Creston Specialty Care
Meets baseline Medicare standards with room for improvement. A tour and talking to current residents' families is the best next step.
based on 12 Google reviews
Watch Creston Specialty Care
Get an email when new inspections, ratings, or penalties are published for this facility.
We’ll only email you about this — no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
What this means for your family
While the facility has a dedicated leadership team, families should be cautious due to consistent reports of poor food quality and staffing shortages that impact resident care. We strongly recommend asking management about their current staffing ratios and how they address resident call-light response times during weekends.
Google Reviews
Google Reviews
12 reviews on Google“Creston Specialty Care receives polarized feedback, with staff-authored reviews praising the culture while family members express significant concerns regarding food quality and staffing levels. Multiple reviewers highlight consistent issues with meal preparation and slow response times for resident assistance. Families should be aware of recurring complaints about basic care tasks and the high cost of services relative to the perceived quality.”
Quality Themes
Tap a score for detailsStrengths
- Compassionate leadership team
- Support for staff professional development
- Positive internal work culture
Concerns
- Poor food quality (burnt, overcooked, or unpalatable) (mentioned by 3 reviewers)
- Understaffing leading to slow response times and missed hygiene care (mentioned by 2 reviewers)
- High cost of services and pharmacy pricing (mentioned by 2 reviewers)
Rating Trends
Tap a year to see what changed
Distribution · 13 analyzed
How They Respond to Reviews
This facility rarely responds to reviews.
Questions for Your Tour
- 1I noticed your leadership team is very involved in staff development; how does that focus on your team translate into the daily care and attention my loved one receives?
- 2We understand that dining is a key part of daily life; what steps are you taking to improve the quality and variety of the meals served to residents?
- 3With the current staffing levels, what is your process for ensuring that residents receive timely assistance with hygiene and daily needs?
- 4Could you walk us through your protocol for medication management and how you ensure accuracy, especially given the complexity of pharmacy services?
- 5How do you handle medical emergencies or urgent health changes during evening and weekend hours when the administrative team is off-site?
- 6Regarding the cost of services, could you help us understand what is included in the base rate versus potential additional pharmacy or care fees so we can plan accordingly?
Personalized based on this facility's data
Key Review Excerpts
“The food is NOT good, it is usually burnt or over cooked. The cooks or warmer uppers can be seen outside smoking when food is burning.”
“The food at this place is terrible. The broccoli is mush, the pork chop is shoe leather and the mac n' cheese watered down. The prescriptions are way over priced through their own pharmacy. It take 10 minutes or more for a resident to get help.”
“Caring compassionate leadership team! Presenting a positive culture. Recently have had 2 nurses further their education and obtained RN licenses.”
Staffing
Staffing Hours
per resident/day · Medicare 2026Both RN and total nursing hours are below national benchmarks. This can mean less clinical attention per resident, so ask about their staffing plan.
Quality Measures
Quality Measures
Resident outcomes compared with national, state, and local averages · 17 measures
13
measures
4
measures
Residents whose bladder or bowel control got worse
Residents whose walking got worse
Residents with depression symptoms
Highly dependent on how each facility screens and codes depressive symptoms, so it varies widely between facilities.
Residents on antipsychotic medication
Residents vaccinated for pneumonia
Residents vaccinated for the flu
Short-stay residents vaccinated for the flu
Short-stay residents vaccinated for pneumonia
Short-stay residents newly given antipsychotics
US average from Medicare published data
Inspection History
Medicare Inspection History
3-year lookback · Medicare 2026
Families have filed multiple complaint reports against this facility, indicating ongoing concerns about care quality and staffing levels. The facility shows recurring problems with building safety systems (fire alarms, emergency lighting, sprinkler systems), care quality standards, and medication management across multiple surveys from 2023 to 2024. While all deficiencies show correction dates, the pattern of repeated violations in similar areas suggests persistent operational challenges families should carefully consider.
Oct 9, 2025Complaint2
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies
Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
May 8, 2025Routine7
Egress Deficiencies
Add doors in an exit area that do not require the use of a key from the exit side unless in case of special locking arrangements.
Egress Deficiencies
Install proper backup exit lighting.
Smoke Deficiencies
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems Deficiencies
Have proper medical gas storage and administration areas.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Assess the resident when there is a significant change in condition
Infection Control Deficiencies
Educate residents and staff on COVID-19 vaccination, offer the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible residents and staff after education, and properly document each resident and staff member's vaccination status.
Miscellaneous Deficiencies
Provide properly sized and located linen or trash receptacles.
May 8, 2025Complaint1
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Honor the resident's right to and the facility must promote and facilitate resident self-determination through support of resident choice.
Dec 31, 2024Complaint1
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Jun 20, 2024Routine12
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems Deficiencies
Ensure receptacles at patient bed locations and where general anesthesia is administered, are tested after initial installation, replacement or servicing.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems Deficiencies
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Infection Control Deficiencies
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Miscellaneous Deficiencies
To conduct inspection, testing and maintenance of fire doors by qualified individuals.
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Ensure medication error rates are not 5 percent or greater.
Egress Deficiencies
Add doors in an exit area that do not require the use of a key from the exit side unless in case of special locking arrangements.
Egress Deficiencies
Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.
Smoke Deficiencies
Install a fire alarm system that can be heard throughout the facility.
Jan 4, 2024Complaint1
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Federal Penalties
Fine
Jun 20, 2024
$12,048
Fine
Jan 4, 2024
$7,615
State Inspection History
State Inspections
Source: Iowa Dept. of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing
Mar 4, 2026ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Dec 8, 2025ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Nov 19, 2025ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Oct 9, 2025ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 2, State violations: 0
May 9, 2025InspectionClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
May 8, 2025InspectionClean
Fed violations: 3, State violations: 0
Jan 1, 2025ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Dec 31, 2024ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 1, State violations: 0
Ownership & Operations
Who Operates This Facility
Creston Specialty Care
for profit
Chain Affiliation
Care Initiatives
43 facilities nationwide
Chain avg rating: 3.0/5 · Rank 27 of 43
Ownership & Management
Owners
Care Initiatives
Owner · Organization
Key personnel
Contact
Get in Touch
Contact this facility directly and verify the details that matter most to your family.
References & Resources
Medicare Care Compare
Official Medicare quality ratings, inspections & staffing data
Google Maps
Photos, directions & neighborhood info
Google Reviews
12 reviews from families & visitors
Official Website
Visit careinitiatives.org
Medicare data downloads
Original nursing home datasets
EveryPlace is a research directory. Facility information is compiled from public sources — Medicare.gov, state licensing portals, Google Places, and publicly available street-level imagery. Listings do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or advertisement, and we do not accept payment for placement. Families should verify all details directly with the facility and the original sources linked above before making any care decisions. See our Research Policy for our editorial standards, correction process, and image-removal policy.
Nearby Alternatives