The reviews for Avamere at Sherwood are strongly polarized but contain several recurring themes. On the positive side, a large portion of reviewers praise the staff as caring, compassionate and attentive. Multiple accounts describe staff who go out of their way to assist residents, treat them with dignity, and provide supportive end-of-life care. Reviewers repeatedly note a warm, family-like feel among caregivers and frequent specific examples of staff kindness — from cheerful holiday meals to daily music and social interaction. The facility’s memory care/Alzheimer’s wing receives particular mention for continuity of staff and a focused approach to dementia care. Many families report long-term stays with generally positive experiences, indicating satisfaction with long-term programming and relationships.
Facilitywide cleanliness and physical amenities are another consistent positive. Numerous reviews note a clean, odor-free environment, well-maintained common areas, comfortable furniture, bright rooms with good views, and abundant communal spaces. Dining and activities are highlighted as strengths by many residents and families: an on-site restaurant, special-event meals (notably a praised Christmas Eve dinner), bingo, board games, and regular music contributed to a social atmosphere. Several reviewers emphasize the location, modern facilities, and recent improvements or renovations as reasons they find the community attractive and comfortable.
However, those positive impressions are counterbalanced by serious and specific negative allegations that cannot be overlooked. Several reviewers describe alarming safety and care failures — including a reported fall that led to hospice and a painful final period, allegations that residents were allowed to fall because walkers were not provided, and at least one review referencing a police report and claims that the facility should be closed. There are also claims of medical errors, inadequate care quality, and even alleged elder abuse in memory care. These reports indicate that care consistency can vary significantly and that, for some families, the facility failed to meet basic safety or clinical expectations.
Management and staffing issues appear to underlie many of these inconsistencies. Multiple reviews cite high staff turnover, poor administration communication, and perceived lack of compassion or responsiveness from leadership. Some reviewers described caregivers as busy or stretched thin (especially at mealtimes), prompting families to supplement care with private aides. There are also accusations that corporate focus on the bottom line affects resident care. At least one review raises concerns about the authenticity of positive reviews (mentioning employee-generated or paid reviews, bonuses, and wage increases), which suggests some skepticism about the representativeness of glowing testimonials.
Covid and infection-control reporting is mixed: some reviewers praised how the facility handled restrictions and noted no Covid cases during their stay, while others specifically cite Covid violations or safety lapses. Food quality is generally described as satisfactory or good, with special meals praised, but there are occasional mixed reports on everyday dining. Price is another recurring theme — the community is described as expensive by some, but worth it if affordable. Other smaller, recurrent notes include traffic/parking negatives, occasional darker or less friendly atmosphere in some areas, and positive reports of managerial improvements over time.
Overall, the aggregated picture is one of a community with many genuine strengths — compassionate direct care staff, solid memory-care programming in some cases, clean facilities, active social offerings, and a comfortable physical environment — alongside troubling variability in clinical safety and management. Because of the severity of the negative reports (falls, alleged abuse, police involvement, and medical errors), prospective residents and families should treat the overall positive sentiment cautiously. Practical next steps for anyone considering Avamere at Sherwood would be to: request detailed staffing ratios and turnover statistics, ask for recent incident and inspection reports, observe care routines and mealtime staffing during an unannounced visit if possible, talk with current resident families (especially in memory care), verify infection control policies and recent compliance records, and clarify contractual protections and escalation procedures. These steps will help determine whether the positive aspects (staff compassion, environment, activities) are consistent and reliable for a given prospective resident, and whether management has addressed the concerning lapses reported by other families.
