904 Hall Avenue, Savannah, MO 64485
For more information about senior living options: (866) 208-4318
Overall Review of Laverna Senior Living
Pros
The Alzheimer’s unit is well maintained, with staff doing a great job and truly caring for the patients.- The staff in the Alzheimer’s unit genuinely care about their patients.
- The facility is described by visitors as one of the best care facilities, with loving, caring staff.
- The place is impressively clean and has a pleasant fragrance.
- The director of nursing leads a team that lovingly attends to the needs of every resident.
- The compassionate care provided to residents is first-rate.
- Katie Johnson is an administrator who truly cares about residents and staff and goes beyond her duty to meet their needs.
Cons
The staff won’t let him leave.- He feels uncomfortable there and hates being there.
- The facility is described as a horrible place.
- The family had to threaten to report them to get anything done.
- The room was often filthy.
- The patient was found lying in her own feces.
- Water and other beverages were kept across the room, out of reach.
- There is no actual care at this facility.
- The administration is never there or available when problems arise.
- A staff member stole the mother's wedding rings.
Review
LaVerna Senior Living in Savannah, MO is best suited for families that prize a warm, home-like atmosphere, genuinely caring staff, and clean, well-kept surroundings. The community appears solid for short-term rehab needs and memory-care support, with several accounts highlighting attentive nursing contact and a well-regarded Alzheimer’s unit. For families who want reassurance that their loved one will be treated with kindness and dignity, this facility can deliver a heartfelt, consistent bedside experience in many visits and to many residents.
Those who may want to consider alternatives are families seeking airtight governance, unwavering administrative visibility, and a consistently uniform staff structure. Several reviews raise red flags about management accessibility and accountability, describing administrators who are hard to reach and situations where concerns were not promptly addressed. Some families recount instances of neglectful care, rooms left dirty, delayed assistance, and high staff turnover, including allegations involving theft and insufficient supervision. A recurring thread in these critiques is the concern that profit-driven pressures could undermine day-to-day reliability, making careful scrutiny essential before committing long-term.
The strongest positives revolve around atmosphere, cleanliness, and memory-care capability. Positive remarks frequently point to a clean, fragrance-forward environment and a staff culture that genuinely cares for residents. The Alzheimer’s unit is repeatedly described as well-staffed and attentive, with caregivers who work to keep residents safe and comfortable. In addition, when care teams are praised, a director of nursing or equivalent leadership is cited as personally attentive to resident needs, which can translate into timely, compassionate responses for families seeking reassurance during recovery or daily living.
However, the negatives are tangible and should not be ignored. Multiple accounts report inadequate response times, difficulty locating aides, and care gaps that left family members frustrated or distressed. Some residents reportedly experienced bedsores or infections, with critical tasks like hydration and wound care compromised by inconsistent staffing. There are references to rooms and belongings requiring family intervention to maintain cleanliness, and to an administration that was intermittently unavailable or slow to act. A reviewer explicitly characterized the facility as for-profit in a way that seemed to influence perceived care quality, a concern that colors risk for families prioritizing long-term security and steady oversight.
In deciding whether LaVerna fits, weigh the appeal of a compassionate, clean environment against the possibility of inconsistent leadership and staffing gaps. For memory-care and rehab-focused needs, the unit’s performance and the praise for direct caregiver engagement matter, but they must be balanced against the reported governance gaps. If a resident or family requires unwavering, routine accountability and rapid problem resolution, this facility may demand closer daily oversight or even comparison with alternatives known for stronger administrative presence and transparent incident handling.
Practical next steps are clear. Schedule time to observe care patterns across shifts, not just tour moments. Ask for a direct conversation with the administrator and the director of nursing about staffing ratios, shift coverage, and how problems are tracked and resolved. Request recent incident reports and a detailed plan for how any past concerns have been addressed, including steps taken to prevent recurrence. Verify ownership status, and ask how changes under new ownership, if applicable, have affected staffing and service levels. Finally, compare with other regional options that emphasize visible leadership, consistent staffing, and robust family communication to ensure the chosen path aligns with safety, dignity, and peace of mind for the loved one.
120 resident community capacity
Skilled Nursing Facility
Air-conditioning
Beauty salon
Cable or satellite TV
Computer center
Dining room
Fitness room
Fully furnished
Gaming room
Garden
Housekeeping services
Kitchenette
Move-in coordination
Outdoor space
Private bathrooms
Restaurant-style dining
Small library
Telephone
Wellness center
Wi-Fi/high-speed internet available
Community operated transportation
24-hour call system
Activities of daily living assistance
Assistance with bathing
Assistance with dressing
Assistance with transfers
Diabetes diet
Medication management
Special dietary restrictions
Concierge services
Planned day trips
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