Lutheran Care Center At Poughkeepsie

Pros

• The staff were sincerely supportive and caring.
• The rehab team was impeccable.
• They ensured she went home at her highest level and gave her compensatory strategies to succeed at home.
• The nurses treated the patient with compassion, respect, and dignity.
• The occupational therapist Darby Arce was described as a living angel, and the physical therapist Sue Chodkowski as a true gem.
• The staff were great and the facility was a pleasant place to visit.
• The facility was clean and the staff was very caring.
• The therapy staff was excellent.
• Most of the staff were amazing and very helpful.
• The care provided was very good, with staff from administration to housekeepers giving their best.
• Families would highly recommend this facility.

Cons

• They describe a terrible experience on 2 North, noting an aide who was lazy and watched the bell ring for almost 30 minutes.
• They claim staff behind the desk had nasty attitudes and that one nurse was rude and unprofessional.
• They allege the facility actively ignored a patient when she didn't feel well, with no adult diapers provided and the patient left to go in her pants.
• They report the facility is very expensive and recount multiple falls, including a second fall the same day of hip surgery, with fall risk not properly addressed.
• They assert there was negligence by doctors, including a 105-degree fever not promptly treated, leading to dehydration and infections.
• They describe understaffing resulting in hours without assistance and call bells sometimes out of reach.
• They claim the dietary management was neglected, with high sugar/high carb meals and ignored dietary restrictions.
• They state they would not recommend this facility to anyone.

Review

This community is best suited for families seeking a rehabilitation-focused stay where therapy teams can drive meaningful recovery, and where the environment is generally clean and person-centered. When the priority is a clear, structured rehab plan with active therapists and a facility that feels approachable, Lutheran Care Center can deliver solid outcomes. It is less ideal for families prioritizing flawless daily safety, consistent staffing, and airtight medical oversight. In those cases, the risk of uneven day-to-day care and gaps in communication may undermine the overall experience, especially for residents with complex or evolving medical needs.

Alternatives should be considered by families prioritizing rigorous, round-the-clock monitoring and meticulous attention to dietary restrictions, medication safety, and fall prevention. Several reviews highlight chronic understaffing, delayed responses to call bells, and inconsistent attention to dietary plans, all of which can translate into avoidable hospitalizations or distress. For long-term care where daily reliability matters as much as therapy progress, other facilities with stronger staffing ratios and tighter governance may be a better match. If a resident's care hinges on immediate, proactive intervention, this center warrants caution.

The strongest positives consistently center on the rehab and therapy teams. When therapy staff are at their best, residents make measurable progress and leave with practical strategies to regain independence at home. OT and PT professionals receive repeated praise for skill, compassion, and clear guidance, often cited as the difference between a successful discharge and a plateau. Several caregivers note that nurses and aides - when present and responsive - provide genuine warmth and attentiveness. Cleanliness and a welcoming atmosphere also show up positively in many reviews, reinforcing that the physical environment can be reputable when staffing levels permit it.

Yet the dominant negatives temper those strengths. The most recurring concerns revolve around staffing levels and responsiveness: call bells left reachable only after long waits, tasks and assessments delayed, and a perception that daily care can feel transactional rather than proactive. Dietary management is another frequent pain point; claims that menus and restrictions are not consistently honored point to avoidable health risks and dissatisfaction. Cost compounds the tension, with accounts of substantial monthly charges even as some residents experience inconsistent daily care. When these patterns occur, even excellent therapists can struggle to compensate for broader safety and reliability gaps.

The pros and cons wrestle in such a way that outcomes hinge on the resident's care trajectory. For short-term rehabilitation where the main objective is to restore function and return home, the therapy strengths can offset a fair amount of daily care fragility - provided staff remain accessible and the diet is managed through proactive advocacy. For long stays or residents with high medical complexity, the risk of understaffing and communication breakdown grows, and the experience shifts from recovery-focused to uncertain and stressful. In practical terms, this facility may be worth pursuing only after a careful, on-site assessment of current staffing, turnover, and the specifics of the? program for the anticipated stay.

For families ready to move forward, approach with a focused plan. Ask for current staff-to-resident ratios on each shift and request to meet with the unit leader to understand how call-bell responsiveness is tracked and improved. Request a detailed dietary protocol and a sample menu aligned with any restrictions, and insist on a concrete process for escalating medical concerns. Arrange a tour with the rehab team present to hear how goals are set, monitored, and discharged. Given the mixed reviews and notable safety concerns in some cases, proceed only if a clear, verifiable framework for safe, consistent daily care is in place and a strong advocate is prepared to partner with the facility.

Restaurants

• Spoons Ice Cream (0.2 miles)
• Coyote Flaco (1.5 miles)
• Van Wyck General Store (1.9 miles)
• Hurricane Grill & Wings (2.1 miles)
• Taco Bell (2.1 miles)
• Wendy’s (2.1 miles)
• Country Corners Deli (2.7 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (0.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.3 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.1 miles)
• Rite Aid (3.3 miles)
• Walgreens (3.3 miles)

Physicians

• Arland Mark Ima Industrial Medicine Association (1.8 miles)
• Doctors Gerber & Bromley (1.9 miles)
• John Sieverding (2.3 miles)
• Children's Medical Group (2.3 miles)
• Center For Body Contouring (2.4 miles)
• Laguerre Julius Poughkeepsie Center Pros Program Poughkeepsie (2.5 miles)
• Central New York Eye C (2.9 miles)

Hospitals

• Dr Bromley at Premier Podiatry of Hudson Valley (1.9 miles)
• Saint Francis Hospital and Health Centers (2.8 miles)
• Pitel Mark L Pc Dentist (2.8 miles)
• St Francis Hospital (3.1 miles)
• Saint Francis Hospital (3.1 miles)
• Pre-Surgical Registration (3.7 miles)
• Saint Francis Hospital (4.3 miles)

Cafes

• Crafted Kup (2.1 miles)
• The Poughkeepsie Grind (3.5 miles)
• Panera Bread (6.3 miles)

Places of Worship

• Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church (2.7 miles)

Parks

• Greenvale Park (3 miles)
• Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park (3 miles)
• James Baird State Park (4.3 miles)
• Macghee Park (4.6 miles)
• Cluett Schantz Memorial Park (6.4 miles)

Theaters

• Roosevelt Cinemas (5 miles)
• Regal Galleria Mall (6.5 miles)