Royal Care of Pigeon Forge

Pros

• The facility is clean and well maintained.
• The staff are friendly, caring, and attentive to residents.
• The therapy department is excellent and supportive.
• The nursing staff are top notch and compassionate.
• The administration is supportive and genuinely cares about residents.
• The wound care nurse Danielle Allen is exceptionally skilled and caring.
• The activities director is wonderful and devoted to her work.
• The environment feels like family, with residents treated with respect and dignity.
• The food and dietary staff provide good meals and service.
• The social services and office staff are helpful and responsive.
• The housekeeping and laundry teams keep the building bright and clean.
• The facility shows ongoing improvements and a strong commitment to residents.

Cons

• The facility is a disgrace to healthcare and should be shut down.
• The staff are rude and the place consistently smells like urine.
• It is one of the worst-run nursing homes, with poor communication from management and no clear care plans.
• Residents are neglected: they are not fed timely, medications are missed, and call lights go unanswered for hours.
• The rooms and floors are dirty and stinky, with maintenance often unavailable and problems left unaddressed; there are rodent-related issues.
• Nurses are seen at the station or on cell phones rather than attending to patients, leaving people waiting for help.
• The building feels outdated and deteriorating, with broken or missing TVs/remotes and missing belongings.
• The food is barely edible, and chronic understaffing compounds the poor level of care.
• There have been cases where patients developed dehydration or sepsis due to neglect and inadequate monitoring.

Review

Royal Care of Pigeon Forge is best suited for families seeking aggressive post-acute rehabilitation and wound-care capability within a care culture that still presumes a family-like, attentive approach. The facility has earned praise for a strong therapy department and nursing staff, and many reviewers note a clean, orderly environment when staffing is adequate. Under new corporate ownership, there is a clear signal of cultural change - more smiling faces, a more engaged care plan focus, and visible commitment to resident needs. For families prioritizing rehab momentum and a community that treats recovery as a team effort, this campus can be a practical, even compelling option.

That said, not every family should consider this community without caution. Alternatives deserve serious consideration for residents who require reliable, round-the-clock nursing coverage and consistently prompt call-light responses. Several reviewers describe weekend gaps in nursing presence, slow or elusive communication from leadership, and a pattern of staff turnover that undermines continuity of care. Additional concerns surface around odors, cleanliness lapses in some areas, missing personal items, and what some families view as insufficient accountability from administrators. When day-to-day reliability is nonnegotiable, it is prudent to explore other options.

On the plus side, the program's core strengths lie in therapy and clinical responsiveness. The wound-care niche, in particular, has earned specific commendation from outside EMS partners and family members who alike emphasize attentiveness, clinical judgment, and hands-on collaboration. Therapy teams are repeatedly described as driven and goal-oriented, with tangible mobility gains and a steady emphasis on returning residents home. The overall atmosphere - friendly front-desk interactions, dependable dietary service, and structured activities - also contributes to a sense that, when properly staffed, the environment can support meaningful progress and a positive daily rhythm.

Yet the counterweights are substantial and cannot be dismissed. Across many reviews, the throughline is under-staffing and uneven management accessibility, with caregivers sometimes portrayed as overwhelmed or unresponsive. Reports range from missed meals and delays in medications to dehydration, hospitalization, and even life-threatening concerns arising from lapses in oversight. Environmental conditions are frequently described as outdated or inadequately maintained, with persistent odors, nonfunctional amenities, and occasional missing or mislaid resident belongings. When families seek transparent communication and proactive problem-solving from administration, the facility's responsiveness often falls short, which erodes trust in the whole continuum of care.

Weighing the pros against the cons, the rehab-centric strengths can offset some risk, but not all. For residents whose primary goal is rehabilitation and who benefit from a collaborative, highly capable therapy team, this campus can deliver real progress - provided staffing is sufficient and care plans are actively managed. There are also credible testimonies to improvements after leadership changes, suggesting that the administration is not inert and is receptive to accountability. Nevertheless, the pattern of negative episodes centered on care coordination, safety, and consistent oversight tempers the sense of reliability and makes careful due diligence essential.

For families making a decision, approach with a concrete, evidence-based plan. Schedule a Saturday or Sunday visit to observe weekend staffing and call-light responsiveness. Request direct conversations with the director of nursing and the administrator to review a formal plan of care, daily rounds, and escalation steps. Ask for a tour of the therapy suite during peak hours, review the wound-care protocols with the treating clinician, and verify housekeeping standards and maintenance response times. Demand a written schedule of therapy sessions, meals, and activities, plus the names and roles of the frontline caregivers. If robust rehab, a transparent care framework, and a true family partnership are nonnegotiable, this community warrants serious consideration - yet only with a clear commitment to ongoing oversight and resolution of any red flags that arise. If steadier day-to-day reliability and stronger management responsiveness are essential, exploring alternatives remains a prudent step.

Pharmacies

• Pigeon Forge Drugs (0.4 miles)
• Stewart's Discount Drugs (0.6 miles)
• Walgreens (0.7 miles)
• Food City #665 (0.8 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (1.8 miles)
• Eddies Drug Store (4.6 miles)
• Reams Drug Store (5.5 miles)

Physicians

• Pigeon Forge Medical Clinic (0.4 miles)
• Urgent Care of the Smokies (1.5 miles)
• Dollywood Family Healthcare Center (1.5 miles)
• CMG MTN View FMLY Med (1.8 miles)
• Foothills Family Practice (1.8 miles)
• UT Primary Care (4.5 miles)
• Sevier Heart Center (4.6 miles)

Restaurants

• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen (0.5 miles)
• McDonald's (0.5 miles)
• Corky's Bar Bq (0.5 miles)
• Old Mill (0.5 miles)
• JT Hannah's Kitchen (0.5 miles)
• The Old Mill Restaurant (0.5 miles)
• Buzzed Bull Creamery - Pigeon Forge (0.5 miles)

Cafes

• Old Mill Bakery Cafe (0.6 miles)
• Sweet Momma's Café (0.7 miles)
• The Island Creamery (1.4 miles)
• Wild Bear Tavern (1.4 miles)
• Starbucks (1.9 miles)
• Black Rifle Coffee Company (3.1 miles)
• Starbucks (3.3 miles)

Parks

• Patriot Park (0.7 miles)
• Sevierville City Park (4.9 miles)

Hospitals

• Leconte Medical Center (5.1 miles)
• LeConte Medical Center Cafeteria (5.1 miles)