Overall impression: The reviews for Dove Healthcare - Fennimore are mixed but lean positive in a number of recurring areas. Many reviewers emphasize a welcoming, friendly environment with staff who are helpful, kind, and create a home-like atmosphere. Cleanliness is consistently highlighted — reviewers repeatedly note that the facility is very clean, common areas and the front room are tidy, and there are no unpleasant odors. Several comments specifically praise the therapy team and rehabilitation services, calling therapy staff "miracle workers" and describing the facility as a great place to rehab. The facility also receives praise as a workplace from some staff and traveling nurses who describe it as the best place they've worked and say they'd stay permanently if not for other factors.
Staff and interpersonal care: The dominant positive theme is the friendliness and warmth of staff. Multiple reviewers describe smiling faces, great attitudes, southern hospitality, and staff who are kind and helpful during visits and volunteer activities. Memory care receives specific positive mention — one review singles out a staff member named Kenda for good work in memory care — and family members report that residents (including mothers-in-law and grandmothers) felt cared for and loved living there. Activities and engagement also receive praise: residents make seasonal decorations (a snowman), there are devotional volunteering opportunities, positive activities, and community outreach that keep residents engaged and give visitors enjoyable experiences.
Negative and inconsistent experiences: Despite many positive comments, a notable minority of reviews describe serious problems. These include reports of being poorly staffed, unprofessional or "cruel-hearted" staff, staff refusing to listen, and medical aspects not being addressed. Such comments portray care as "sketchy," "disheartening," or untrustworthy, with some reviewers explicitly saying they would not recommend the facility. These negative reports suggest inconsistency in experience — while some visitors and staff have highly positive impressions, others have encountered significant lapses, especially around clinical responsiveness and staff attitude.
Operational issues and dining: A recurring operational concern is staffing levels and timing. Multiple reviewers mention understaffing or the need for extra hands, especially during evening meal service and cleanup. This aligns with the broader theme of inconsistent staffing across shifts and may help explain why clinical or service failures are reported by some families. Dining and mealtime support appear to be areas that could benefit from focused staffing and process improvements to ensure consistent assistance and cleanliness after meals.
Facilities, atmosphere, and activities: Physical environment and engagement are clear strengths. The facility is described as always clean and decorated festively (notably around Christmas), and there are resident-driven activities that foster community and pride (for example, a resident-made snowman). Reviewers describe a warm, welcoming atmosphere where residents feel at home, and many visits are characterized as enjoyable. Therapy and rehabilitation services are repeatedly singled out for excellence, making the facility a strong option for short-term rehab stays in the eyes of several reviewers.
Management and patterns: A few reviews mention a perceived negative change since a management or ownership shift (noted as "since divine took over"), suggesting that some long-term observers have seen a decline in aspects of care or culture after organizational changes. The pattern across reviews is one of good baseline strengths — friendly staff, cleanliness, strong therapy, engaged residents — coupled with intermittent but significant concerns around staffing, responsiveness to medical issues, and unprofessional behavior from some staff members. These contrasting themes point to variability across shifts, departments, or time periods.
Recommendation and focus areas: For prospective residents and families, the facility appears to offer many positives: a clean, hospitable environment with strong therapy services and engaging activities. However, they should also investigate current staffing levels, how the facility handles clinical concerns and complaints, and whether there have been recent management or staffing changes that might affect consistency. For facility leadership, priorities should include stabilizing staffing (especially at evening meals), reinforcing clinical responsiveness and professional standards across all shifts, and addressing any cultural shifts brought on by management changes. Doing so would help reduce the small but serious negative experiences while preserving the many aspects that reviewers praise.
