What levels of care does this community offer?

Hillcrest Living Campus offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, continuing care retirement community, and skilled nursing.

Are there photos of this home?

There are 6 photos of Hillcrest Living Campus on Mirador.

Can I shift to assisted living and memory care as needed?

Yes, Hillcrest Living Campus allows residents to age in place and adjust their level of care as needed.

What is Hillcrest Living Campus's address?

The full address for this community is 915 W 1st St, Sumner, IA, 50674.

Does this community offer respite care?

Yes, Hillcrest Living Campus offers respite care. Respite care in assisted living communities provides temporary, short-term relief for primary caregivers by offering professional care for their loved ones. It allows individuals to stay in an assisted living community for a limited time, giving caregivers a break while ensuring residents receive necessary support and assistance with daily activities.

Hillcrest Living Campus

Overall sentiment is predominantly positive about Hillcrest Living Campus, with repeated praise for the direct caregivers, the facility’s cleanliness, and the comfortable, home-like environment. Many reviewers emphasize that CNAs and other frontline staff are compassionate and attentive; several describe the atmosphere as family-like and warm. The building and grounds receive strong marks: the facility is described as very clean and sanitary with a pleasant smell, tiled floors, spacious rooms, an easy-to-navigate layout, and a large outdoor area with a gazebo. The campus model offering a range of living arrangements—from skilled nursing up to independent apartments—is noted as a strength, and multiple reviewers explicitly state they would recommend Hillcrest for care or family referrals.

Care quality and staffing present a mixed but largely positive picture. Numerous comments highlight caring, compassionate care and continuity from staff, and specific staff members (notably a social worker named Dawn) are singled out for exceptional support. CNAs receive consistent, high praise for their hands-on care. However, a number of serious concerns appear in other reviews: reports of understaffing, instances of unprofessional behavior (gossip and harassment), and at least one account of delayed call-light response times exceeding 20 minutes. One reviewer alleges that the Director of Nursing (DON) was a witness to problematic behavior without intervening. These negative reports create a notable contrast to the many positive experiences and suggest variability in staff behavior and response times that could affect resident experience.

Facility and environment impressions are strongly positive, emphasizing cleanliness, pleasant odors, spaciousness, and safety. Reviewers repeatedly describe the campus as quiet, warm, and home-like—with architecture and communal areas that support a family-like atmosphere. The outdoor space and gazebo are highlighted as valuable amenities. Ease of navigation and overall sanitation (tiled floors described as sanitary) are recurring positives that reinforce impressions of good environmental care.

Dining and food receive mixed feedback. Some reviewers say the food is great and contributes to a home-like feeling; others explicitly call the food terrible. This split suggests inconsistency in dining quality or differences in personal expectation. Potential causes could include menu variability, staffing in dining services, or differing dietary needs and tastes among residents.

Management and workplace culture show conflicting signals across reviews. Several reviewers report no complaints about administration or care and recommend the community, while others describe a toxic environment for staff, unprofessional conduct, and concerns about leadership response. The mention of part-time staffing and staff continuity in different reviews indicates staffing patterns that may be working well for some families but raising concerns for others. These mixed management reports point to inconsistencies in culture or supervision across shifts or units.

Notable patterns and recommendations: the most frequently mentioned strengths are the frontline caregivers (CNAs and compassionate staff), cleanliness, and the campus’s comfortable, family-like environment. The most significant concerns are staff-related problems (toxic behavior, gossip), understaffing, and slow call-light responses in at least one report. Prospective residents and families should weigh the strong positive reports about direct care and environment against the sporadic but serious operational and culture issues. If considering Hillcrest, ask for specifics about staffing levels, shift continuity, call-light response protocols, and dining menus, and inquire about how management addresses staff complaints and incidents (including any follow-up practices for concerns involving leadership such as the DON). Additionally, speaking directly with current families or arranging a visit during different times of day may help reveal whether the positive experiences or the negative reports are more representative of day-to-day operations.

Hillcrest Living Campus in Sumner, Iowa, has served the community since 1965 as a nonprofit, community-owned care facility, and you can see it's got a steady, familiar way about it with board leadership and close ties to The University of Iowa, and the staff seem to really know people by name and get involved, which makes a big difference when folks want a place that feels settled and friendly. Residents can pick from several options, with independent living in senior apartments, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, and the Continuing Care Retirement Community called Hillcrest Home, and there's also the Terrace, a newer assisted living building that opened in 2017, so people can move in and know they'll find some of the newer comforts along with the older, tried-and-true ones like big, clean rooms and wide common spaces. You see a restaurant-style dining room with healthy, choice menu meals, and they make sure to have all-day dining, prepared for special diets like diabetes or allergies, laundry and housekeeping, and move-in help, which takes a worry off families.

There are large, open rooms, walking paths outdoors, gardens, a beauty shop right inside the skilled care area, and open areas just to sit and talk, and that's in addition to all the community activities-a real mix of crafts, music, resident-run groups, movie nights, concerts, church services, fitness classes, Bible studies, devotions, and happy hours, so people always have a chance to join in. They offer professional development for staff, have a record of ongoing training, and you'll see the nurses and team on sight around the clock every day, which gives residents and families some comfort, whether they want basic retirement living or need help with medication, bathing, dressing, or more specialized care like memory support, Alzheimer's, hospice, or skilled nursing and rehabilitation for medical needs or after surgery, and they have experience working with Medicare and Medicaid billing, which can be important when things get complex.

Therapies like physical, speech, and occupational get offered right on campus, and a wheelchair van helps with rides to local appointments, with help for transfers and daily living. For those who want to volunteer or stay active in the wider world, there are options like reading with students, plus crafts and interest groups, and the open arts room. The staff make sure care plans fit what each person needs, and you'll notice the place supports both English and other languages, as well as regular grantmaking and funding management as a nonprofit, with Form 990 filings, which some folks might want to know about. Altogether, Hillcrest Living Campus stays close to its roots in community care, offers a wide range of housing and health services, and keeps the focus on people's well-being and daily comfort, with amenities and spaces that make meeting others or joining in activities as simple as walking down the hall.

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