Valley Retirement Home Inc

Pros

• The social worker and admissions director are praised for excellent communication and coordinating outstanding care.
• The facility earns high praise for delicious food, cleanliness, and attentive care.
• The therapy team is described as kind, encouraging, and instrumental in recovery.
• Kayla in the Admissions Department is great to work with and a pleasure to be around.
• The facility is beautiful, the team is caring, and the experience is highly recommendable.
• The Christopher Center memory care program is excellent, with structured activities and staff who treat residents with dignity and respect.
• The atmosphere is warm and community-like, with staff who regularly check on residents and foster a positive living environment.
• The rehab area features a nice Bistro dining space and comfortable private rooms with thoughtful amenities.
• The staff in Assisted Living are incredible, keeping residents happy, engaged, and well cared for.
• Residents are consistently praised for receiving care that supports independence and quality of life.

Cons

• The facility was short on staff, and medications were often not delivered on time.
• Some nurses were rude, and residents had difficulty obtaining water.
• The call light was useless, making it hard for residents to summon assistance.
• The discharge process was poorly coordinated, with delays and unclear requirements.
• Management was not seen as effective, with promises not kept after admission.
• The secretary was rude and incompetent, frequently hanging up the phone.

Review

Our Lady of the Valley stands out in the community as a long-established place that many families come to when their loved ones need skilled nursing, rehabilitation, memory care, or assisted living. Across the board, reviewers consistently highlight the facility's dedication to coordinated care, driven in large part by strong collaboration between the social work team and admissions staff. The sense that care is not just clinical but well-organized and person-centered comes through in many stories: families praising how smoothly admissions processes flow, how well the care teams communicate, and how patients are guided through rehab and recovery with attention to individual needs. The overarching impression is that the team knows how to harmonize medical care with daily life to help residents regain strength and return home when possible.

Several accounts focus on very positive outcomes for individual loved ones. One uncle who stayed for rehab celebrated a quick and impressive recovery, a strong improvement in strength, and a discharge home after a few weeks. The praise didn't stop there - grandmother's stay was described as a standout experience, with specific admiration for the healing power of therapy. She spoke highly of the therapy team - described as kind, encouraging, and instrumental in her rapid recovery - and she fondly remembered her private room and the overall sense that the environment felt like a peaceful retreat. The dining experience also receives praise, with comments about delicious food and an inviting Bistro dining area that enhances the sense of comfort and normalcy during rehab and recovery.

The human touch and atmosphere are repeatedly singled out as strengths. Brandy in Admissions is described as kind, wonderful, and genuinely caring - someone who treats residents like family. Across multiple testimonials, the staff are praised as caring, conscientious, and dedicated to residents' wellbeing. A recurring sentiment is that the facility feels like a community rather than a hospital, with staff who go above and beyond to ensure residents are engaged and happy. Families note life enrichment opportunities that help residents stay involved and connected, highlighting how positive interactions and the warmth of the team contribute to improved morale and quality of life. The private rooms, thoughtful touches, and the overall sense of being well cared for are often cited as reasons families would recommend the center to others.

For those seeking memory care, The Christopher Center is singled out for providing a well-structured, humane environment. Reviewers describe activities tailored to cognitive abilities - live music, cooking, bingo, arts and crafts, field trips, and seasonal celebrations - that keep residents engaged and dignified. The facility itself is said to be consistently clean, with residents and staff appearing genuinely happy to be there. A mother's year-and-a-half journey in memory care is recounted with gratitude for how the days were filled with purpose and respect, and with appreciation for staff who treated residents with dignity and compassion. The combination of a thoughtful program and a clean, welcoming setting helps families feel confident in the care their loved ones receive.

Yet, the collection of impressions is not uniformly positive. Several reviews present a more mixed or critical portrait, underscoring systemic challenges such as staffing levels and process inefficiencies. Some reviewers report short-staffing leading to delayed medications, difficulties in getting call bells answered, and challenges with basic needs like getting water in a timely manner. A few describe encounters with front-desk or administrative staff as rude or unhelpful, painting a picture of a facility where occasional miscommunications or friction can impact the overall experience. These comments remind readers that even in highly regarded settings, operational issues can affect residents and families.

The concerns extend into the discharge and rehabilitation processes for some families. One reviewer described a fraught experience where medications were not delivered promptly, an inflatable transfer device disappeared, and discharge planning was inconsistently managed due to gaps in staffing and coordination. In another account, a family encountered delays with discharge paperwork and a lack of coordination between OT and medical staff, compounded by the absence of key personnel on certain days. The sense conveyed is that despite dedicated caregivers and therapists, some administrative and logistical gaps can create frustration and distress during critical transitions.

Despite the occasional criticisms, many families leave with a strong overall impression of care, communication, and community. They recount moments of exceptional support from staff and therapists, the comfort of well-appointed living spaces, and the reassurance that their loved ones are in a nurturing environment. The presence of dedicated individuals like Erin M., who offered comprehensive guidance on placement options and demonstrated genuine kindness, underscores the sentiment that compassionate, knowledgeable personnel make a meaningful difference. The facility's culinary team also earns praise, with chefs like Tony ensuring that meals are not only nutritious but reliable and enjoyable, reinforcing the sense that life at Our Lady of the Valley can feel home-like and satisfying.

In sum, Our Lady of the Valley emerges as a facility with many strengths: a long-standing commitment to coordinated care, a robust rehabilitation and therapy program, a warm and engaging atmosphere, and a real sense of community among residents, families, and staff. The positive experiences - strong therapeutic results, beautiful private rooms, supportive admissions staff, and an active life-enrichment environment - are consistently highlighted by families who feel their loved ones thrived there. At the same time, the reviews acknowledge areas for improvement, particularly around staffing levels, timely medication delivery, and some administrative communication issues. Taken together, the feedback paints a picture of a facility that offers high-quality, compassionate care while continually striving to address operational challenges to ensure every resident receives timely, respectful, and comprehensive support.

Physicians

• Carilion Internal Medicine (0.5 miles)
• Star City Eye Care (1.2 miles)
• New Horizons Healthcare (1.3 miles)
• City of Roanoke Employee Health (1.4 miles)
• Lions Sight Foundation of Virginia (1.5 miles)
• Carilion Clinic Wound Center (1.8 miles)
• Carilion Clinic Urogynecology - Roanoke (1.8 miles)

Parks

• Washington Park (0.6 miles)
• Wasena Park (1.6 miles)
• Elmwood Park (1.7 miles)
• Vic Thomas Park (1.7 miles)
• Norwich Park (1.8 miles)
• Mill Mountain Park (2.9 miles)

Restaurants

• Chipotle Mexican Grill (0.8 miles)
• Lupita's Tacos (1 miles)
• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen (1 miles)
• Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill (1.1 miles)
• Fillin' Station (1.1 miles)
• Carrabba's Italian Grill (1.2 miles)
• Rodeo Grande (1.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• Medicine Shoppe (1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.1 miles)
• Wonder Drug Southeast Pharmacy (2.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.3 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (2.3 miles)

Transportation

• Roanoke Higher Education Center Smart Way Stop (1.2 miles)
• Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) (2.4 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (1.3 miles)
• Starbucks (2.4 miles)
• Starbucks (2.4 miles)
• Sweet Donkey Coffee (2.7 miles)

Places of Worship

• St James Episcopal Church (1.6 miles)
• Rescue Mission Ministries (1.7 miles)
• St Johns Episcopal Church (1.7 miles)

Hospitals

• Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital (1.8 miles)
• Carilion Clinic Inpatient Rehabilitation (1.8 miles)
• Roanoke Ambulatory Surgery Center (2 miles)
• Carilion Health System (2.7 miles)