Overall sentiment across the reviews for Tygart Valley Health & Rehabilitation (formerly Good Samaritan Society - Barbour County) is largely positive, with repeated emphasis on the facility’s caring staff, family-like atmosphere, active programming, and pleasant grounds. Many reviewers describe staff as attentive, compassionate, and welcoming — creating a hometown or familial feel that made residents and families comfortable on admission and during stays. The facility is frequently praised for being clean, having large rooms and abundant activity spaces, and for offering therapy/rehab services that led some reviewers to recommend the center for short-term rehab or long-term care.
Staff and care quality are the most consistent strengths noted. Numerous comments highlight smiling, friendly employees who engage residents, help families feel reassured, and put effort into making residents feel at home. Reviewers describe staff as proactive, hardworking, and supportive; several say staff treat residents like family. Administration and certain team members, including a social worker named Lisa, receive specific positive mentions for being helpful and compassionate. Therapy services and activity offerings are credited with improving residents’ quality of life, and many visitors and relatives report feeling that the staff exceeded expectations in terms of attentiveness and emotional support.
Facilities and environment are frequently listed as positives: reviewers note attractive rural grounds, a fenced yard with flower beds, front-porch gazebo, outdoor gardens, and lots of space for activities. Many describe the interior as super clean with pleasant smells and well-maintained common areas. These features contribute to the homelike, relaxed atmosphere that families appreciate. That said, there are isolated but significant reports of cleanliness problems — most notably ants in residents’ rooms — which contrast sharply with other reviewers’ claims that the facility is very clean. This suggests some variability in housekeeping or pest-control effectiveness over time or by area of the facility.
Activities and resident engagement are clearly strong suits. Multiple reviewers mention seasonal events (Thanksgiving pumpkin pies, bowling for turkeys), frequent programming, and staff involvement in social activities that promote a sense of belonging. These recurring events and the staff’s active participation are often cited as reasons residents enjoy their new home and appear happy and engaged.
Dining and meal service show mixed feedback and are a notable area of concern. Many reviewers praise home-cooked meals and good food, but there are distinct and recurrent complaints about food quantity and temperature — specifically reports of insufficient portions, cold meals, and substituted meals such as grilled cheese and tomato soup. Some reviewers allege that substitutions occur only when family members are present, which, if true, points to inconsistent food-service practices or communication issues between kitchen staff and families. Given the frequency and specificity of these complaints, dining policies and meal quality are an important area for prospective families to investigate further.
Communication and clinical oversight present another area with mixed signals. While management and some leaders are praised, a few reviewers report poor communication and an unresponsive physician, which raised concern about medical oversight and coordination of care. Combined with complaints about lack of daily assistance from some families, these issues indicate variability in care consistency. Several reviewers, however, continue to recommend the facility overall, suggesting that clinical and administrative strengths may outweigh the reported lapses for many families.
In summary, Tygart Valley Health & Rehabilitation appears to offer a warm, family-oriented environment with engaged staff, meaningful activities, pleasant grounds, and available therapy services that many families and residents value highly. The dominant themes are compassion, community, and a homelike setting. However, there are recurring negative reports around meal adequacy and temperature, occasional cleanliness/pest problems, inconsistent staff compassion in isolated cases, and concerns about communication and physician responsiveness. These mixed reports suggest generally high quality with some operational inconsistencies.
For families considering this facility, it would be prudent to tour in person, observe meal service, ask about meal substitution policies and kitchen staffing, inquire about pest control and housekeeping protocols, and clarify physician coverage and communication procedures. Overall recommendation from the reviews trends positive, but prospective residents and their families should probe the specific concerns highlighted by reviewers to ensure the facility’s strengths align with their priorities and to verify that the reported issues have been addressed.
