The reviews for Willow Creek at Buffalo are strongly polarized, producing a mix of enthusiastic praise from many residents and family members alongside a smaller but alarming set of serious allegations and operational concerns. On the positive side, numerous reviewers describe a clean, well-run facility with friendly, attentive staff. Multiple comments highlight long-tenured employees, a family-oriented and welcoming atmosphere, and staff members who are caring, accommodating, and engaged with residents. Residents are reported to be active and engaged with ongoing programming and activities, and many reviewers note that residents are not bored and enjoy the social environment. Dining also receives favorable mention, with reviewers stating they are happy with the food. Affordability and proximity are recurrent positives: several reviewers call the pricing reasonable, mention being close to home, and point to a long waiting list—suggesting demand and satisfaction among some families.
However, the negative reports raise substantial operational and safety concerns that cannot be ignored. Multiple reviews allege unpaid staff, mold within the facility, and delayed repairs—specifically noting that repairs are handled by a construction company owned by the facility owner, which is reported to have caused delays. There are allegations of management incompetence and instability; reviewers describe leadership turnover, including a director quitting and a new director being brought in, which has created distrust among some family members. There are also accounts of threats made to staff and more alarming accusations of aggressive caregiver behavior and even staff-initiated fights. Several reviewers explicitly warn others to avoid the facility and characterize the surroundings or governance as disturbing or creepy.
A recurrent theme ties several of the more serious concerns to ownership and reputation. The owner, named in reviews as Don Herman, is associated by some reviewers with negative press and broader warnings about risk. These mentions are not limited to one or two complaints but appear across multiple summaries as reasons for unease. Combined with reports of unpaid employees, mold, and delayed repairs, ownership-related complaints create a distinct pattern suggesting potential systemic problems with maintenance, contractor relationships, and corporate oversight.
Despite these serious allegations, a substantial number of reviews convey confidence in the direct caregiving staff and day-to-day resident experience. Several family members report that their relatives are happy and well cared for, calling out an amazing, positive atmosphere and high levels of personal attention. The contrast between glowing personal experiences and the troubling operational complaints suggests a divide between frontline caregiving quality and higher-level administrative or ownership practices. In other words, direct care and programming may be strong in many respects, while organizational governance, upkeep, and safety oversight are areas of concern for some reviewers.
Given the polarized feedback, the key pattern is one of mixed reliability: many signs of a good daily living environment (cleanliness, engaged activities, friendly long-term staff, good food, affordability), alongside recurring and serious safety, maintenance, and management allegations tied to ownership and administrative practices. Prospective residents and families should weigh both sets of information. Important, verifiable follow-up steps would include asking the facility about recent inspections, remediation of mold, documentation of repairs and contracts with any owner-associated construction companies, current staffing/payroll practices, incident reports, leadership stability, and speaking directly with multiple current residents and families to get a broad sense of consistency in experiences.
In summary, Willow Creek at Buffalo elicits strong positive reports about resident life, care interactions, and cost/value from many reviewers, but these are counterbalanced by repeated, specific complaints about unpaid employees, facility maintenance (including mold), delayed repairs tied to an owner-run construction company, leadership turnover, threats to staff, and troubling allegations linked to the named owner. The reviews point to a need for careful due diligence: if the priority is everyday resident engagement and rapport with caregivers, many reviewers are satisfied; if concerns about organizational transparency, maintenance, and ownership conduct are paramount, the red flags raised in several reviews warrant careful investigation before making a placement decision.
