Overall sentiment: Reviews for The Willow are mixed but lean positive around the direct-care experience, amenities and activities, while showing recurring concerns about cost, management consistency and staffing. A substantial number of reviewers repeatedly praise the front-line caregiving staff as welcoming, warm, personable and highly involved. Many families describe smooth transitions, personalized attention, and life-restoring impacts for residents. Several staff members are called out by name (for example Wendy and Joy) as responsive, helpful and central to positive placements. The facility’s smaller, more intimate scale (three floors, manageable census) is highlighted as a benefit by reviewers who appreciate the family-oriented culture and the opportunity for residents to form friendships and participate frequently in activities.
Care quality and staffing: There is a pronounced split in perceptions of care. Many reviews emphasize attentive, nurturing caregivers, prompt medication administration, and staff who do "whatever it takes." These families report peace of mind, safety, and restored independence for loved ones. However, a notable subset of reviews raise serious concerns: understaffing, high turnover, inconsistent staff competence across shifts, missing medications, and episodes of neglect or poor treatment. Management responsiveness is a frequent flashpoint — several reviewers describe leadership as unresponsive, profit-driven, or failing to follow through on promises, while others report proactive and helpful management. This variability suggests care quality can depend heavily on timing, current leadership and staffing stability.
Facilities, cleanliness and safety: The Willow is frequently described as clean, bright, newer-looking and easy to navigate, with attractive common areas, scenic windows/views and well-kept dining and gathering spaces. Many reviews praise daily housekeeping (beds made, vacuuming, garbage removal) and the presence of private bathrooms in some units. At the same time, other reviewers report problems such as bathroom cleanliness issues, odors in parts of the home, and overall decline in cleanliness during periods of staff shortages. Safety concerns are mixed: some reviews applaud separate shower facilities (seen as safer than in-room showers) and the secure, calm vibe; others raise red flags about a poorly secured back exit, Alzheimer’s patient safety, reliance on elevators for access to key amenities, and isolated incidents that make families uneasy.
Rooms and amenities: Reviewers consistently highlight a broad amenities package: on-site hairdressers, podiatry, doctor visits, pharmacy delivery, prepared meals three times daily, activities (exercise, crafts, bingo, bocce), monthly family nights and transportation/van services. Room types vary: some residents enjoy private apartments with kitchenettes and their own bathrooms, while many others report smaller rooms without kitchenettes, no in-room refrigerator or microwave, and small beds. This variability in room configuration appears to be important to prospective families: several explicitly chose not to accept semi-private rooms, and multiple reviews call out pricing differences tied to room type.
Dining and activities: Dining is one of The Willow’s strongest themes — numerous reviews call the food delicious, improved, or excellent, and families commonly praise the dining room atmosphere and views. Activities receive similarly strong marks: there is an active, varied schedule including outings, crafts, exercise, daily events and family-oriented programming. Some families lament shifting schedules (for example moving daytime family events to evenings) or fewer daytime activities at certain times, but overall activities are a consistent positive and a major contributor to residents’ satisfaction.
Cost, value and accessibility: Cost is a frequent concern. Reviewers cite high pricing (one note of private rooms over $3,000) and extra fees for additional help, and some families express dissatisfaction with perceived value for money. Financial flexibility by staff is mentioned positively in some reviews, but the cost remains a barrier or point of comparison with other communities for many. Accessibility issues include elevator dependency for certain amenities (second-floor activities, third-floor dining), limited courtyard/outdoor space cited by a few reviewers, and mixed availability of in-room conveniences like microwaves and fridges.
Management and reputation patterns: There is a pattern of divergent experiences tied to leadership and staffing changes. Multiple reviews praise new or responsive management and note positive turnaround under new ED leadership; other reviews indicate worsening care, high turnover and a declining census. Some reviewers report serious mistreatment or neglect and strongly advise against the facility, while many others would recommend The Willow and describe it as a "wonderful place." This polarization suggests that prospective families should expect variability and ask targeted questions about current staffing levels, leadership stability, turnover rates, and how the facility handles complaints and transitions.
Bottom line and recommendations for families: The Willow offers many strengths — attentive direct-care staff (often named and praised), a clean and attractive building, robust activities and outings, strong dining, and useful on-site healthcare services. These aspects make it a good fit for families seeking an active, smaller community with lots of engagement and a personal staff touch. However, reviewers repeatedly warn about high cost, variable room sizes and amenities, and potential issues with management responsiveness and staffing consistency. Prospective residents and families should tour in person, verify the specific unit type they are considering (kitchenette vs studio), ask current families about recent staffing and leadership stability, confirm how dietary and medication needs are managed, and clarify total monthly costs including any add-on charges for care. Doing so will help weigh the strong positives in direct care and programming against the financial and management risks reported by multiple reviewers.
