Fountains Nursing Home Inc in Marion, IL

Pros

• Caring staff and a very clean facility.
• The staff are friendly and hands-on, and residents seem well taken care of and happy.
• They have a wonderful team dedicated to family and residents.
• The new clinical nursing team has made many improvements, and more improvements are expected.
• The changes in the facility are incredible; staff are friendly and management works hard to improve the residents' experience.
• The therapy staff was excellent and the activities staff was great.

Cons

• They forget to bring dinner for the patient several times, and when notified they throw whatever they can find on a tray, which is ice cold and unfit to eat.
• There is a lack of communication between staff, and some caregivers don’t care and barely provide care.
• The facility smells awful and is dirty, with urine on the floor and residents left in day-old clothes.
• Desserts are infested with ants, and there are ants crawling in residents’ beds.
• Residents with dementia are neglected and left for hours between checks, with their needs going unmet.
• The nursing and aide staff are often unresponsive to basic questions about care or daily routines.
• Management is unprofessional and care is described as bare minimum or worse, with frequent leadership changes.
• Residents’ belongings and even personal documents are stolen or mishandled, with no accountability.
• Beds, wheelchairs, and other equipment are broken or in disrepair, and rehab services are inconsistently provided.
• Meals are cold, portions insufficient, and special dietary needs are not adequately accommodated.

Review

This Marion facility is best suited for families that will be highly engaged advocates, prepared to monitor daily operations closely, and willing to intervene when care reliability falters. The consensus from reviewers is that a resident here benefits most when at least one family member or designated advocate is present regularly to supervise meals, hygiene, and basic safety checks. Those considering this community should recognize that dementia and rehab needs demand steady, proactive oversight, because lapses in monitoring and follow-through are repeatedly highlighted. In short, this is not a hands-off option; it rewards persistence and problem-solving from loved ones who will push for timely attention.

Alternatives should be strongly considered for families prioritizing consistent, seamless care without the heavy burden of daily oversight. If reliable meal service, timely assistance with call lights, predictable medication administration, and a consistently clean, odor-free environment are non-negotiable, other facilities in Marion or nearby towns are likely to deliver more dependable performance. For residents with complex medical needs or advanced dementia, the risks highlighted by multiple families, missed meals, delayed hygiene, and sporadic staff communication, underscore the value of exploring options with more stable staffing and proven, ongoing leadership that can sustain high-quality care over time.

The few durable positives in the reviews, attention from certain therapy and activities staff, moments of genuine care, and a facility that can look clean and well-maintained when leadership is attentive, do not reliably offset the most pervasive drawbacks. The strongest pros are episodic and unevenly distributed across shifts, while the cons are systemic and recurring: inconsistent meal service with cold food, insufficient bed and room care, and frequent communication gaps that leave families guessing about a resident’s status. Even when some staff members go the extra mile, the broader pattern remains disruptive enough to erode trust in daily operations. For families, a few bright spots do not compensate for the ongoing need to chase updates and rectify care lapses.

Operational red flags dominate the reviewer experience. Reports describe poor hygiene practices, lingering odors, ants in rooms or on desserts, and rooms that feel neglected or poorly maintained. Understaffing translates into missed checks, delayed responses to call lights, and inconsistent supervision of toilets, hydration, and ambulation. Medication management appears especially fragile in frequent accounts, with delays or errors and limited visibility into what residents actually received. The sense of organizational instability, turnover in leadership, variable accountability, and uneven enforcement of care plans, further compounds everyday risks and undermines confidence that problems will be resolved promptly.

For families evaluating where to place a loved one, a practical plan is essential. Schedule tours that expose care routines at different times, especially during meals and evening hours, to gauge responsiveness. Speak directly with the administrator and the director of nursing about staffing ratios, turnover, and how care plans are reviewed and updated. Request concrete evidence of improvements and current quality metrics, including dietary service standards and housekeeping schedules. Check state inspection records and recent corrective actions to gauge whether past issues have been meaningfully addressed. Finally, prepare a clear expectation framework with the facility, define response times for call lights, meal delivery windows, and hygiene checks, and insist on regular, documented updates to those expectations.

The bottom line is decisive: this facility is a high-risk choice for most families, particularly those seeking reliable, non-variable nursing care and a consistently clean, well-run environment. It can work for residents whose families can commit to vigilant oversight and direct involvement, especially when rehabilitation services align with a well-coordinated therapy team and responsive administration. Yet the pervasive reports of neglect, inconsistent meals, odor and sanitation concerns, and weak communication create a profile that generally argues against long-term placement without a robust oversight plan. If the priority is dependable, dignified daily care with minimal family intervention, exploring other options will likely yield a more secure match.

This part of Marion, Illinois, offers a variety of amenities that cater to the needs of seniors looking for a peaceful and convenient place to live. With several places of worship located within close proximity, individuals can find spiritual fulfillment and community support. The abundance of parks like Ray Fosse Park and Pyramid Park provide opportunities for leisurely strolls or enjoying nature. Additionally, there are numerous dining options including El Ranchito and Fazoli's, as well as pharmacies such as CVS Pharmacy and Walmart Pharmacy nearby for easy access to medications and healthcare needs. For medical care, Heartland Regional Hospital and various physician clinics are readily available. Overall, this area provides seniors with a comfortable and welcoming environment for senior living.

Places of Worship

• First Church of God (0.3 miles)
• Darkhorse Ministries (1 miles)
• Marion Service Unit (1.1 miles)
• First United Methodist (1.2 miles)
• Freedom Freewill Baptist Church (1.2 miles)
• First Baptist Church (1.2 miles)
• The Cross Community Church (1.2 miles)

Parks

• Ray Fosse Park (0.5 miles)
• Pyramid Park (2.2 miles)
• Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge (6.2 miles)

Restaurants

• El Ranchito (1.2 miles)
• Taco John's (1.2 miles)
• China Wok (1.3 miles)
• Just One More Bar & Grill (1.7 miles)
• Log Cabin Tavern (1.8 miles)
• Fazoli's (2 miles)
• Arby's (2 miles)

Physicians

• Heartland Pediatric Clinic (1.3 miles)
• Diabetes & Endocrinology Clinic (1.3 miles)
• Heartland Regional Hospital (1.6 miles)
• SIMCA Family Practice (1.6 miles)
• Jack Keller, MD, PC (1.8 miles)
• S.I. Medical (2.2 miles)
• James Alexander MD (3.3 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1.4 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (1.4 miles)
• Core Pharmacy (1.6 miles)
• Fred's Xpress (1.6 miles)
• Medicap Pharmacy (1.7 miles)
• Medicine Shoppe (1.8 miles)
• Walgreens (2 miles)

Hospitals

• Va Medical Center (2.6 miles)
• Memorial Hospital Cancer Center (4 miles)
• Marion Hospital Corporation (4.6 miles)
• Marion Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic (4.6 miles)
• Herrin Hospital (7.6 miles)

Cafes

• Panera Bread (3.1 miles)
• Starbucks (3.3 miles)
• Brookes Blue Moose (3.3 miles)
• Andresen's (5.4 miles)