St Lucas Care Ctr in Faribault, MN

Pros

• They have always been healthy and happy.
• They have had their hair done and received special treatment.
• There are no complaints about their care.

Cons

• Welcov is a horrible company to be a vendor for.
• They warn to get paid before doing business with any of Welcov's facilities and have sent vendors to collections.
• If they are this irresponsible about paying bills, one can only imagine what the care is like.
• The reviews allege the nurses gave horrible care, were rude to the grandmother, and treated her as too much trouble.
• The facility allegedly lied about the discharge plan and discharged the grandmother AMA without any medications.
• The reviewer warns, "DO NOT GO HERE" and says they wouldn't send their worst enemy there.
• A grandfather was deemed a problem after a short stay, moved to long-term care, and later fell; staff asked family to sit with him all day to keep him busy.
• Staff reportedly treated the grandfather as a nuisance and suggested they remove themselves from his room to avoid interaction, raising further concerns about care.

Review

St Lucas Care Center in Faribault is best suited for families that can provide substantial in-person oversight and prioritize routine, familiar comforts over a highly coordinated medical environment. The facility appears most appropriate for residents with relatively modest medical needs who value daily living supports, personal touches, and a predictable routine more than intensive clinical oversight. In practice, this means that clear family involvement and proactive advocacy are essential for any resident to navigate care, discharge planning, and daily interactions.

Those considering alternatives should note that residents with high medical complexity, frequent medication needs, or cognitive or behavioral challenges requiring consistent, high-quality supervision may be better served elsewhere. Families unable to visit regularly or to monitor care closely should prepare for potential gaps in communication, timely medication handling, and discharge coordination. For anyone seeking robust, standardized clinical oversight, or specialized memory or rehab programming, other MN facilities with stronger track records in nursing care and risk management are worth evaluating first.

On the upside, a minority of residents appears to experience continuity, basic comfort, and some personalized touches that can make a stay feel more livable. Positive notes from some long-term residents and families point to routines, basic amenities, and occasional individualized attention, including services like hair appointments and a sense of familiarity that helps some residents settle in. These elements matter for quality-of-life during short-term stays or transitions, and they create a baseline of everyday practicality that families value when care needs are modest.

The most troubling themes emerge around care quality and safety. Several reviews describe rude or unresponsive staff, inadequate attention to medical needs, and miscommunications that escalate family concern. Discharge planning is repeatedly flagged as problematic - up to and including a discharge that allegedly bypassed medications and involved calls to family with false statements about patient wishes. A separate account details a rapid, troubling transition from short-term to long-term care without adequate supervision, culminating in a fall and a sense that staffing attention was insufficient for a recovering patient. Such patterns simultaneously erode trust and raise concrete safety questions for residents with real medical vulnerabilities.

Ultimately, the positives do not meaningfully offset the core risks identified. Reliable, respectful, medically attentive care is the expectation for anyone evaluating an assisted living or entry-level nursing setting, and the reports here emphasize inconsistency in those dimensions. For families where a resident's health can be managed with strong family involvement and clear, assertive communication with staff, there may be a workable fit. For most others - especially those with recent surgery, fragile health, or a need for dependable medication administration and discharge discipline - more consistently rated facilities should be pursued first.

If choosing St Lucas, approach with a disciplined due diligence plan. Request a direct conversation with the nursing leadership to review staffing levels, response times, and how medication administration is tracked. Ask for recent state inspection reports, incident logs, and a concrete discharge-planning process that includes written plans, medication handoffs, and follow-up checks. Speak with multiple families or residents about their experiences across shifts, and tour the long-term care and short-term rehab areas with specific questions about fall prevention, laundry handling, and how concerns are escalated. In short, use a structured, evidence-based decision process to determine whether the current strengths align with a resident's medical realities and family capacity to stay actively involved.

Faribault, Minnesota, offers a variety of amenities and services that cater to seniors looking for a comfortable and convenient living environment. The area boasts several hospitals, pharmacies, and physicians located within close proximity, providing easy access to healthcare services. Additionally, there are numerous cafes and restaurants offering a range of dining options for seniors to enjoy. Places of worship are also prevalent in the area, allowing individuals to practice their faith and connect with their community. For those looking to stay active, there are several parks nearby where one can enjoy outdoor activities and socialize with others. Transportation options such as shuttle services and truck rentals make getting around town hassle-free. Overall, Faribault provides a supportive and vibrant community for seniors seeking a fulfilling lifestyle in their later years.

Hospitals

• District One Donations (0.2 miles)
• Melissa Appel, MD - Appel Melissa MD (0.2 miles)
• Northfield Hospital (11.8 miles)
• Owatonna Hospital Sleep Center (12.3 miles)
• Allina Health Laboratory - Owatonna Hospital (12.3 miles)
• Owatonna Clinic (12.3 miles)
• Richardson (12.5 miles)

Pharmacies

• Pharmacy One (0.2 miles)
• Fareway Foods (0.7 miles)
• Sterling Pharmacy (0.7 miles)
• Walgreens (1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (10.6 miles)
• Village Drug (12.2 miles)
• Sterling Pharmacy (12.2 miles)

Physicians

• Cruz Eugene Dela Dpm (0.2 miles)
• Ganeshan Vathsala MD (0.2 miles)
• Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic Pa (0.2 miles)
• Cannon Valley Clinic (0.3 miles)
• Health Finders (0.5 miles)
• Associates in Psychiatry (0.5 miles)
• Southern Cities Community Health Clinic (0.8 miles)

Cafes

• Crooked Pint Ale House (0.3 miles)
• Martha's Eats & Treats (10.1 miles)
• Caribou Coffee (12.3 miles)
• The Cage (12.5 miles)

Restaurants

• Depot Bar and Grill (0.4 miles)
• Monte's Restaurant (0.4 miles)
• Signature Bar & Grill (0.4 miles)
• Mizuki Fusion (1 miles)
• Taco John's (1.5 miles)
• KFC (1.5 miles)
• Broaster (1.5 miles)

Places of Worship

• River Valley Church (0.4 miles)
• Dominican Sisters (0.6 miles)
• Religious Education & Youth (0.6 miles)
• Faribault Evangelical Free Church (1.1 miles)
• Islamic Center (1.3 miles)
• Hope United Methodist Church (1.4 miles)
• First Baptist Church (1.8 miles)

Parks

• Central Park (0.7 miles)
• Jefferson School (1.4 miles)
• Alexander Park Softball (1.5 miles)
• Alexander Park (1.6 miles)
• Tyler Park (11.1 miles)
• Riverside Lions Park (12.1 miles)
• Odd Fellows Park (12.2 miles)

Transportation

• First Choice Shuttle (1.4 miles)
• Budget Truck Rental (3 miles)

Theaters

• Cannon Valley Cinema (10.1 miles)