Encore at Mahtomedi Assisted Living and Memory Care are mixed but cluster around two consistent themes: a very appealing physical environment and family-centered touches, and inconsistent clinical/staffing performance that has produced both strongly positive and strongly negative resident experiences. Many reviewers praise the facility’s modern, well-decorated, home-like atmosphere, and highlight its small-community feel, while a smaller but vocal subset reports serious care and safety concerns. Prospective families are advised to weigh the strong environmental, dining, and social features against reports of variable clinical oversight and to verify current staffing and medication-management practices in person.
Facilities and environment: The building is repeatedly described as new (about 1.5 years old), modern, warm, and inviting. Reviewers noted spacious common areas with abundant natural light, well-decorated interiors, a central kitchen/dining/activity/TV area, fish tank, covered outdoor patios on each floor, courtyard and gazebo. Apartment-style units with kitchenettes, spacious studios and one-bedroom layouts, large bathrooms, and wheelchair-friendly showers (no bathtubs) were called out frequently. The layout’s small scale, lack of long hallways, and accessible common areas contribute to a sense of ease and safety for many families. Several reviewers specifically stated the community ‘feels like home’ and appreciated the homey touches and cleanliness.
Staff and care quality: Staff performance is a major point of divergence in the reviews. Numerous families praised caregivers, memory care staff, and some administrative leaders as warm, compassionate, responsive, and effective — comments include staff being attentive, respectful of residents, helpful during transitions, and instrumental in stabilizing medications. Multiple reviewers credited recent leadership changes (nursing/director-level) with observable improvements. Conversely, other reviewers reported serious staffing and care problems: medication errors, poor medication-management protocols, disorganized RN oversight, inattentive or verbally abrupt PCAs, and an unfriendly activity director. Understaffing was mentioned repeatedly as contributing to inattentiveness and poor follow-through. This variability suggests that service quality may depend heavily on specific staff on duty and recent leadership changes; families should confirm current staff ratios, turnover, and clinical oversight during a tour.
Dining, activities, and services: Dining is one of the stronger areas in reviewer feedback. Many families noted fresh, appealing meals, three meals daily, side-menu options, and a pleasant dining atmosphere with dining available on every floor and meals delivered to rooms when needed. Activities were also appreciated — reviewers mentioned movie days, bingo, field trips, music programming, outings, and a transportation van for shopping. However, several reviews remarked that COVID restrictions had paused some outings and field trips, and a few noted variability in meal quality (some saying breakfast was better than dinner). Overall, the social programming and food services were commonly cited as positives that support resident engagement and quality of life.
Safety, sanitation, and serious incidents: While many reviews emphasize cleanliness and a well-maintained facility, there are isolated but severe reports of unsafe or unsanitary conditions: smells of sewage, urine/feces exposure in rooms, soiled accommodations, missing items/theft, and unexplained shaving of a resident’s hair. Some families reported that such incidents coincided with poor nursing oversight and medication problems, and in at least one serious instance these conditions were associated with a move to a secure level or hospice admission. These reports are not universal but are significant; they point to lapses in protocols and oversight that need to be probed directly with management.
Management, communication, and improvements over time: Multiple reviewers described poor communication, unprofessional administrative responses, inconsistent follow-through, and disengaged regional leadership or VP-level staff. At the same time, there are recurring comments that a new executive director, a new director of nursing, or local leaders (specific names cited by reviewers) have been actively working to resolve past problems, with several families observing improvements after May/June leadership changes. This pattern indicates a facility in transition: some of the negative experiences reflect earlier operational gaps while more recent feedback indicates corrective action is underway. Nonetheless, families should confirm the stability of leadership and concrete improvements during an in-person visit.
Practical considerations: Cost and availability are recurring practical concerns. Reviewers reported that the community can be expensive, cited specific pricing examples (Dahlia $3,500; Juniper $3,245), and noted a private-pay requirement followed by elderly-waiver eligibility and even a two-year private-pay stipulation reported by some. Limited assisted-resident spots and small total capacity (e.g., memory-care unit with limited rooms) mean availability may be constrained. Some families also found the location inconvenient (far NE for some). For these reasons, prospective residents should verify pricing structures, contract terms, bed availability, and waiver handling before deciding.
Bottom line and recommendations: Encore at Mahtomedi offers an attractive, well-appointed, small-community environment with strong dining and activity programs and many caring staff members who deliver person-centered memory care that feels like home. However, reviews also document inconsistent clinical care, medication management problems, isolated sanitation and safety incidents, and administrative communication issues—though some of these problems appear to be improving under newer leadership. Because experiences vary widely, families should (1) tour the community and observe care staff/resident interactions, (2) ask specifically about medication-management protocols, RN oversight, staff-to-resident ratios and turnover, (3) request recent incident/inspection records and references from current families, and (4) confirm financial terms, private-pay obligations, and availability. Those prioritizing environment, meals, and small-scale memory care may find this facility an excellent fit, but anyone for whom consistent clinical reliability and robust staffing are critical should perform careful due diligence and ask hard questions during the visit.
