Overall sentiment is mixed, with a clear split between reviewers who praise the facility for its caring staff and clean, comfortable areas and those who report serious, recurring problems—especially around dementia care, dining, and consistency of management. Multiple reviews emphasize that some units or time periods provide an excellent level of care: staff are described as welcoming, kind, professional and dedicated; families report feeling safe and having peace of mind; staff are praised for calming residents and reacting quickly to falls. These positive accounts often reference clean rooms, a pleasant dining hall, outdoor courtyard space, daily activities and an open visitor policy, and some reviewers note an improved staffing situation and management turnaround that made visits more positive.
However, an important and recurrent negative theme centers on dementia care. Several reviewers explicitly state that staff lack knowledge and training specific to dementia, that there is no clear memory-care strategy, and that medication management for dementia residents is ineffective. Families describe having to fight for basic personal care—help with hygiene and feeding—and feeling that communication is insensitive. These are not isolated comments: they point to systemic gaps in training, protocols, and family communication for residents with cognitive impairment.
Dining and nutrition are another polarizing area. While some reviewers praise varied, tasty meals, others characterize the dietary department as the worst aspect of the facility—reporting poor nutrition, meals that do not adhere to dietary restrictions, dinners lacking protein, and unappealing textures like mushy vegetables. A handful of reviewers said they had to order takeout because their loved ones would not eat the provided food. These conflicting reports suggest inconsistency in meal quality, menu execution, or differences between dining units or shifts.
Cleanliness, pest control, and facility condition also show divergence across reviews. Several families describe the community as clean and well-kept with modernized sections and a nice new building or dining hall. Conversely, other reviewers report pest issues (water bugs/roaches—although some say those were later controlled), sanitation concerns such as a dirty can opener blade, hallway urine odor, and general outdated or cramped rooms. This suggests variability by wing, unit, or time frame and highlights the need for consistent environmental management.
Staffing and management present a mixed picture as well. Numerous reviews celebrate caring, helpful, and professional staff who make families feel comfortable and who provide consistent day-to-day care. Yet other reviewers report inattentive staff behavior (including being distracted by personal phone calls), understaffing, frequent room relocations with loss of possessions, and inconsistent leadership decisions. Several comments note that management changes have led to improvements, implying that quality may be sensitive to current leadership and staffing levels.
Safety and resident interactions raise additional concerns: some reviewers report verbal abuse among residents and describe visits as distressing, even recommending removal of a resident. This, combined with reports of inadequate dementia care and understaffing, could pose risks to vulnerable residents. On the positive side, other reviewers explicitly call this the best place in Spartanburg and praise the staff, indicating that some families consistently experience high-quality, compassionate care.
In summary, White Oak Spartanburg appears to deliver excellent care and a positive environment for many residents, particularly in certain units or following management improvements, where staff are attentive, facilities are clean, and families feel reassured. At the same time, there are persistent, serious concerns—most notably around dementia-specific care, dining consistency, cleanliness/pest control, and managerial consistency—that have led some families to report distressing experiences and to feel they must advocate strongly for basic services. The pattern of conflicting reviews suggests variability across wings, shifts, or over time, so prospective families should ask targeted questions about dementia programming and staff training, dining practices, pest control history, staffing levels, and recent management changes, and should request to see the specific unit where their loved one would reside to confirm current conditions and care practices.
