Overall impression: Reviews of Brethren Retirement Community are strongly polarized. A substantial number of reviews describe the community as warm, attractive, and staffed by compassionate, dedicated caregivers who provide high-quality, family-appreciated care. Those positive reports highlight strong pockets of leadership and clinical management, several named individuals in nursing and administration, good communication, pleasant grounds and common areas, and high-quality dining for many residents. Many families said their loved ones experienced improved quality of life, meaningful social connections, and a safe environment.
Care quality and staff: The dominant positive theme is that many staff members and caregivers are caring, personable, and committed. Multiple reviews single out nurses, nurse managers, HR personnel, and other leaders by name for praise, and many residents enjoy attentive aides and activity staff. However, an equally strong negative theme is chronic short-staffing. Numerous reviewers say staff are overworked and underpaid, and that being short-handed makes it impossible for caregivers to meet all residents' needs reliably. This staffing pressure links directly to reports of neglect — residents crying because they could not get to the bathroom, incontinence supplies not supplied, and some family accounts alleging serious lapses in care. The result is a split experience: some units/floors (for example, mentions of the 55th floor) appear to run very well and address issues quickly, while others suffer from staff burnout and poor frontline responsiveness.
Management and workplace culture: Reviews repeatedly raise concerns about management, supervision, and workplace culture. Complaints include favoritism, punitive personnel policies (including a reported policy of firing for bereavement leave), inconsistent supervision, and high turnover. Several reviewers explicitly called for state oversight, and some described “horrible supervisors” and high-school-like drama among staff. Conversely, other reviews praise specific administrators and directors, indicating that capable leadership exists but may be unevenly applied across the community. This inconsistency contributes to the polarized resident and family experiences.
Facility conditions and housekeeping: Facility appearance and cleanliness are reported inconsistently. Many reviewers describe clean, attractive lobbies, common areas, and odor-free spaces. In contrast, other reviews report troubling cleanliness issues in residential areas — notably urine odor — and one or more accounts of a bed bug problem that staff failed to fully eradicate. Additional housekeeping problems were noted, including lost sheets and inconsistent cleaning. These contradictory reports suggest variability by wing, floor, or housekeeping team and underscore the importance of verifying current conditions in person.
Dining and daily services: Dining receives mixed but specific commentary. Several reviewers praised the food quality, variety, and overall dining experience, with some saying meals exceeded expectations. Yet other reviewers reported troubling dining management issues: residents with significant medical or behavioral conditions seated together in ways that made meals unpleasant, lack of meal supervision, and even missing condiments. There were also reports of unfair reprimands toward dietary workers, suggesting morale and management problems in food services as well.
Activities and social life: Social and activity offerings draw both praise and criticism. Positive notes include a strong activity director, proactive social work, and meaningful social connections for residents. However, a number of reviewers said there are too few activities or that programming is limited — another area where experiences appear to vary depending on the unit or individual staff involvement.
Safety, pests, and infection-control concerns: The bed bug reports, coupled with comments about staff changing clothes before leaving the building and persistent odors, raise infection-control and pest-management red flags in some reviewers’ eyes. These are serious concerns for prospective residents and families and were called out explicitly in multiple summaries.
Patterns and takeaways: The overall pattern is one of stark variability. Many families and residents are very satisfied — praising staff, leadership in certain departments, meals, and the community environment. At the same time, a sizable and vocal group of reviewers report systemic issues: staffing shortages, inconsistent management, lapses in basic care (bathroom assistance, incontinence supplies), cleanliness problems including bed bugs and odors, and workplace culture problems that translate to resident risk. These contrasting experiences often appear to be unit- or shift-dependent: some floors and teams are described as exemplary, while others are described as failing residents.
Given the mixed but substantive criticisms, prospective residents and families should tour the facility at multiple times of day, ask about current staffing ratios and turnover, request recent inspection or pest-control records, inquire about policies for incontinence supplies and meal supervision, and speak with current families on multiple floors. The reviews indicate Brethren Retirement Community can deliver excellent, compassionate care in many instances, but there are recurring systemic issues (staffing, management, housekeeping, pest control) that families should confirm have been addressed before making placement decisions.
