Overall sentiment across the reviews is generally positive but mixed, with a strong majority of comments praising the staff, rehabilitation services, campus continuum of care, and the facility’s cleanliness and grounds — while a smaller but vocally negative subset of reviews raises serious concerns about staffing, management, and administrative issues. Many reviewers emphasize the compassionate, attentive nature of nurses, CNAs, therapists and reception staff, noting individualized care, prompt health updates, and a welcoming attitude toward family involvement. Rehabilitation and therapy are repeatedly called out as strengths: reviewers singled out strong PT staff, weekend PT availability, and a newer rehab unit that many found effective for short-term recovery needs.
Facility and campus features receive consistent praise. The buildings and rooms are frequently described as clean and well-maintained, with lots of natural light, pleasant Norwegian rosemaling decor in areas, an on-site chapel, family gathering rooms, and attractive landscaping with large covered outdoor spaces. The presence of a continuum of services on the same campus — independent living houses, assisted living, memory care, RCAC, skilled nursing, rehab, and an attached hospital — is viewed as a major advantage by many reviewers because it enables transitions without leaving campus. Independent apartments and single-story homes are noted as attractive options, although there is a reported year-long waiting list for some homes.
Dining and activities are generally regarded as positives. Multiple reviewers said meals are better than hospital food, dietary preferences are respected, beverages are available, and meals are proactively planned; a few reviewers requested more fresh fruits and vegetables. Programming is active when operating normally: music, bingo, arts and crafts, art shows and weekly programs were cited as meaningful engagement for residents. However, activity offerings were curtailed during the pandemic and specific communal spaces such as the crafts room have been closed, which some families found disappointing.
Despite the many endorsements, several significant concerns recur that prospective residents and families should weigh carefully. A few reviews describe severe understaffing and poor management leading to unmet basic care needs, CNAs working short-staffed, and a dramatically negative experience for certain residents. Administrative problems are also described: poor communication around transfers and bed availability, at least one denial of a transfer request, a reported discrepancy about room availability, and a reviewer raising fraud concerns. Costs were highlighted as a drawback by several reviewers — private-pay rates can be high (one explicit figure was mentioned), and while Medicaid acceptance after funding ends was reported, affordability remains a common worry.
There are also a number of more localized complaints that affect quality of life for some residents: incidents in the salon where a resident was charged extra and experienced hair damage with no refund; reports of an unprofessional or yelling CNA that made visitors and residents uncomfortable; small resident rooms and limited privacy in some units; and facility maintenance issues in specific areas (notably the pool and changing room floors described as grungy). These negative reports are not uniformly echoed across all reviews — some visitors called the facility "best in state" and would return — but they are prominent enough to recommend careful, individualized follow-up during tours.
In summary, Skaalen Retirement Services presents a generally strong profile for families seeking a campus with a full continuum of care, good rehab services, compassionate frontline staff, clean facilities, and active programming. The most consistent strengths are staff compassion, rehab quality, on-site medical integration, and pleasant grounds. However, prospective residents should investigate several potential risks: variability in management and administrative responsiveness, occasional serious staffing shortages reported by some families, cost and wait-list implications for independent homes, and isolated but important complaints about unprofessional behavior or service failures (salon incident, upkeep of pool/changing areas, room privacy). A careful in-person tour, direct conversations with management about staffing ratios and transfer policies, review of current activity programming post-pandemic, and asking for references or recent family contacts will help determine whether Skaalen is the right fit for an individual’s needs.
