Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed but leans positive: many reviewers praise Crista's friendly, compassionate staff, attractive campus, and broad range of amenities and activities. Frequent positive remarks focus on the social atmosphere — residents and staff described as warm and welcoming — and on the quality of campus features such as gardens with seating and a fountain, chapel and spiritual programming, pool, library, salon, and on-site dining options including a restaurant and barista-style cafe. Transportation services, plentiful activities (crafts, exercise classes, puzzles, Bible studies, grief support, Vespers), and faith-based offerings are repeatedly noted as strong points that support residents' social, spiritual, and recreational needs. Several reviewers singled out the rehab/therapy and medical coordination as exceptional, describing tailored diets, efficient transportation, and therapy that played a major role in recovery. Value and pricing are also seen as strengths by many — multiple reviewers said Crista offered better prices or value compared with other local facilities.
However, the reviews reveal important inconsistencies and some serious concerns. While some families describe “head and shoulders” quality of care and compassionate staff who go above and beyond, other reviewers report troubling lapses: infrequent doctor visits, medication-management problems, hygiene issues (including reports of urine/feces on walls, dirty commodes left for hours, and infrequent bathing), and at least one report of staff yelling at a resident and a privacy breach involving another resident. These reports suggest variability in basic caregiving standards and raise red flags about supervision and quality control in parts of the operation. Administrative shortcomings were also noted: promises not followed through, staff turnover, and promotions that left programmatic gaps (e.g., activity director moved to sales), all of which contributed to some families removing loved ones and reporting that residents were happier after transfer.
The memory care and assisted/independent living distinctions are important themes. Several reviews say memory-care areas provide engagement and safe grounds, yet there are repeated complaints that staff lack specific Alzheimer’s training and that memory-care activities are insufficient. Reviewers also observed an imbalance of attention: assisted living residents sometimes received more staff focus while independent living residents felt left to fend for themselves. This allocation problem and the reported staff turnover can exacerbate the uneven experience between units and shifts. Families with higher-acuity needs or expecting specialized dementia training should probe staff training, staffing continuity, and activity plans specifically for memory care.
Facilities and accommodations draw largely positive comments about attractive grounds, chapel space, and community spaces, but multiple reviewers mention the buildings and apartments are older and could use modernization. Apartments are sometimes small (examples of ~300 sq ft were mentioned), with fewer private-room or upscale options available. Practical concerns such as long walks from parking to apartments and limited apartment choices may matter for mobility-limited residents. Dining receives mixed reviews: many praise restaurant-quality food, generous portions, and varied menus, plus a cafeteria/restaurant option, while others report poor food quality in certain units, lack of special-diet options, or extra costs for restaurant meals. Some sites reportedly provide only one meal package, and the cost structure (restaurant vs credit-card independent living systems) varies; most find the overall cost transparent and reasonable, but a subset considers it expensive.
A clear pattern is variability — across campuses, units, and even over time. Numerous reviewers enthusiastically recommend Crista and describe exceptional, sacrificial caregiving, while a smaller but significant group reports unacceptable lapses in hygiene, care, and management responsiveness. This suggests that individual experiences depend heavily on which building, unit, staff team, or shift a resident encounters. Prospective residents and families should therefore tour specific units, ask targeted questions about staffing ratios, staff training (especially for memory care), medication-management procedures, bathing/personal-care schedules, cleaning protocols, and how the facility handles incidents and follow-through on administrative promises. Also ask about turnover rates, who covers activities when staff are reassigned, and what accountability processes exist for care lapses.
In summary, Crista Rehab & Skilled Care appears to offer many strengths: welcoming staff and residents, a beautiful campus, robust activities and spiritual life, effective rehab services for many, and generally good value. At the same time, there are significant, recurring concerns about inconsistent care quality, hygiene incidents, medication and medical staffing, and uneven memory-care programming. The reviews recommend Crista in many cases but also counsel caution: do detailed, unit-specific due diligence when considering residency, and confirm policies and practices around medical oversight, hygiene, staff training, and administrative follow-through to ensure the experience matches the positive stories many families report.
