Wake Robin Life Plan Retirement Community

    200 Wake Robin Dr, Shelburne, VT, 05482
    4.2 · 33 reviews
    • Independent living
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousCurrent/former resident
    4.0

    Beautiful campus, caring staff, concerns

    I live here and it's a beautiful, first-class campus with amazing views, plentiful programs and activities, great farm-to-table food, and genuinely caring, knowledgeable staff - residents are happy and treated like family. It's expensive and has a long waiting list. My main concerns: HR can be rude/uncaring and there have been unsettling security issues, though day-to-day care is excellent.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    Healthcare services

    • Activities of daily living assistance
    • Assistance with bathing
    • Assistance with dressing
    • Assistance with transfers
    • Medication management

    Healthcare staffing

    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

    • Diabetes diet
    • Meal preparation and service
    • Special dietary restrictions

    Room

    • Cable
    • Fully furnished
    • Housekeeping and linen services
    • Kitchenettes
    • Private bathrooms
    • Wifi

    Transportation

    • Community operated transportation
    • Transportation arrangement
    • Transportation arrangement (non-medical)

    Community services

    • Fitness programs
    • Move-in coordination

    Activities

    • Community-sponsored activities
    • Resident-run activities
    • Scheduled daily activities

    4.24 · 33 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      5.0
    • Staff

      4.3
    • Meals

      5.0
    • Amenities

      5.0
    • Value

      2.0

    Pros

    • Generous pay
    • Easy workload
    • Friendly residents
    • Delightful coworkers
    • Caring staff
    • Knowledgeable staff
    • Locally sourced, high-quality food
    • Amazing views and beautiful location
    • First-class facility and great campus
    • Inviting atmosphere
    • Impressive programs and activities
    • Resident-focused care and caring management
    • Lots to do for residents
    • Visitors treated as family
    • Happy residents and long-term residency
    • High demand / strong reputation

    Cons

    • Rude and uncaring HR
    • Forced overtime
    • Security guard stalking allegation
    • HR failed to address complaints
    • Expensive cost of living
    • Long waiting list making entry difficult

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across the review summaries is strongly positive about the resident experience, the physical environment, and the majority of staff — with a small but notable set of operational and personnel concerns that recur in several reviews. Many comments emphasize that Wake Robin is a beautiful, first-class life plan community with outstanding views, a well-kept campus, and an inviting atmosphere. Reviews frequently cite high-quality, locally sourced dining, an active and impressive slate of programs and activities, and many opportunities for residents to remain engaged and well cared for for the long term.

    Care quality and resident experience stand out as consistent strengths. Multiple summaries describe the care as resident-focused, with caring, knowledgeable staff and caring management. Residents are characterized as happy, well taken care of, and often long-term; visitors are treated like family. The community appears to foster a positive social environment and a sense of continuity for residents, which is reinforced by mentions of happy staff and long-term residency. The presence of a long waiting list also signals strong demand and a solid reputation in the market.

    Staffing and workplace environment present a mostly positive picture for direct-care and frontline workers: reviewers mention generous pay, an easy workload for some roles, delightful coworkers, and that the campus can be a wonderful place to work and live. However, these positives are tempered by repeated criticisms of the human resources function and certain management responses. Several summaries specifically call out HR as rude, uncaring, and unresponsive. Complaints include forced overtime and allegations that HR “did nothing” when problems were raised, indicating gaps in staff relations, complaint resolution, and enforcement of workplace policies. These issues suggest inconsistent employee experiences depending on department or managerial responsiveness.

    A particularly serious operational concern that appears in the reviews is an allegation involving a security guard stalking. Multiple summaries indicate that this situation was not handled to the satisfaction of those who raised it, with reviewers noting HR did not adequately address the complaint. That combination — a safety-related allegation plus perceived lack of follow-through by HR — is the most significant negative pattern in the reviews and one that would merit prompt, transparent investigation and corrective action by leadership.

    Facility, dining, and activities are consistently praised. The food is called out as great and sourced from local farms and suppliers, which contributes to the positive lifestyle and dining experience. The campus itself is described as beautiful with amazing views and a first-class facility feel. Activity programming is described as impressive and plentiful, contributing to an engaging, resident-focused atmosphere where there is “lots to do.” These elements appear to be central to the community’s strong reputational standing and the long waiting list.

    Cost and access are also mentioned: Wake Robin is described as expensive, and reviewers note the long waiting list as a barrier to entry. While the long waiting list can be interpreted as a sign of popularity and high demand (a pro in terms of reputation), it is simultaneously a practical con for prospective residents seeking immediate placement. Prospective residents and families should weigh the facility’s high quality and demand against affordability and timing.

    In summary, Wake Robin Life Plan Retirement Community receives strong praise for its campus, views, dining, programming, and the majority of its caregiving staff and management, producing a positive resident experience and high demand for residency. At the same time, there are notable operational red flags centered on HR responsiveness, forced overtime reports, and a specific security-related allegation that reviewers say was not adequately addressed. These concerns do not dominate the overall sentiment but are significant enough to warrant attention by leadership: improving HR responsiveness, enforcing workplace policies consistently, investigating safety complaints transparently, and addressing any overtime practices would help align the community’s operations with the high standards reflected in the facility, care, and resident programming.

    Location

    Map showing location of Wake Robin Life Plan Retirement Community

    About Wake Robin Life Plan Retirement Community

    Wake Robin Life Plan Retirement Community sits on 136 acres in Shelburne, Vermont, overlooking Lake Champlain, and it's been around since 1993, giving older adults a place where they can live on their own or get more support as they need it, all without having to move far from neighbors or routines they've come to know. People can choose from cozy apartments or cottages-there are 25 home styles, including one- and two-bedroom options with features like full kitchens, washer and dryer, walk-in closets, and patios, and all are designed for easy living and green energy use, which matters to folks who care about the environment. There are all sorts of shared spaces, too, like a woodshop, art studio, library with a fireplace, and an aquatic center, and there are many places to gather or take part in activities and volunteer groups, so boredom's not really an issue unless someone wants it to be.

    Wake Robin works as a Life Plan Community, which means independent living, residential care, skilled nursing, and memory care are all available on the same campus, and this can bring peace of mind because no one's going to have to move far if their needs change. The skilled nursing section is called Cedar and it's five-star and Medicare-certified for short-term or long-term care. The Juniper neighborhood is for memory care, and it's set up to help residents live as independently and happily as possible with support from trained staff. For people who just need help with one or two daily chores, the Spruce & Balsam neighborhood gives support while letting residents keep as much independence as they can, and all these services use the Linden Health Center, which is licensed and provides all levels of care.

    The Maple Leaf dining room makes meals and there's a dining FAQ if folks want to know more about meals. The grounds feature paths, gardens, and good spots for walking. Wake Robin puts effort into environmental responsibility and mutual support, which has always been a part of its mission. Residents often pitch in through activity committees and environmental groups. The community also gives people access to programs like Choices for Care, Vermont ACCS, and the Vermont Medicare Savings Program, and they accept Medicaid and Medicare, which helps make things affordable for some. Extra help is available through personal care, adult day care, respite services, and things like transportation, meals, legal aid, and homemaker help.

    Being just twenty minutes south of Burlington and not far from outdoor spots like state parks, the Long Trail, and Shelburne Beach, along with cultural places like the Flynn Center and Shelburne Museum, means residents can stay active with day trips or visits. Ski areas nearby often offer senior discounts, and local colleges like the University of Vermont, Middlebury, and Champlain are nearby for those who're interested in learning or attending events.

    Wake Robin has a team of 51 to 200 employees, with staff in roles like Director of Marketing (Kim Anderson), Marketing Admissions Planner (Jane Mitchell), Director of Human Resources (Karen Vincent), and a CFO (Missy Kelsen), and the place has always aimed to be as open and respectful as possible, upholding the dignity of everyone who calls it home. The dark red Wake Robin flower, which stands for renewal and promise, is the symbol of the community, and the main idea here is to support each other while letting people live genuinely and as independently as possible for as long as possible.

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