The reviews for Sunset Ridge Assisted Living are strongly polarized, producing two distinct narratives: several families and residents describe a clean, welcoming environment with caring staff and good administrative responsiveness, while others report severe, systemic problems that amount to medically dangerous neglect. The positive accounts highlight attractive physical spaces (large rooms, a pleasant dining area with a veranda), a home-like atmosphere, and staff who are warm, accommodating, and responsive — with at least one administrator (Tracey) singled out for going above and beyond. For some residents the location, room quality, and prompt responses to call lights make Sunset Ridge a satisfactory option.
However, a number of serious, recurring complaints raise red flags about care quality and safety. Multiple reviews allege dangerous neglect: failure to turn residents leading to pressure ulcers (including stage 4 wounds), ignored alarms, and at least one emergency hospitalization with significant medical costs. These issues are tied in the reviews to chronic understaffing, insufficient supervision (nurse rarely on site), and poor handoff communication between shifts. Several accounts describe staff with little or no dementia training or experience, which families say results in unsafe handling of residents with cognitive impairment. The combination of staffing shortages, missed cares (for example morning care not provided), and lapses in clinical oversight is the most serious and consistent negative theme.
Complaints about daily living operations and hygiene are also mixed but concerning. Some reviewers report rooms and common areas as clean and pleasantly scented, while others describe rooms left uncleaned for weeks, widespread dust and dirt, filthy carpets, and family members having to clean the room themselves. Meal service receives mixed feedback: the dining room and veranda are appreciated by some, and the main meal at lunch is noted, but several reviewers say meals are low-quality heat-and-serve fare (brand name Swanson mentioned), and there are specific reports of unsafe meal handling (dirty wipes left on a meal tray). Activities are another inconsistent area: a few reviewers mention good activities early on, but multiple comments state activities were limited or stopped entirely.
Administration and communication present additional patterns. Some families praise administrative staff for being accommodating and responsive, while others describe management (including the owner) as having a negative demeanor and failing to follow through on promises such as providing a hospital bed or painting a room. There are reports of staff dishonesty or misleading statements to families. Notably, regulatory action is mentioned — Wisconsin DHS fines — which corroborates that at least some deficiencies have been formally identified. Other red-flag operational concerns include staff smoking on shift and mishandling of clinical responsibilities.
In sum, Sunset Ridge appears to deliver a satisfactory, even pleasant experience for some residents, particularly in terms of facility appearance and certain staff members who are attentive and supportive. At the same time, multiple independent reviews describe significant, sometimes severe failures in clinical care, dementia-specific competence, staffing levels, hygiene, and management follow-through. The pattern suggests inconsistent quality of care and systemic staffing/oversight problems rather than uniformly high or low performance. Families considering Sunset Ridge should weigh the polarized reviews carefully, ask specific questions about staffing ratios, dementia training, clinical oversight (nursing coverage and incident reporting), cleaning schedules, meal sourcing, and follow-up on any facility promises. Given the severity of some allegations (pressure ulcers, ignored alarms, emergency hospitalization, regulatory fines), prospective families should also request documentation of corrective actions and inspect recent inspection reports before making placement decisions.
