1500 West 38Th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57105
For more information about senior living options: (866) 208-4318
Overall Review of Good Samaritan Society Luther Manor
Pros
The staff provides great care and is awesome.- It is a great place to work and to bring loved ones if needed.
- The Luther Manor team created a family atmosphere.
- Post-surgical rehab at Luther Manor included great care from a wonderful staff.
- The room is bright and well-lit with plenty of natural light.
- The resident doctor is very good, responsive, and especially helpful.
- The Social Services director has been really helpful in resolving financial issues.
- The administration is very caring.
Cons
The place is described as a hell hole where post-operative rehabilitation offered no rest.- Residents' TVs were constantly loud after 10 pm and night nurses did little to address it.
- The facility failed to provide peace and quiet for healing, with long delays and early wake-ups.
- Food was often late and cold, and nurses were slow to respond to the call button.
- A bathroom emergency could take 20 minutes for a nurse to arrive, indicating staffing issues.
- Luther Manor is said to have a long way to go to be good, with food not fit for a dog and care described as atrocious.
- There were serious acts of mismanagement and neglect, including incorrect prescriptions, unclean bathrooms, residents falling, and staff ignoring harm, with advice to place loved ones elsewhere.
Review
Good Samaritan Society Luther Manor in Sioux Falls is best suited for families seeking a warm, home-like environment where staff engagement and personal attention are valued, and where the resident’s needs skew toward recoveries or days that benefit from strong social interaction. It can work well for post-operative rehab or long-term residents who benefit from a supportive team that feels like a close-knit community. The setting often appeals to families who can participate actively in care decisions and monitor day-to-day needs, because the ambience and some individual staff interactions can be genuinely reassuring when things go well.
Conversely, those who require consistently flawless safety, medication management, and housekeeping may want to consider alternatives. Residents with complex medical needs that demand steady, proactive nursing and rapid response may find the care uneven. Families who cannot tolerate reports of misdiagnosis, missed hygiene tasks, or lapses in safety may prefer a program with a stronger, more uniform track record. Those seeking a clearly faith-centered environment with unwavering adherence to religious principles might also want to explore other options if the “Christian” branding does not align with daily practice as experienced by some families.
On the positive side, when care alignments work, the strongest pro signs are tangible: dedicated staff, a sense of community, and evident responsiveness from clinical leadership. Several reviews highlight attentive care givers and a helpful resident doctor, alongside a bright, well-lit living space and a family-like administration. For families navigating post-acute recovery or ongoing support, these elements can translate into meaningful comfort, prompt attention during in-room needs, and a perception of warmth that makes a tough transition more tolerable.
However, the downsides loom large in other accounts. The most troubling concerns center on safety and reliability: delayed responses to urgent needs, inconsistent assistance with personal care, and even medication mistakes that can worsen health conditions. Reports of unclean bathrooms, fecal matter lingering, and residents who have fallen or ended up on the floor before help arrives point to systems that fail when staffing is stretched. Food quality and meal timing also emerge as recurring frustrations, along with disruptions from noise and late-night TV, which undermine rest and recovery. The loss of personal belongings adds to a mood of fragility around everyday life in the facility.
Balancing these factors, Luther Manor can be a reasonable choice for families who prioritize a congenial, supportive culture and who can stay closely involved in supervision of care. For long-term residents or those with higher medical needs, the evidence suggests a heavier risk that safety and consistency may not keep pace with expectations. Pros offset the cons only when the resident’s goals align with rehab successes, staff attentiveness in key moments, and a robust relationship with the social services team to navigate finances and care plans. Otherwise, the negatives may significantly limit peace of mind and day-to-day stability.
Bottom line: Luther Manor serves a specific niche, people who value warmth, family-style administration, and the potential for strong rehab and social support, provided there is active advocacy and clear communication with clinicians. Families weighing this community should demand transparent, recent demonstrations of safety and response times, request direct conversations with nursing leadership, and review current incident and medication practices before committing. If reliability, rapid response, and spotless daily operations are non-negotiable, it would be prudent to explore alternatives that offer more consistent performance in those core areas.
92 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
Joe Foss (4 miles away)
Community operated transportation
12-16 hour nursing
24-hour call system
Activities of daily living assistance
Assistance with bathing
Assistance with dressing
Assistance with transfers
Diabetes diet
Medication management
Mental wellness program
Special dietary restrictions
Concierge services
Planned day trips
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