Overall impression: Reviews for Avalon Healthcare - Tacoma are deeply mixed and polarized. A substantial subset of reviewers praise individual caregivers, nurses, and therapy staff for compassionate, attentive, and sometimes exceptional care. At the same time, many other reviews describe systemic and recurring problems with hygiene, safety, staffing, medication management, food service, facility condition, and leadership. The most consistent pattern across reviews is a contrast between highly positive experiences with specific staff members and significant facility-level failures that place residents at risk.
Care quality and clinical concerns: Multiple reviews report dedicated, loving CNAs and nurses who provide personalized, family-like care and strong rehabilitative therapy (PT/OT). Several families explicitly thanked named staff for life-improving care. However, an equally strong set of complaints documents clinical lapses: delayed pain medication (reported delays of 1.5–2 hours), medication administration errors, faxing and order mix-ups, ignored physician orders, and instances requiring emergency response (911). There are repeated allegations of withheld medicine and ambiguous medical orders. Bedsores, missed weights for CHF patients, missed or infrequent bathing, and residents left soiled are described in multiple reports — all of which are serious clinical and quality-of-care concerns.
Staffing, professionalism and communication: Many reviewers attest to compassionate, communicative administrative and nursing staff; others report unprofessional behavior, yelling, staff fooling around, and loud disruptive activity in hallways. Staffing problems appear recurrent: long wait times for call lights, understaffed shifts, and family members needing to intervene daily for basic care. Communication breakdowns are reported at multiple levels — slow or unresponsive phone systems, unanswered messages, unclear medical orders, and billing/insurance disputes. Some reviews mention turnover and firings among leadership (including the director of nursing and administrators), which may contribute to inconsistency in management and care.
Facilities, cleanliness and maintenance: Facility condition is a major theme. Several reviewers note renovations are planned or underway and many positive reports reference clean, well-kept rooms. Conversely, numerous reviews describe strong urine odors, mold, dirty toilets, floors not swept, soiled bedding left unchanged, worn bedspreads, damaged call lights, rusty or broken heaters, and other maintenance hazards. Safety hazards such as unsafe floors, broken wheelchairs, and damaged metal were reported. The building is often described as outdated, dark, and in need of remodeling — and while renovations are mentioned, many reviews indicate current conditions remain unacceptable.
Dining and nutrition: Dining experiences are inconsistent. A number of reviews praise the food as great and well-presented; others describe cold meals (meatloaf, fish sticks) and diets inappropriate for residents with diabetes or heart conditions (high sugar or salty meals). Several reviews specifically criticized meal temperature and nutritional suitability, which is an important concern for medically vulnerable residents.
Therapy, activities and environment: Positive comments consistently highlight strong rehab services — PT and OT staff are noted as tailored and hardworking. Some reviewers described fun exercise programs that improved residents’ well-being and engagement. On the negative side, common areas and dining spaces are sometimes described as small, unattractive, and lacking stimulation. Noise and disruptive renovations/events (e.g., chainsaw noise) were mentioned as disturbing to residents.
Administrative, billing and regulatory issues: Several reviews describe billing disputes (bed-hold fees, insurance denials) and claims that the facility is not recognized as a skilled nursing facility by insurers. There are also reports of cancelled or disrupted internal programs (e.g., CNA program leadership issues). Reports of leadership firings, ignored communications, and families escalating concerns to Adult Protective Services highlight serious governance and compliance red flags.
Patterns and tension points: The strongest recurring theme is the sharp contrast between individual-level praise (compassionate staff, excellent therapists, some immaculate rooms) and facility-level failures (cleanliness, timely clinical care, safety, and management). This duality suggests the presence of devoted frontline staff often working within a stressed or under-resourced system. Where staffing, leadership, and facility maintenance are adequate, reviewers report very positive outcomes; where system-level problems persist, reviewers report neglect, safety risks, and avoid recommendations. Several reports explicitly warn others not to place loved ones here, while others strongly recommend the facility because of specific caregivers.
Implications for families: If you are considering Avalon Healthcare - Tacoma, be aware that experiences are highly variable and dependent on individual staff on duty and current facility conditions. Key risk areas raised repeatedly by reviewers include medication delays or errors, hygiene neglect (soiled bedding, missed bathing), unsanitary conditions and odors, maintenance hazards, and inconsistent communication. There are genuine strengths — skilled therapists, some exceptional nurses and aides, personalized attention in many cases, and planned renovations — but these are counterbalanced by operational and safety concerns in multiple reviews. Families should closely monitor medication administration, cleanliness, response times to call lights, and dietary needs; ask specific questions about staffing levels, recent leadership changes, and renovation timelines; and seek written clarification on billing and insurer status before placement.
Summary judgment: The reviews indicate a facility with caring and committed staff who, in many cases, provide excellent and compassionate care, particularly in therapy and individualized attention. However, systemic issues — cleanliness, maintenance, medication management, staffing, leadership instability, and communication breakdowns — are frequent and have led to severe negative outcomes for some residents. The decision to place a loved one here should weigh the potential for excellent frontline care against repeated and serious reports of neglect and facility-level failures. Families and prospective residents are advised to conduct in-person visits, verify current conditions and staffing, confirm insurance and billing practices, and maintain active oversight if choosing this facility.
