Overall impression: The Gardens of Statesville earns many positive comments for its physical environment, friendly atmosphere, and a core of compassionate staff, but reviews are polarized due to recurring operational and safety concerns. Multiple reviewers praise a clean, well-decorated facility with spacious rooms, attractive common spaces (large dining area, lobby with piano, entertainment areas), and a home-like atmosphere. Many families report warm, trustworthy staff who form strong relationships with residents; specific staff members (e.g., Cyndi, Michelle, Jason Hart) are named and lauded. Activity offerings, when available, are described as engaging — bingo, crafts, exercises, readings, cornhole, and small-group social events — and residents are often portrayed as active and social. Housekeeping and maintenance receive frequent positive mention, as does the facility's pandemic response and safety protocols in many reviews.
Care quality and staff: There is a clear split in perceptions of care quality. Numerous reviewers describe caring, professional, resident-first staff with long tenures who go out of their way to help and communicate proactively. Therapy services and CNA-level interactions are praised in multiple accounts. At the same time, a significant subset of reviews raises alarm: reports of understaffing, overworked and sometimes disrespectful staff, poor or inconsistent caregiver availability, and low caregiver-to-patient ratios. Most worrisome are several severe safety-related allegations — fall incidents, at least one death after a fall, and an allegation that a resident was thrown down stairs — along with reports that staff failed to follow up or provide sympathy/communication to families. These critical safety reports contrast sharply with the otherwise positive testimonials and represent a major red flag that prospective families should directly investigate.
Medical, emergency, and pain-management issues: Multiple reviewers specifically cite poor pain management and a pattern of ER visits tied to uncontrolled pain. There are also repeated claims that the facility sends residents to the emergency room without contacting the resident's physician first. Transport logistics and costs are another persistent concern: reviewers state on-site hospital transport is limited to certain days (noted as Tuesday and Thursday) and that family/resident may be responsible for up to $500 for a one-way ambulance. Some reviewers noted delayed assessments, unclear levels of care, or delayed paperwork that resulted in additional cost or confusion about what level of care a resident was receiving. These operational and clinical-process issues are among the most frequently mentioned negatives and can materially affect a resident's safety and family peace of mind.
Facilities, meals, and activities: The physical plant is commonly praised — hardwood floors, updated décor, private dining room, and rooms that are large enough to accommodate family furniture. The grounds and public areas are described as welcoming, though a few reviewers wanted more green space and called the courtyard unattractive. Dining receives mixed feedback: several reviews applaud the variety of menu options, sampling events, and a generally good dining room experience (and note pleasant smells like BBQ chicken at dinner), while other reviewers complain of small portions, cold food, and meals that lack home-cooked seasoning. Activities are plentiful in many accounts, contributing to a lively resident community, but other reviews describe limited activities (especially on weekends or during the pandemic), small-group focus, or fewer outings compared with peer communities.
Management and communication: Communication and administrative responsiveness are praised in many reviews — staff described as proactive, helpful, and informative; maintenance and housekeeping noted as responsive; and families saying they are kept updated by phone and email. Conversely, several strong negative reviews recount difficulty reaching administration, lack of outreach after adverse events, unprofessional conduct by administrative staff, and unclear or expensive billing practices. There are also notes about renovation activity and that some rooms/areas were under renovation, which could impact the move-in experience.
Security and memory care: A number of reviewers flagged concerns specific to memory care — wander risk and a desire for a more secure environment. Additional safety-related observations include reports of unattended front desks, unlocked doors, and times when there appeared to be insufficient staff presence. While many families felt the facility was secure and well-run, the security concerns raised by other reviewers amplify the importance of verifying safety measures for memory-impaired residents.
Cost, admissions, and comparisons: Cost is a recurring theme: many reviewers call the community expensive and mention unclear levels of care or additional fees (assessment delays, ambulance costs). Some potential residents found quicker or cheaper placement elsewhere. One reviewer referenced a monthly cost figure ($1,500) as cost-prohibitive, and others mentioned high prices relative to perceived care quality. Several reviewers recommended The Gardens highly despite cost, but others felt the price did not match the level of care—or raised concerns that the facility could be outperformed by competitors in either cost, availability, or responsiveness.
Patterns and recommendations: The dominant pattern is a generally attractive, clean, and activity-rich community with caring staff and strong features, coupled with recurring operational issues — most critically understaffing and inconsistent medical/pain-management practices — and a few serious safety allegations that require investigation. Because reviews are polarized, prospective families should take a thorough, targeted approach prior to move-in: verify current staffing levels (day/evening/night/weekend ratios), ask for the facility’s fall history and incident reports, request written policies on ER transfers and physician notification, clarify ambulance and transport fees and schedules, confirm the process and timeline for assessments and level-of-care determinations, tour the memory-care unit and security systems (door locks, staffing, wander-risk protocols), and speak directly to named staff and current family references about recent care and communication. Finally, confirm food-service practices (portion sizes/warmth/menus) and check whether renovation timelines or reduced activities will affect short-term resident life.
Bottom line: The Gardens of Statesville appears to offer a warm, clean, and active living environment with many devoted staff and attractive facilities, and it is highly recommended by numerous families. However, the facility also receives significant negative comments that include understaffing, questionable clinical/pain-management practices, logistical limitations for transport, expensive and unclear fees, inconsistent administrative communication, and some serious safety allegations. Those negative points are substantial enough that careful, specific due diligence is strongly recommended before selecting the community for a loved one.
