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Pamela Villanova

My father was a resident at Otterbein SeniorLife for approximately one year before he passed away. Many of the frontline aides and nurses are kind, compassionate, and doing their best under difficult staffing conditions. Several caregivers were excellent, and we thanked them personally for the dignity and care they showed my father. The community model itself has positives. Smaller housing units, fewer residents per building, shared meals, common spaces, and some activities create a setting that feels less institutional than many nursing homes. However, significant shortcomings outweighed these benefits. Meals are not home cooked, despite how they are marketed. Most food consists of reheated, processed items. Given the extremely high cost of this facility, nutrition quality should be far better, especially for elderly residents whose health depends on it. Cleanliness was inconsistent. While not the worst we encountered, it fell short of reasonable expectations. Rooms did not appear to be thoroughly turned or deep cleaned between residents. Additional services were also unreliable. Physical and occupational therapy lacked consistency and measurable progress. Grooming services were sporadic. Dental care was difficult to access and poorly coordinated. These services are presented as part of comprehensive care but were fragmented in practice. The in-house physician assigned to my father was another serious concern. Medication management appeared minimal and reactive, with few in-person visits despite the physician being considered “on staff.” Our family believes one prescribed antipsychotic contributed to my father’s rapid decline. Families should strongly consider keeping outside physicians whenever possible. Communication from administration was consistently poor. Calls were often not returned, proactive updates were rare, and after my father’s death there was no outreach, guidance, or even an expression of sympathy. In short, this is a very costly facility whose marketing suggests a level of care that is not consistently delivered. While individual caregivers show genuine compassion, systemic failures in food quality, cleanliness, medical oversight, ancillary services, and family communication significantly diminish the value and safety of the experience. Families considering Otterbein SeniorLife should ask detailed questions, retain outside medical providers, and closely monitor all aspects of care.

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Jean Hawthorne

I really love the staff here a lot and it feels like family Latna has been here for years and is so much fun and caring. The others are wonderful also and work really hard to please the residents. Thank GOD we have places like the Otterbein when you need that extra care and comfort. Thanks Ijafa for making me feel at home!!

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Pamela Spencer

My mother in law spent 2 weeks in this facility before passing. She complained about it from day 1. She was not made to feel welcomed when she came in. They totally ignored her the first night she was there. The nurse on duty said they didn't have any information on her, when Hospice said they had faxed over all her information over numerous times. So she was not given her needed medications on time. The aides were not friendly or fast to respond to the call button. One aide was extremely rude and yelled at her many times, and told her I was uneducated and going to hell. I had talked to her because Judy could not turn off her TV, and she couldn't either. She finally just put a blanket over the screen. The aides knew she was not mobile, and used the wrong equipment to move her from a wheelchair to her bed, and she fell to the floor. They didn't take her dentures out at night, so she ended up with a very sore mouth. Judy had some memory problems so she wasn't able to remind them. Her medications were not given to her on time. One day she got her morning pills at noon. She was in a lot of pain, and needed her oxycodone at regular times. She has COPD, and was given her breathing treatments 2 times over the 2 weeks she was there. Judy could not remember to ask for them, and the nurse didn't take the time. At home she was given them at least 3 times a day. She was sent by ambulance to the hospital for breathing problems and died 2 days later. Seems like there was a big turn around on the nursing staff. I could say more, but will stop. I would not recommend this facility.

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Rory Frey

Used facility for rehab after surgery complications. Staff has been very attentive, safety is a priority with them. Therapy is working well with my husband's progress. Nurses are helpful with care questions. Doctor on call took time to discuss current conditions and progress. Food is home cooking.

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Mary Wilson

My family member was recently there for skilled care and he would tell me the caregivers were mean and impatient and very lazy. They would sit doing nothing but play on their phone and get upset if they had to help a patient. However, He would have a sound of relief and would say that a nurse named Heather was working. I was sick and could not make it to see him but I talked to him multiple times a day. He really had a different tone and mood when Heather was his nurse. She treated him like a human and would laugh and talk to him about happy memories in his life. He needed that. She would update me on any change in his condition and I felt so much better when Heather was with him. Thank you Heather!!! But Heather could not be his nurse everyday or around the clock. I could hear such a difference in his anxiety and stress. I would not recommend the rest of the staff or the way they treat patients who need more attention.