The reviews for Alpine House of Columbus are highly polarized, with clear reports of both meaningful improvements and serious, sometimes alarming, problems. Several reviewers describe a facility with evident potential — an attractive building, spacious rooms, a pleasant courtyard, and a range of activities — and note significant positive changes since new management took over in 2023. At the same time, multiple other reviews recount severe deficiencies in care, sanitation, and management integrity that raise important safety and ethical concerns.
Care quality and resident wellbeing are major points of divergence. Positive accounts emphasize attentive staff, medication assistance, housekeeping, laundry service, and a home-like atmosphere where residents feel valued. These reviewers describe responsive management, friendly employees, and residents who participate in activities and social life. Conversely, multiple negative reviews describe missed medications (including reports of residents going several days without meds), disinterested nursing staff, and neglect of residents with limited mobility — including reports that some residents were not bathed for over a week. Such reports point to potentially dangerous lapses in basic care and monitoring for vulnerable residents.
Staff behavior and management receive mixed but consequential feedback. Many reviewers praise staff as friendly, approachable, and collaborative under the newer management team, noting improved communication and responsiveness. However, other reviews allege serious problems: staff dishonesty, financial deception, double billing, and recordings of abusive language directed at residents. There are also allegations of unethical managerial behavior (personal relationships with staff on site) and mentions of lawsuits or pending legal issues. Taken together, these comments suggest both real improvements for some residents and unresolved cultural or oversight problems that have led to mistrust among other families.
Facilities and maintenance show a similar split. Several reviewers praise the building's architecture, elegant decor, roomy accommodations, new furniture and beds, and functional amenities (elevator, gym, outdoor seating). Some describe a clean, bug-free environment after an initial issue was addressed. But other reviewers report mold, bed bug infestations (including an explicit sign admitting bed bugs), cracked paint, ragged doors, and dirty carpets. These contradictory descriptions suggest inconsistent upkeep or that conditions have changed over time — some reports reference initial bug problems later resolved, while others indicate persistent sanitation issues.
Dining and activities are also described very differently by different reviewers. Positive reviewers report homemade, good-quality meals, plentiful beverages, and a schedule of activities such as bingo, charades, and games that contribute to residents' wellbeing. Negative reviewers describe cold, low-variety food or “slop” meals and claim residents were forced to order outside food that many could not afford. This split could reflect changes in kitchen staff or management, variability by unit or meal period, or different expectations among reviewers.
A clear pattern in the reviews is the apparent timeline and variability of experience: several reviewers specifically note that conditions improved under new management in 2023 (new furniture, fewer bugs, better staff collaboration and approachability), while a number of the most severe complaints — bed bugs, medication lapses, abusive or dishonest staff — are either older reports or presented as problems that predated or coincided with the transition. Nonetheless, a subset of recent reviews still report very serious problems, indicating that improvements may not be uniform across the facility or that some systemic issues remain.
In summary, Alpine House of Columbus presents a mixed picture. Strengths reported by many include friendly staff (in numerous accounts), spacious rooms, an attractive building, active programming, and responsive maintenance under newer management. Significant and recurring concerns include medication errors/shortages, neglect of personal care for some residents, pest and sanitation issues (notably bed bugs and mold), allegations of financial and ethical misconduct by staff/management, inconsistent food quality, and poor communication in some cases. Prospective residents and families should seek up-to-date verification: tour the facility, ask about recent pest-control records, review medication administration protocols, request references from current residents and families, ask about complaint resolution procedures, and confirm the current management team and licensing/complaint history to determine whether the positive changes noted by some reviewers are consistent and sustained.
