Good Samaritan Society - Fargo

Pros

• They were pleased with the management, facility, and care at Good Samaritan.
• They described the environment as clean, with friendly staff and wonderful residents.
• They noted that Good Samaritan offers both basic care and assisted living.
• They described the facility as a very nice place.
• They felt fortunate that another facility opened for their parents.
• They appreciated the supportive assistance during a delicate transition.
• They had positive experiences with Good Samaritan before recent concerns.

Cons

• The medication errors were too numerous to count.
• The RN staff turnover was terrible.
• The nurses did not stay; something was wrong.
• They had to manage the majority of their loved one's care themselves.
• There were four head RN changes in six months.
• It was a very one-sided partnership.
• The mother was not being cared for as she used to be.
• The facility forgetting to feed residents was a major problem.
• The phone customer service was lacking.
• They would not recommend this facility.

Review

The experiences shared about Good Samaritan begin on a hopeful note, with praise for the way the facility handles management, the environment, and the overall care for a family member. The reviewers describe a delicate transition period during which the staff were supportive and took steps to help navigate the uncertainties that come with moving a loved one into senior living. In these initial reflections, the community is depicted as clean and well-maintained, with a sense of warmth from the residents and a general impression of a place that could be a good fit for basic care and assisted living.

What follows, however, introduces a more complex and conflicted picture. The reviewers emphasize that despite the favorable start, the decision to remain in Good Samaritan faltered because medication errors began to pile up and could not be ignored. The frequency of these issues is underscored by the observation that there were numerous medication errors, which contributed to a growing concern about the safety and reliability of the care. Added to this uncertainty was the turnover in the nursing leadership - specifically, the RN staff turnover was described as "terrible," with approximately three RNs leaving in a relatively short period, a pattern that raised questions about consistency and continuity of care.

There is a strong sense of responsibility conveyed by the families themselves. One reviewer notes having more than two decades of nursing experience and being able to recognize when staff stability is lacking, which led them to take a hands-on role in managing their loved one's care. They became the primary coordinators, bridging the gap between doctors and the facility, and worked hard to advocate for appropriate treatment and services. In their view, this burden of coordination - essentially performing much of the back-end work that should have been handled by the facility - turned a collaborative effort into a one-sided endeavor.

The reviews then detail a recurring pattern: multiple changes in leadership (four head RNs over roughly six months) alongside repeated medication errors. The implication is clear to the reviewers: changing leadership in a short window undermines consistency in daily operations and clinical oversight. The frustration is palpable as they describe needing to intervene repeatedly to ensure their parents received basic care, a level of involvement that should not be necessary in a well-staffed facility. The overall sentiment is that the partnership with the facility felt imbalanced, with families left shouldering a significant portion of the care coordination duties.

Amidst the challenges, there is a note of relief and redemption tied to an alternative option. The reviewers mention that they were fortunate to have another facility open for their parents, suggesting that the situation at Good Samaritan had deteriorated enough to necessitate a move. Before these difficulties escalated, there were positive experiences at Good Samaritan, but in the most recent weeks those positives were overshadowed by alarming gaps in care - most notably, concerns about proper nutrition and feeding. The phrase about a place "forgetting to feed residents" signals a critical lapse that intensified the fear and frustration of family members who depended on the facility for routine, essential needs.

Customer service and the overall tone of communication are also highlighted as problem areas. One reviewer explicitly states that phone customer service was lacking, which compounded the stress of managing a vulnerable family member's needs. Yet, even with these criticisms, there is a residual sense that the facility has redeeming qualities, described as a "very nice place." This juxtaposition - an environment that can be pleasant and well-intentioned but undermined by systemic issues - adds to the complexity of the overall assessment.

In the end, the collective narrative presents a nuanced portrait: a community that has the potential to offer solid senior living with basic care and assisted living, matched with a clean and welcoming environment, friendly staff, and a community of residents. But this potential is undermined by persistent medication errors, high turnover in RN leadership, and a heavy burden placed on families to ensure that essential care is delivered. The result is a decision to relocate to another facility, driven by concerns about safety and quality of care, rather than a simple dissatisfaction with appearance or atmosphere.

Taken together, these accounts illustrate a difficult truth about care environments: strong first impressions and well-meaning staffing can be insufficient if clinical stability and consistent leadership are not sustained. The reviewers' experiences underscore the importance of reliable medication management, stable nursing leadership, and proactive, ongoing collaboration between the facility and families. While there are positive aspects to Good Samaritan, the weight of the reported medication errors, leadership turnover, and the need for families to fill care gaps ultimately shaped a decision to seek care elsewhere.

This area of Fargo, North Dakota offers a convenient and accessible location for senior living. With several clinics and hospitals within close proximity, including Sanford Children's Endocrinology & Primary Care Clinic and Essentia Health-Fargo, residents have easy access to medical care. There are also various pharmacies nearby such as LifeScript Pharmacy and Seip Drug for all medication needs. In terms of dining options, there are popular restaurants like CherryBerry and JL Beers as well as cafes like Starbucks and Thunder Coffee for socializing with friends or family. Additionally, the presence of parks like Rendezvous Park and Lindenwood Park provide opportunities for outdoor activities and relaxation. Overall, this area provides a comfortable and well-equipped environment for seniors looking to settle in Fargo.

Physicians

• 7 Day Clinic (0.3 miles)
• Sanford Fargo Dermatology (0.3 miles)
• Sanford Children's Endocrinology & Primary Care Clinic (0.3 miles)
• Sanford Dermatology & Laser Clinic (0.3 miles)
• Rejuv Medical Aesthetic Clinic (0.6 miles)
• Aspire Optical Co of Fargo (0.7 miles)
• Vance Thompson Vision (1.1 miles)

Restaurants

• CherryBerry (0.4 miles)
• Bulldog Tap (0.4 miles)
• SouthTown PourHouse (0.4 miles)
• JL Beers (0.9 miles)
• Mexican Village (0.9 miles)
• Buffalo Wings & Rings (1.4 miles)
• Pub West (1.4 miles)

Pharmacies

• LifeScript Pharmacy (0.9 miles)
• The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy (0.9 miles)
• Seip Drug (1.6 miles)
• Dakota Clinic Pharmacy at 32nd Ave (1.8 miles)
• Skripts Pharmacy (2 miles)
• Frontier Pharmacy (2.2 miles)
• Southpointe Pharmacy (2.2 miles)

Transportation

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car (1 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (1.2 miles)
• Starbucks (2.1 miles)
• Caribou Coffee (2.8 miles)
• Pepper's Sports Cafe (3.4 miles)
• Starbucks (4 miles)
• Thunder Coffee (4.1 miles)
• Northstar Coffee (4.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Essentia Health-Fargo (1.8 miles)
• Easentia Health Nicu (1.8 miles)
• Sanford Southpointe Clinic (2.2 miles)
• Wood County Hospital (3.5 miles)
• Kindred Hospital Fargo (3.8 miles)
• Essentia Health (3.8 miles)

Parks

• Rendezvous Park (2.8 miles)
• 9th Ave W Park (3.7 miles)
• Lindenwood Park (4.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (3 miles)