3991 North Player Avenue, Coeur D'alene, ID 83814
For more information about senior living options: (866) 208-4318
Overall Review of Lodge at Fairway Forest
Pros
The Lodge is friendly and easily accessible.- The staff at The Lodge are friendly, caring, and helpful.
- The Lodge works well with hospice caregivers.
- The meals at The Lodge are wonderful homemade meals.
- The environment is homey and welcoming.
- Becky and the Lodge staff are wonderful to work with.
- The residents at The Lodge are described as loving and deserving of the best care.
Cons
They had a very unsatisfactory experience with The Lodge.- The call button was worn and unreliable, causing the resident to struggle to get help.
- A staff member was not familiar with gait belt transfers, and the resident was left sitting on the toilet for over 30 minutes.
- The facility went three days without a critical medication because the staff ran out and did not notify the family.
- The Lodge ordered the medication from a different pharmacy, and it arrived late on a Friday with no RN to check it until Monday.
- After two weeks, the resident's upper arm fracture became dislocated, and refunds for the last two weeks were declined.
- Attempts to contact the manager by email and phone yielded no callbacks, indicating poor responsiveness.
- The care was described as lazy and incompetent, with unsafe transfers that resulted in a bruise.
Review
The Lodge at Fairway Forest is best suited for families who want a warm, home-like environment and value easy access to staff and administrators, with the expectation that family involvement will be a continuous part of care planning. Reviewers consistently note welcoming meals, approachable staff, and a setting that feels comfortable for everyday living. When care partners coordinate with hospice or home-health teams, the facility can function smoothly enough to create a sense of safety and routine for residents who benefit from predictable, daily companionship and familiar routines. This community stands out for those who can be present and engaged, checking in frequently and driving the care conversation to keep everything on track.
Those who may want to consider alternatives are families facing high needs for reliability and safety. Several reviews describe significant gaps that cannot be ignored: inconsistent medication management, delays in basic assistance, and call buttons that fail or wear out, leaving a resident to navigate tasks without timely help. There are accounts of transfers and falls where staff had not demonstrated mastery of transfer techniques, and even documented instances of a resident waiting on a toilet for extended periods. The combination of these operational risks, plus reports of weekend or after-hours gaps in nursing coverage, signals that a facility with steadier, more predictable oversight may be a better fit for residents with complex medical needs or higher risk profiles.
The primary pros can be meaningful when offset against the main drawbacks. Families frequently commend the Lodge for friendly, caring staff who interact well with residents, and for administrative teams that are accessible and invested in the facility’s overall atmosphere. Several accounts highlight homemade meals, a central courtyard feel, and a sense that leadership is capable of partnering with external caregivers to support the resident’s plan of care. For families who can remain actively involved and who prioritize a collaborative, affectionate tone in caregiving, these positives help create a livable, reassuring environment, especially when other facilities in the area may feel more clinical or impersonal.
However, those advantages confront substantial operational challenges. A recurring theme is that care quality ebbs and flows with staffing levels. Tales of two contrasting buildings, one described as homey and better cared-for, another less favorable in smell and upkeep, illustrate uneven experiences that can be disorienting for families and residents alike. Front-door security concerns, limited on-site staffing, and the practical realities of navigating two separate campuses under one brand raise legitimate questions about consistency and risk management. In short, the warmth and kitchen-smell comfort may be there, but a gap in reliable, timely care can negate those comforts for anyone relying on steady assistance.
From a decision-making perspective, the key questions are concrete and practical. Prospective families should verify which building a tour covers and insist on seeing both sides of the campus, since conditions and staffing appear to vary. Confirm 24/7 nursing presence or a clear, documented after-hours plan, and ask for concrete metrics on response times for call bells and transfers. Probe medication management processes, pharmacy partnerships, and how shortages are handled without delaying treatment. Learn how management handles refund requests or service changes when a resident’s care needs escalate or a doctor orders a move to another facility. Finally, seek candid feedback from current residents or families about daily life, safety, and engagement, and observe whether staff demonstrate genuine engagement beyond the required tasks.
In the end, this community can be a solid option for families who prioritize a welcoming, family-like culture and are prepared to stay closely involved in daily care. It rewards those who can maintain a close administrative relationship and who can tolerate, or even mitigate, occasional lapses in staffing and operational consistency. For families seeking unwavering reliability, robust after-hours coverage, and rigid safety guarantees, alternatives with locked or highly controlled environments and stronger, more standardized staffing models are prudent. The Lodge at Fairway Forest is a compelling choice for the right fit, one anchored in warmth and collaboration, but not a universal solution for every care need.
32 resident community capacity
Assisted Living
Beauty salon
Cable or satellite TV
Dining room
Fully furnished
Garden
Housekeeping services
Kitchenette
Move-in coordination
Outdoor space
Telephone
Wi-Fi/high-speed internet available
24-hour call system
Activities of daily living assistance
Assistance with bathing
Assistance with dressing
Assistance with transfers
Diabetes diet
Meal preparation and service
Medication management
Mental wellness program
Special dietary restrictions
Transportation arrangement (medical)
Transportation to doctors appointments
An Extensive Exploration of the VA Aid and Attendance Benefit
Senior Transition Services: Understanding Their Role, Cost, and Importance
Exploring the Path to Senior Living: A Comprehensive Look at Independent Living and Assisted Living