Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed but leans strongly negative, with recurrent and serious concerns about staffing, safety, communication, and management overshadowing the positive experiences some families reported. Several reviews praise particular staff members, the rehab services, and physical features of the facility (large rehab gym, private rehab rooms with TVs, attractive interior courtyards), yet these positives are uneven and appear localized to specific units or individual caregivers. The dominant themes are chronic understaffing, inconsistent care delivery, and administrative problems that directly affected resident safety and family trust.
Care quality and safety are the most frequently raised issues. Multiple reports describe delayed medication administration, missed medications, prolonged emergency response times (one mention of a 30-minute emergency delay), and instances where residents were left unsupervised or exposed to unsafe handling (examples include a bed-wedged incident and a patient reportedly asked to turn off an emergency button). Showers and incontinence care were frequently missed or delayed, briefs not changed in a timely way, and some residents experienced worsened depression or distress attributed to neglect. There are multiple allegations of neglect and even abuse, and some reviewers explicitly call for the facility to be shut down or raise licensing concerns. Conversely, some reviewers reported professional care, timely meds, and successful rehab outcomes; however, those positive accounts are inconsistent across stays and appear to depend heavily on which staff were on shift.
Staffing, staff behavior, and leadership are central patterns. Reviews repeatedly describe being short-staffed (examples include reports of only three staff on shift, one CNA on nights, or generally insufficient CNAs/nurses relative to residents), which reviewers connect to slow call-bell response, missed meals, delayed transfers to appointments, and safety lapses. Staff are described with a wide range of behaviors: some are called caring, professional, and helpful (including a knowledgeable advocate who was also a patient), while others are described as rude, dismissive, unprofessional, or self-centered. There are specific complaints about nurses scolding residents, CNAs improperly handling patients, suspected narcotics misuse by a nurse, and staff giggling during inappropriate moments. Frequent administrator turnover and statements that the Director of Nursing does not care contribute to perceptions of weak leadership and poor oversight.
Facility infrastructure and environment are mixed. Positive descriptions include cleanliness cited by some families and attractive amenities like interior courtyards and a large rehab gym. However, many reviewers noted significant facility deficiencies: broken air conditioning and a very hot environment, bad smells (urine at night), poor bathroom facilities, and packed spoiled food among belongings. Reviewers also reported noisy night-time environments and inconsistent housekeeping. Several posts suggest corporate owners have not attended to important maintenance issues like the heating/cooling system. Contact and operational problems were also noted, such as out-of-service phone numbers, outdated information, and poor reception handling (a receptionist hanging up on a family member).
Dining and nutrition received repeated negative comments. Numerous reviews mention late, cold, removed, or missing meals; burnt or spoiled food; inconsistent meal delivery (kitchen staff leaving early); and trays being taken away before residents can eat. Some families reported weight gain and improved eating under attentive staff, but poor meal service appears common enough to be a recurring complaint.
Administration, billing, and transitions were problematic in many accounts. There are multiple descriptions of rushed or mishandled discharges, unexpected daily charges without proper notice, billing disputes, and issues with insurance coverage (including long-distance transfers of 203 miles and insurance not covering travel). Families reported delays in obtaining prescriptions and medical equipment at discharge, and in one case belongings were packed with spoiled food. Frequent leadership turnover, perceived corporate profiteering, and a name change to Avantara of Billings were also cited as raising distrust among reviewers.
Notable bright spots are concentrated in the rehab and memory-care services reported by some families. Several reviewers praised the rehab wing for effective therapy, timely PT, and good follow-through, and some memory care feedback was positive with needs being met. A number of individual staff members received heartfelt thanks for attentive care, and some families reported easy relocations and meaningful improvement in their relatives’ condition.
In summary, Yellowstone River Nursing and Rehabilitation displays a split profile: strong rehabilitative amenities and a cadre of dedicated staff provide good outcomes for some residents, but pervasive operational failures — especially understaffing, inconsistent caregiving, safety incidents, poor communication, and maintenance problems — create significant and recurring harm and dissatisfaction for many families. Prospective residents and families should weigh the facility’s rehab strengths and some positive staff reports against frequent reports of neglect, safety lapses, billing and discharge problems, and environmental issues like broken air conditioning. If considering placement, insist on clear commitments about staffing levels, detailed discharge planning, up-to-date contact and billing information, and documented safety protocols and then verify through recent inspections, direct conversations with unit leadership, and on-site observations during multiple times of day and night.
