Overall sentiment is strongly mixed, with a majority of reviews emphasizing excellent, compassionate care and a skilled rehabilitation program, while a notable minority report serious lapses in clinical competence (particularly for dementia care), safety, communication, professionalism, and facility maintenance. Many families describe staff as warm, attentive, and like family; others report worrying incidents and unprofessional behavior that materially affected trust and patient safety.
Care quality and rehabilitation: A large number of reviewers praise the nursing staff and especially the physical therapy/rehabilitation team, crediting them with meaningful improvements in mobility, successful recoveries (including hip replacement rehabilitation), and attentive, supportive care. Multiple accounts describe clinicians as knowledgeable, encouraging, and instrumental in restoring function. Conversely, several reviews highlight significant deficiencies in dementia-specific care: staff and weekend nurses reportedly lack dementia training or preparation, which created care challenges for residents with cognitive impairment.
Staff, compassion, and professionalism: Many reviewers repeatedly use words such as kind, caring, loving, family-like, and above-and-beyond to describe direct caregivers and therapists. Administrators are described by some families as supportive and involved, and several accounts note smooth transitions and prompt responses. However, there are concerning reports of unprofessional behavior at leadership and executive levels, including accusations of disrespectful communication, alleged lying, and conduct that left families feeling marginalized. Specific consent issues (for example, a haircut performed without permission) and at least one report of a facility-imposed “power trip” toward a patient illustrate these serious relationship and rights-related problems.
Safety, medication, and incident reporting: While many families feel their loved ones were safe, others reported grave safety concerns. One review alleges a resident fell from a wheelchair and family members were not notified. Multiple reviews cite medication management problems, including claims of hidden or mismanaged medications. There are also complaints about inadequate discharge procedures — e.g., a written discharge notice was reportedly not provided and some families felt discharge planning was mocked or handled improperly. These issues raise red flags about consistency in clinical governance, incident reporting, and informed consent practices.
Facilities, housekeeping, and location: Several reviewers praise the facility’s cleanliness and comfortable rooms, calling the center top-notch in cleanliness. In contrast, a set of reviews describe atrocious conditions, neglected housekeeping, broken items, and poor maintenance. This split suggests inconsistent standards or variability over time or by unit. Additionally, some reviewers found the facility remote or hard to find and expressed winter access concerns, which may be relevant for visitors and emergency planning.
Dining and activities: Opinions on dining are mixed. Some families compliment the food and attentive kitchen staff; others call the food among the worst and report repeated kitchen errors. Activities and engagement receive mostly positive mention, with reviewers noting engaging programs that support recovery and quality of life.
Patterns and recommendations: The dominant pattern is a polarized experience—many families had excellent outcomes and felt their loved ones were treated with dignity and skill, while a minority experienced serious failings around dementia care, medication handling, communication, professionalism, and physical plant maintenance. Because of this variability, prospective residents and families should do targeted due diligence: ask specific questions about dementia training and weekend staffing, medication administration and auditing processes, incident reporting and family notification policies, consent and personal care protocols, housekeeping/maintenance routines, and who oversees executive-level concerns. Visiting the unit(s) where their loved one would be placed and meeting the therapy and nursing staff and administrators in person can help identify whether the positive operational elements cited by many families are present and whether the concerning reports have been addressed.
In summary, The Dalles Health and Rehabilitation receives many strong endorsements for compassionate caregiving and an effective rehabilitation program, but the facility also shows a pattern of serious, isolated complaints that touch on resident safety, dementia competency, medication management, communication, and maintenance. These are significant enough that families with residents who have dementia or complex medical needs should verify those specific areas before committing, while those seeking strong post-acute rehab may find the facility's therapy and nursing teams highly beneficial based on multiple positive reports.
