Bent-Wood Nursing Ctr in Florissant, MO

Pros

• Bentwood feels like home, with cozy rooms, great meals, and a welcoming atmosphere.
• The staff are patient and caring, treating every resident with dignity and respect.
• Dr. Vanessa Stone is loving, knowledgeable, and passionate about her work.
• The facility is clean, well-maintained, and safe, offering a calm, home-like environment.
• The admissions team and administrator provide clear, transparent communication and make transitions stress-free.
• The therapy team is outstanding, providing personalized rehab and constant encouragement.
• Bentwood is a sanctuary of healing and hope where residents are treated with compassion and dignity.
• The dining staff delivers excellent meals and attentive service that residents appreciate.
• Ayla Lewis is praised for her compassionate bedside manner and for making families feel heard and supported.
• The leadership at Bentwood, especially Dr. Stone, is credited with positive changes and ongoing commitment to safety, care, and quality.

Cons

• The facility is HORRIBLE, with dangerous care lapses like uncontrolled blood sugar and inappropriate insulin dosing.
• The aides are described as getting pissed off when residents ask for basic needs such as ice water, showing a lack of compassion.
• There is a reported lack of patient oversight and failure to ensure appointments, with cold food served to residents who are diabetic.
• The facility is accused of employing "paycheck" staff rather than caring personnel and of ignoring compassion.
• The place is described as dirty and filthy with bad odors and unsanitary conditions, sometimes with no hot water.
• Management and caseworkers are criticized for poor communication, unresponsiveness, and failing to return calls or emails.
• There are grave allegations including a death due to neglect and even claims of force-feeding against a patient's wishes.

Review

Bentwood Nursing & Rehab Center in Florissant is best suited for families seeking a warm, hands-on rehab-focused environment with attentive leadership and a genuinely nurturing staff. This community works well for residents who benefit from a home-like atmosphere, strong therapy services, and clear, ongoing family communication. Prospective families will find Bentwood appealing if short- or long-term goals center on personalized rehab, dignity in care, and a visible leadership team that pushes for steady improvements and transparent updates. The facility's appeal rests on the impression of genuine care, a welcoming culture, and a rehabilitative mindset that treats recovery as a collaborative process.

Those who may want to consider alternatives are families with heightened safety or consistency concerns. Several reviews raise red flags about staffing shortages, delays in assistance, and uneven responsiveness, which can be consequential for residents with complex medical needs. Other families report troubling experiences around medication management, turning schedules, or communication gaps that leave questions unanswered for extended periods. For anyone prioritizing ironclad safety, minimal risk of errors, or a perfectly predictable daily routine, a facility with fewer and less variable testimonials about these issues may be a better fit. The risk profile here is real enough to warrant careful due diligence before committing.

The strongest positives center on compassionate, capable caregiving and evident clinical leadership. The new administrator, led by Dr. Vanessa Stone, is repeatedly credited with elevating safety, care quality, and staff engagement. Residents and families praise the rehab team for personalized, hands-on therapy, with many noting improvements in function and a sense of genuine partnership in care plans. The atmosphere is described as clean, welcoming, and home-like, with residents encouraged to participate in activities and feel spiritually and socially connected. The dining experience, the kitchen staff, and the overall atmosphere contribute to a sense that Bentwood can be more than a medical facility - it is a place where dignity and comfort matter.

Nevertheless, the cons voiced by some families cannot be ignored. Serious concerns include instances where care decisions or attention to immediate needs appeared inconsistent, and where responses to requests for help or for critical services were slow. Multiple accounts allege lapses in turning, under-monitoring of wounds or pain, and even grave misunderstandings around medications. A subset of reviews describes unacceptable acts - verging on neglect or unsafe practices - that understandably prompts hesitation. Additional complaints touch on communication challenges, signage of policies, and occasional staff turnover or disengagement that can undermine continuity of care. Taken together, these experiences signal that Bentwood's benefits may not be uniform across every shift or every resident.

The way the pros offset the cons hinges on priorities and the quality of ongoing oversight. For families prioritizing high-quality rehab and a hopeful, family-centered environment, Bentwood can deliver meaningful gains in function and mood when leadership is stable and staff stay engaged. The improvements attributed to the new director and the highly praised clinicians suggest a facility that is listening, adapting, and raising standards where it counts. However, the offset only holds if the facility maintains consistent staffing, rigorous medication protocols, and timely communication. When those elements wobble, the risk of negative outcomes rises, and the favorable aspects cannot fully compensate.

If Bentwood is being considered, approach with a concrete plan for due diligence. Schedule a tour focused on daily routines during peak activity times; ask to speak with the DON and with frontline staff about turnover and workloads; request current nurse-to-resident and therapist-to-resident ratios; review how medications are ordered, dispensed, and reconciled; push for a transparent care plan with daily or twice-daily updates to families; and verify turning schedules, wound care protocols, and monitoring routines. It is wise to request recent performance data, to observe the rehab gym in operation, and to talk with current residents or family representatives about communication practices and responsiveness. Bentwood can be an excellent home for recovery and dignity when these elements are actively managed and consistently upheld.

This area of Florissant, Missouri offers convenient access to a variety of essential amenities for senior living. With multiple pharmacies nearby such as Schnucks and Walgreens, residents can easily access their medications and healthcare needs. There are also a number of restaurants, cafes, and parks within a short distance, providing opportunities for dining out, socializing, and enjoying the outdoors. For those who require medical care, hospitals like DePaul Health Center and Christian Hospital are located just a few miles away. Additionally, the proximity to St. Louis Lambert International Airport offers convenience for traveling or visitors. Overall, this area boasts a diverse array of services and recreational options that cater to the needs and preferences of seniors looking to reside in Florissant.

Pharmacies

• Schnucks (0.7 miles)
• Dierbergs (0.9 miles)
• Schnucks (1.1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.5 miles)
• Schnucks (2.6 miles)
• Walgreens (2.7 miles)

Restaurants

• Pearl Cafe (0.9 miles)
• Culver's (1.2 miles)
• Mann Meats (1.2 miles)
• Doughnut Cupboard (1.4 miles)
• Henkes Tavern (1.6 miles)
• Narrow Gauge Brewing Company (1.7 miles)
• Florissant City Diner (1.8 miles)

Parks

• St Ferdinand Park (1.3 miles)
• Blanchette Memorial Hall (7.2 miles)
• Frontier Park (7.3 miles)
• Creve Coeur Park (9.1 miles)
• Kwanis Park (9.2 miles)
• Vogt Brothers Park (9.3 miles)

Cafes

• Made. by Lia (1.5 miles)
• Old Town Donut Shop (1.8 miles)
• Starbucks (2 miles)
• Starbucks (2.7 miles)
• Panera Bread (9.6 miles)

Transportation

• St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) (4.3 miles)
• TSA PreCheck A Gates (4.4 miles)
• TSA Security Checkpoint Gates C & D (4.4 miles)
• Terminal 1 (4.4 miles)
• Terminal 1 Passenger Pickup (4.4 miles)
• Southwest Airlines (4.7 miles)
• Terminal 2 Parking (4.7 miles)

Hospitals

• DePaul Health Center - Emergency Room (5.8 miles)
• DePaul Hospital (5.8 miles)
• Christian Hospital (6.2 miles)
• St Joseph's Hospital (7.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Ann Catholic School (7.4 miles)

Theaters

• AMC Streets Of St Charles 8 (8.1 miles)

Physicians

• Walsh, Martin Ssm Health Outpatient Center Veterans Memorial Parkway (8.4 miles)