St Luke Lutheran Community

Pros

• The facility and its staff are described as wonderful, with staff who are helpful and always have a smile.
• A relative in rehab is receiving wonderful care at St. Luke's.
• The team across all departments is great and dedicated to caring for residents.
• Rehab experiences are described as respectful and dignified for those receiving care.
• The rehab and memory care areas are newer and nicer.
• A long-time employee calls St. Luke's a great place to work with a dedication to high-quality resident care.

Cons

• The organization is described as unprofessional and uncaring.
• Requests for a doctor to call a family member are ignored.
• Pain management is denied delays in physical therapy when pain meds take effect.
• The social worker is described as terrible and should be fired.
• Families report neglect, including caregivers not changing diapers and not feeding residents.
• Clothes go missing and housekeeping is inconsistent.
• The facility is dirty and unsanitary, with ants in the kitchen.
• Food orders are frequently wrong or meals are not served, sometimes arriving cold.
• Call bells are often nonfunctional or ignored for long periods.
• Understaffing leads to delays and reduced care, with some staff lazy and focused on paperwork.

Review

The collection of experiences shared about St. Luke's paints a picture of a facility with real strengths and serious, contrasting weaknesses. On the positive side, multiple reviewers credit the center with a welcoming atmosphere, dedicated nursing staff, and moments of commendable care. People describe the physical rehabilitation programs and the overall environment as "wonderful," with nurses and aides who are kind, responsive, and able to provide respectful, dignified treatment in many cases. One reviewer who has worked there for decades expresses pride in the team and in making the place feel like a home for residents. A relative caring for an aunt notes that rehab is progressing well and that staff are helpful and smiling, and others recount personal progress, friendships formed with staff and residents, and a sense of hope and renewal during the recovery and rehabilitation process.

Yet these positive notes sit alongside a substantial and loudly voiced drumbeat of frustration, alarm, and disappointment about care quality, safety, and day-to-day operations. A recurring theme is communication - or the lack of it. Some families report being shut out of critical updates, with requests for doctors to call family members routinely ignored. The sentiment expressed by several reviewers is that, despite paying top dollar, families must spend a great deal of time pushing for even basic information or care decisions. In one stark account, a family describes a "runaround" when questions are asked, and another laments that social workers do not provide the help expected, with one major social worker described as someone who should be fired. The lack of timely, transparent communication appears to be a central grievance for many families.

Care delivery and patient safety emerge as another point of intense concern. Several reviewers describe painful, potentially dangerous gaps between pain management and therapy schedules, reporting that delays in physical therapy occur while pain medication takes effect, or that requests to adjust therapy timing are denied. There are alarming anecdotes of fall risks left unmitigated, beds without proper rails, and patients found in unsafe, even naked states, with staff not responding promptly. Reports include clothes going missing, personal belongings being misplaced or stolen, and patients who become stranded or left on the floor after a fall. The sense conveyed is that staff shortages and inconsistent policy enforcement can translate into real, tangible risk for residents, especially those who are older, frailer, or unable to advocate for themselves.

The issue of staffing levels and engagement cuts across many of these experiences. While some staff are praised as courteous, conscientious, and fully invested in resident well-being, others are criticized for seeming detached, overwhelmed, or inattentive. There are explicit complaints about weekend staffing gaps and perceived laziness or disorganization among some workers, contrasted with credit given to an afternoon aide who tried to obtain help. The metaphor that emerges is a facility pulled in two directions: a core group of compassionate, hard-working professionals delivering good care, and a broader staffing environment that many families feel is stretched too thin to consistently meet patient needs.

Cleanliness, food service, and general facility conditions are another area of strong disagreement. Some reviewers describe a clean, well-maintained environment with functional amenities, while others report unsanitary conditions and a dreary, poorly maintained atmosphere. Ants in the kitchen, dirty carpets, unclean rooms, and inadequate housekeeping are cited as persistent problems, sometimes resulting in vomit or messes going unattended for days. Food service is also a frequent target, with complaints about meals arriving late, meals being misordered or inconsistent, and basic items like milk missing from cereal or meals not being delivered as planned. A few families recount separate issues with heat and temperature control, including rooms that are uncomfortably hot or, in at least one instance, a room that was inexplicably left without heat for an entire night.

The strongest negative threads are anchored in stories of avoidable suffering or near-misses. Several reviews recount situations where patients required urgent attention or medical intervention but did not receive it promptly. Instances of patients experiencing illness outbreaks or infection control concerns - such as warmed concerns about influenza or norovirus - underscore fears about isolation practices and the potential for cross-contamination in a crowded care setting. A potent sense across multiple accounts is that, in certain moments, the facility's structure and culture hinder rather than help, and that the patient's safety and dignity can be compromised when staff are overwhelmed or systems fail to respond quickly and effectively.

Despite these troubling accounts, there are the expected counterpoints - moments of gratitude, resilience, and appreciation for individual caregivers who go above and beyond. Some reviewers highlight specific staff members who demonstrated compassion, professionalism, and warmth, and one person describes plans to return as a volunteer after rehabilitation, with a desire to give back and perhaps teach, such as yoga for chair exercises. A sense of pride remains for some who have worked within the organization and for those who have seen positive outcomes in rehabilitation or memory care. These voices remind readers that even within a challenging system, there are people striving to deliver excellent care and to make the living environment feel as supportive as possible for residents and their families.

Taken together, the reviews depict a complex institution that can offer meaningful, effective rehabilitation and compassionate individual care in many circumstances, while simultaneously facing serious, systemic challenges related to communication, staffing, cleanliness, safety, and consistency of care. For families considering St. Luke's, the bottom line is a mixed one: undeniable strengths in human kindness and rehabilitative potential are counterbalanced by frequent reports of frustration, safety concerns, and administrative gaps. Prospective residents and their loved ones may want to weigh the likelihood of receiving attentive, timely care against the risk of encountering inconsistent responses from staff, gaps in daily care, and environmental or operational issues. If choosing this facility, it may be wise to have a point person who can consistently monitor care plans, advocate for timely communication, and work closely with the care team to address issues swiftly, while also evaluating other centers to compare the balance of care quality, safety, and overall atmosphere.

This part of North Canton, Ohio offers a variety of amenities and services that cater to seniors looking for convenience and comfort. With multiple pharmacies nearby, accessing necessary medications is easy. There are also several parks in the area, providing opportunities for outdoor activities and leisurely walks. A selection of popular restaurants ensures that dining options are plentiful, while major healthcare providers and hospitals are within a short distance for medical needs. Additionally, the proximity to Akron-Canton Airport makes traveling convenient for visiting family or leisure trips. Overall, this neighborhood provides a well-rounded living environment with essential services and recreational options at your doorstep.

Cafes

• Starbucks (0.2 miles)
• Starbucks (2.1 miles)
• Ohio Roasting Company (3.4 miles)
• Starbucks (3.7 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (0.3 miles)
• Acme (0.3 miles)
• Marc's Stores (0.6 miles)
• Discount Drug Mart (0.6 miles)
• Rite Aid (0.7 miles)
• Discount Drug Mart (2.1 miles)
• Walgreens (2.2 miles)

Parks

• Dogwood Park (0.4 miles)
• Bors Field (2.1 miles)
• Schneider Community Park (3.1 miles)
• Arboretum Park (3.5 miles)
• Diamond Community Park (3.7 miles)
• Southgate Park (3.8 miles)
• Lake Cable Village (4 miles)

Restaurants

• Swensons Drive-In (0.5 miles)
• Pav's Creamery in North Canton (1.2 miles)
• R O's Custard Creations (1.6 miles)
• Cracker Barrel (1.8 miles)
• McDonald's (1.9 miles)
• BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (1.9 miles)
• IHOP (1.9 miles)

Places of Worship

• Faith Family Church (1.6 miles)
• Grace United Methodist Church (2.1 miles)
• First Christian Church (2.2 miles)
• First Baptist Church Of Canton (3.5 miles)

Physicians

• Akron Children's Hospital Pediatric Endocrinology (1.7 miles)
• North Canton Medical Foundation (1.8 miles)
• Roholt Vision Institute (1.9 miles)
• Spectrum (2 miles)
• The Office (2.1 miles)
• Eye Centers of Ohio (2.4 miles)
• Physicians Imaging (2.5 miles)

Theaters

• Cinemark (1.8 miles)
• Tinseltown (2.2 miles)

Transportation

• Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) (2.5 miles)

Hospitals

• Summa Health System (3.5 miles)
• Jackson Mercy Statcare (3.9 miles)