Overall sentiment across the reviews is sharply mixed, with strong, repeated praise for the facility’s social life, many examples of caring direct-care staff, and multiple reports of a clean, comfortable physical environment on one hand, and significant, sometimes alarming care and management failures on the other. Several reviewers describe Evansville Protestant Home as a warm, community-oriented place with plentiful activities, helpful staff, and good food; others report a decline in key services (particularly nursing, meals, laundry, and administrative responsiveness) that has led to serious resident harm or distress in specific cases. The combination of strongly positive and strongly negative reports suggests inconsistent performance that may vary by time period, shift, unit, or recent staffing/leadership changes.
Care quality and staff: Many reviews emphasize caring, attentive direct-care staff, a family-like atmosphere, 24-hour assistance, and staff who check in on residents. These reviewers highlight staff friendliness, helpfulness, and a sense that residents are welcomed and safe. Conversely, multiple reviewers document troubling care failures: rude behavior by some staff, staff arguing with residents, unsafe transfers causing bruises, ignored call lights, and instances where residents were left unattended for long periods. Several serious allegations include dehydration, dramatic weight loss attributed to medication management (91-pound loss claimed after Lasix), and alleged neglect by nursing staff. There are also reports that the head of nursing left and that nursing quality has declined. Staffing shortages (noted especially on weekends) and staff turnover are recurring themes that correlate with the negative care reports.
Dining and housekeeping: Dining reviews are highly polarized. Numerous families and residents praise good, nutritious meals, menu alternatives, snacks available all day, and a pleasant dining room experience. At the same time, an equally vocal set of reviews describe a marked decline: meals served cold, unappetizing or too small portions (e.g., tiny fish fillet or cold hot dogs), and residents going hungry because food was inedible. Housekeeping and laundry are also mixed: several reviewers report clean rooms and well-kept common areas, while others complain of lost laundry, clothes returned dull and wrinkled, and even theft of personal items from rooms. The variability in meal and laundry experiences is a major source of dissatisfaction and appears to have increased in some reviews over a multi-year timeframe.
Activities, amenities, and facility condition: The facility’s activity program is a consistent strength in many reviews. Residents and families describe a rich schedule—bingo, church services, card games, live musicians, movies, Wii bowling, outings, birthday parties, and daily exercise—contributing to a strong sense of community and engagement. Physical facilities are described as older but reasonably maintained, with some reviewers appreciating charming, well-painted rooms with good light, walk-in showers, kitchenettes, and a pleasant courtyard/patio area. The single-level layout, proximity to the hospital, beautician visits, and recreational spaces (game room, exercise area) are repeatedly cited as positives.
Management, policies, and safety concerns: Several reviews raise concerns about leadership and administrative responsiveness. Complaints include an uncaring board/administration, failure to address ongoing problems, and an atmosphere where residents or families feel afraid to complain. Financial and policy issues also appear: one reviewer cited a permanency policy requiring $25,000 in savings and difficulties with Medicaid assistance. Safety issues reported by reviewers—such as theft from rooms, lost or damaged laundry, and lack of timely response to call lights—compound concerns about management oversight. A few reviewers also described the facility’s rehab services negatively (calling it the worst rehab and reporting that rehab was not completed or residents were discharged before they were ready).
Patterns, severity, and recommendations: The most notable pattern is inconsistency. Many residents and families report a positive experience centered on activities, community, and specific compassionate staff members. At the same time, a set of recurrent and serious negative themes—meal deterioration, nursing decline, neglect-related harm, laundry/theft issues, and unresponsive management—appear frequently enough to be salient. The negative reports also suggest a possible timeline of decline for some reviewers (comments about the facility “going downhill for 4+ years”), and specific operational stressors (weekend staffing shortages, leadership changes) that could explain variability.
For prospective residents and families: these reviews suggest doing targeted due diligence before choosing the facility. Ask about current staffing levels and turnover, the status of nursing leadership, how meals are prepared and managed (and whether there have been recent changes), laundry and personal items protocols, security policies for resident belongings, and incident reporting/response history. If rehab is a consideration, request outcome metrics or references from recent rehab discharges. Visit multiple times, including weekends and evenings, talk to current families, and review the facility’s most recent inspection and deficiency reports. The mixed but detailed feedback here indicates that while many people have positive experiences at Evansville Protestant Home, there are documented, significant concerns that should be explored and monitored closely.
