Overall sentiment in the reviews is strongly mixed, with repeated and emphatic praise for frontline caregivers but also serious and recurring concerns about administration, staffing levels, facility condition, and safety. Many reviewers highlight the compassion, dedication and personal attention provided by CNAs, nurses and other care staff — describing them as helpful, responsive, resident-centered, and willing to go above and beyond. Several specific positive notes include helpful physical therapy, enjoyable activities (holiday events, Easter and Halloween events, community outreach with local schoolchildren), and moments when residents and family members felt supported and valued. Some reviewers explicitly recommended Meadowbrook for short-term rehabilitation and noted that it can be a wonderful place to work with strong teamwork and employee appreciation.
Despite those positives, a large portion of the feedback raises significant operational and safety concerns. Understaffing is a dominant theme: multiple reviews describe being severely short-staffed, needing more CNAs, and staff doing their best despite being overwhelmed. This understaffing is tied to reports of delayed or missed care (including delayed post-op medications), inconsistent fulfillment of promised services, and general inability to maintain high standards consistently. Several reviewers contrast the dedication of care staff with a lack of support from administration or corporate leadership, citing snarky management, zero support from admin, and an impression that corporate focuses on finances over resident care.
Facility condition and cleanliness are another major area of concern. Several reviews use strong language — filthy, peeling paint, dirty floors, hallways cluttered with wheelchairs, cold and uninviting rooms — and describe an old building that appears never to have been updated. Others, however, report good housekeeping and tidy spaces, which suggests that cleanliness and maintenance may vary by area or shift. Related to physical plant issues are complaints about small or poorly configured rooms and bathrooms (one review mentioned a bathroom serving four residents), which contribute to perceptions of neglect and discomfort.
Most serious are the safety and care-quality allegations. Some reviewers reported failures to report elopements, dehydration, poor care, and even abuse allegations that prompted relocation of a resident and mention of a state investigation. While these are not universal across reviews, their presence is highly significant and indicates that, for some residents, care fell short of acceptable standards. These reports, combined with understaffing and administrative shortcomings, create a pattern that some families described as severe enough to advise others to avoid the facility.
There is also clear inconsistency across experiences. Many reviewers praise particular staff members (one nurse was named specifically), the friendliness of the environment, and the meaningful activities that create a hometown, family-like feel. Employees describe strong teamwork, appreciation, and pride in their work. At the same time, other reviewers describe rude or unhelpful management, inadequate staffing, and poor outcomes. This split suggests uneven performance across shifts, units, or time periods: the same facility can deliver excellent, compassionate hands-on care in some cases while failing in management, safety oversight, or maintenance in others.
Dining and activities are generally noted as positives: at least one reviewer praised the food and multiple reviewers highlighted a robust schedule of events and community engagement. These programs appear to add to resident happiness when operational. Cost was raised as a concern by some reviewers, who felt prices were high given the facility condition and inconsistencies in care.
In summary, Meadowbrook at Black River Falls appears to have strong, committed frontline caregivers and meaningful activity programming that many residents and employees value. However, persistent and serious concerns about understaffing, administrative support, facility maintenance and cleanliness, and isolated but consequential safety allegations temper those positives. Prospective residents and families should weigh the evident strengths of the caregiving team and the community-oriented activities against the risks implied by reports of systemic understaffing, managerial issues, and physical plant problems. If considering Meadowbrook, ask specific questions about staffing ratios, incident reporting procedures, recent state inspections, maintenance plans, and how the facility addresses documented complaints to get a clearer, up-to-date picture before making a placement decision.
