Overall sentiment across the reviews for Shepherd of the Valley - Boardman is mixed and somewhat polarized: multiple reviewers report genuinely positive care experiences and courteous, attentive staff, while others report serious clinical failures, management deficiencies, and unprofessional behavior. Positive comments focus strongly on individual caregivers — nurses and aides who are described as kind, responsive, and communicative — and on a clean facility with pleasant communal spaces, decent meals, and effective rehabilitation support for mobility needs. Several families noted that staff took time to speak with residents, kept rooms clean, and responded quickly when clinical issues were identified, resulting in prompt treatment that they appreciated.
However, a substantial set of negative reports raises significant concerns about safety, consistency, and leadership. Some reviewers described severe incidents including a fall with pelvic fractures, missed IV doses, relapsed urinary tract infections, and delayed diagnostic imaging. There are allegations that incident reports and follow-up were mishandled, and at least one review references involvement of an ADON and a state investigation or disagreement with regulators. These accounts suggest lapses in clinical oversight and medication/diagnostic management that could have serious consequences for residents.
Staff behavior and staffing levels are another major theme with conflicting experiences: many reviewers praise specific caregivers as excellent and compassionate, yet others report aides who belittled residents, used profanity, or behaved unprofessionally. Short-staffing is mentioned as a factor that can degrade care (missed baths, delayed assistance to the dining hall), and reviewers also note passive-aggressive or rude interactions and pay/HR issues that may affect morale. This variance indicates that care can depend heavily on which staff are assigned and highlights inconsistent staff training or supervision.
Facility and environment feedback is similarly mixed. The property and rooms are described as clean with nice grounds and communal areas (including a piano and comfortable seating), and some reviewers praised the food. At the same time, shared rooms with limited storage (one dresser), shared TVs, and an overall “not homey” feeling were cited as drawbacks. Some reviewers explicitly mentioned loneliness and a lack of activities, which can worsen quality of life for residents who are ambulatory but isolated. One reviewer also reported lack of air conditioning and missed personal care (not bathing), which are serious comfort and safety concerns.
Administrative and communication problems recur in the reviews. Several families reported that administration was unresponsive, promises were not kept unless repeatedly pursued, and paperwork was requested multiple times. These patterns point to inconsistent family communication and administrative follow-through. Positive reports of responsive communication and staff who advocate for residents do exist, but they appear uneven and possibly dependent on specific personnel.
In summary, Shepherd of the Valley - Boardman shows strong positives in individual caregiver performance, cleanliness, and some aspects of clinical responsiveness and rehab support. However, reviewers also document important and repeatable concerns: safety incidents, medication and diagnostic delays, unprofessional staff behavior in some cases, shared-room limitations, limited activities leading to loneliness, and inconsistent administrative response. Prospective residents and families should consider these polarized experiences: visit in person, meet both clinical and administrative staff, ask about staffing levels, incident reporting and follow-up procedures, room arrangements (private vs shared), activity programming, and recent state inspection results to confirm whether the facility’s strengths align with their priorities and to gauge how the facility addresses the serious issues reported by some families.
