Pricing ranges from
    $5,380 – 6,994/month

    Grande Ronde Retirement Residence

    1809 Gekeler Ln, La Grande, OR, 97850
    4.3 · 68 reviews
    • Independent living
    • Assisted living
    AnonymousCurrent/former resident
    4.0

    Welcoming community with service shortcomings

    I've found the staff warm, attentive, and genuinely caring, the facility clean and beautifully appointed, and the activities, amenities and sense of community excellent. That said, staffing shortages, inconsistent food quality and occasional management responsiveness issues mean I recommend it with those caveats.

    Pricing

    $5,380+/moSemi-privateAssisted Living
    $6,456+/mo1 BedroomAssisted Living
    $6,994+/moStudioAssisted Living

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    Amenities

    Healthcare services

    • Activities of daily living assistance
    • Assistance with bathing
    • Assistance with dressing
    • Assistance with transfers
    • Coordination with health care providers
    • Hospice waiver
    • Medication management
    • Mental wellness program

    Healthcare staffing

    • 12-16 hour nursing
    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

    • Diabetes diet
    • Meal preparation and service
    • Restaurant-style dining
    • Special dietary restrictions

    Room

    • Air-conditioning
    • Cable
    • Fully furnished
    • Housekeeping and linen services
    • Kitchenettes
    • Private bathrooms
    • Spa
    • Telephone
    • Wifi

    Transportation

    • Community operated transportation
    • Transportation arrangement
    • Transportation arrangement (medical)
    • Transportation arrangement (non-medical)
    • Transportation to doctors appointments

    Common areas

    • Beauty salon
    • Computer center
    • Dining room
    • Fitness room
    • Gaming room
    • Garden
    • Outdoor space
    • Small library
    • Wellness center

    Community services

    • Concierge services
    • Fitness programs
    • Move-in coordination

    Activities

    • Community-sponsored activities
    • Planned day trips
    • Resident-run activities
    • Scheduled daily activities

    4.26 · 68 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      3.7
    • Staff

      4.3
    • Meals

      3.2
    • Amenities

      3.2
    • Value

      1.5

    Pros

    • Many reviews praise caring, compassionate, and friendly direct care staff
    • Strong sense of community and family-like atmosphere among residents
    • Engaging, active activities program with variety of events
    • Numerous social opportunities leading to friendships and resident engagement
    • Several accounts of attentive, responsive nurses and RNs handling concerns
    • Some reviewers report delicious, fresh meals and accommodating kitchen for diets
    • Immaculate and beautifully appointed living spaces reported by multiple reviewers
    • Numerous amenities: patios, workout area, elevators, parking, accessible layouts
    • Large, clean rooms and a variety of apartment options (studios, one-bedrooms)
    • Warm hospitality from front desk, maintenance, and kitchen staff noted
    • Special events and little touches (popcorn, ice cream, balloons, BBQs) appreciated
    • Pets allowed and pet-friendly atmosphere mentioned positively
    • Facility handled COVID-19 effectively according to some reviewers
    • Positive impressions of particular leaders/directors (named director praised)
    • Many family members and residents highly recommend the community

    Cons

    • Multiple allegations of neglect, abuse, or mistreatment of residents
    • Serious medication management concerns: delayed meds, mismanagement, undertrained staff
    • Safety risks reported: resident falls, wandering between rooms, inadequate supervision
    • Frequent reports of short staffing and overworked employees (one tech per floor)
    • Management communication problems: miscommunication, paperwork errors, lied to by manager
    • Complaints reportedly not taken seriously or poorly handled by management
    • Allegations of nepotism and hiring relatives over more qualified staff
    • Inconsistent food quality: many report cold, unappealing, or inedible meals
    • Inconsistent cleanliness: some report immaculate facilities, others report filthy conditions
    • Billing and administrative issues reported by some families
    • Perceived lack of new resident orientation and undertrained staff in some cases
    • Claims of illegal or improper handling of patient aids and other procedures
    • Accusations that some positive reviews may be fake or from staff/friends/family
    • High cost reported by at least one reviewer relative to perceived value
    • Facility is older in places and in need of updating according to some reviewers

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across reviews of Grande Ronde Retirement Residence is strongly mixed, with a large number of highly positive comments balanced by a significant set of serious concerns. The dominant positive theme is praise for frontline staff — many reviewers repeatedly describe caregivers, nurses, kitchen staff, maintenance, and activity coordinators as caring, compassionate, friendly, and the heart of the community. Multiple reviewers call the place a "second home," note a close-knit, family-like atmosphere, and say their loved ones are happy and well cared for. The activities program receives frequent acclaim for being engaging and varied, and many families cite strong social opportunities that help residents make friends and remain active. Several reviewers also point to attractive amenities, spacious apartment options, pet friendliness, and special events that add to resident quality of life.

    However, interwoven with that praise are repeated and sometimes severe negative allegations that raise safety and management concerns. Numerous reviews allege neglectful or abusive treatment, while others describe medication mishandling, delayed medication administration, and inadequate medication training. Reported safety incidents include resident falls and unsupervised wandering between rooms. Staffing levels are a recurring problem in negative reports — reviewers describe employees as overworked, short-staffed (for example, one tech covering a whole floor), and sometimes undertrained. Several accounts claim administration does not take complaints seriously or responds poorly to family concerns, and some reviewers explicitly accuse management of lying or of nepotistic hiring practices that prioritize relatives over more qualified staff. A few reviews go further and allege illegal or improper handling of patient aids and other serious lapses; these should be treated as allegations requiring verification.

    Dining and cleanliness are polarized topics. Many families and residents praise the kitchen and food — describing fresh, delicious meals and staff willing to accommodate dietary needs — while other reviewers strongly disagree, describing meals as cold, unappealing, or even inedible (hard cookies, uninterested cooks). Cleanliness reports are similarly inconsistent: some reviewers call the building immaculate and beautifully appointed, while others report filthy conditions, soiled bedding, or dirty bathrooms. Administrative issues such as billing errors, paperwork problems, and poor use of internal communication tools (intercoms) were also mentioned, contributing to frustration for some families during admissions and ongoing care.

    There are signs of operational strengths alongside cultural and management weaknesses. Many reviewers compliment specific staff and managers by name and report positive, proactive handling of concerns by RNs or resident care coordinators. The facility is described by several as active, safe, and welcoming, with a busy lifestyle and numerous resident-focused events. At the same time, multiple reviewers allege systemic issues: persistent miscommunication, hiring favoritism, turnover and retention challenges, and understaffing that directly impact care quality and resident safety.

    In summary, prospective families should be aware that experiences at Grande Ronde Retirement Residence appear highly variable. Strengths consistently cited include warm, compassionate frontline staff, a robust activities program, community atmosphere, and appealing amenities for many residents. Conversely, several reviewers report serious clinical and operational problems—medication errors, falls, neglect, short staffing, managerial unresponsiveness, and possible nepotism—that merit careful investigation. Because of the mixture of glowing endorsements and severe accusations, it would be prudent for anyone considering this community to: tour multiple areas of the building, speak privately with frontline staff and current residents/families, ask for specific information on staffing ratios and medication protocols, request documentation of incident/complaint handling and staff training, review recent inspection reports or licensing records, and observe mealtime and activity periods in person. These steps can help validate the positive aspects many families experience while clarifying whether the serious concerns raised by other reviewers are isolated incidents or indicative of broader issues.

    Location

    Map showing location of Grande Ronde Retirement Residence

    About Grande Ronde Retirement Residence

    Grande Ronde Retirement Residence sits at 1809 Gekeler Ln in La Grande, Oregon, right near the Blue Mountains, so seniors living here get pretty views and are close to the hospital, churches, and the Union County Senior Center, plus a few medical and professional offices when needed. The community has 114 private apartments with floor plans that include studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom suites, and some units have walk-in closets, private bathrooms, kitchens, patios, wall-to-wall carpeting, and individual climate control, which makes the living spaces easier and more comfortable. They offer both independent living and assisted living services along with respite care, which means people who need help with things like dressing, bathing, dining, medication reminders, and managing daily life can get it here, but people who like to do things on their own get support for that, too. There's full access around the building with elevators, a garden and courtyard to enjoy the outdoors, and lots of common spaces like lounges, a dining room full of natural light and flowers, a library, recreational rooms, and fitness areas where residents can keep active or just relax.

    The staff provides round-the-clock care, including nurse coverage, and there's always someone on-site to help with emergencies, which is good for peace of mind, since safety features include emergency call systems and advanced technology to make things even safer. The facility's run by Areté Living under new management and forms part of the Frontier Senior Living network. Inside, housekeeping and linen service come weekly, so everything stays tidy without extra worry from the residents, and the maintenance staff keeps the building working like clockwork. For meals, residents eat three times a day, always restaurant-style, with food that's prepared by experienced cooks, and meals are served in the bright, welcoming dining room.

    Social life stays steady with a full calendar of activities, exercise classes, movie nights, games, special trips, and group events that everyone can join if they want, and the Spark Lifestyle Program brings in a Montessori-inspired way to stay engaged and keep learning new things, which seems to be appreciated by the people living there. Amenities for a more active lifestyle include a spa and beauty salon, barber services, fitness areas, and scheduled transportation that takes residents to appointments, shopping, or just out for the day, while health and wellness checks, physical therapy, and medication assistance are provided for those who need them. Floors are easy to get around with elevators in the building, and patios or garden areas let residents get some fresh air. The residence doesn't require a long-term lease, which some might find helpful, and living here means seniors have a safe, comfortable place where care and activities are always on hand.

    About Avamere

    Grande Ronde Retirement Residence is managed by Avamere.

    Founded in 1995 by Rick Miller in Oregon, Avamere is headquartered in Wilsonville and operates skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities across the Pacific Northwest. Originally growing to 33 facilities, the company spun off its senior living division (Arete Living) in 2022, refocusing on skilled nursing care.

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