We toured Friendship Haven and met with Mandy. She was very friendly in walking us around the perimeter. They have several different assisted living units, and they have a full on nursing home. We toured all of them. She showed us the assisted living side called The Gardens that was more of a dependent type of style, while the other one was more of an independent style. She showed us their exercise room, physical therapy room, spa, and a library. It's a pretty nice and very clean facility.

We went to see Friendship Haven in Fort Dodge and saw their skilled nursing facility. It was very nice, very clean, and the people working there seemed very attentive. The people that were staying there seemed very happy there too. It looks like a good place.

Friendship Haven is a large retirement community that can serve independent residents, those who need assisted living and also those who need nursing care. When I first became familiar with Friendship Haven, it was a wonderful place with wonderful staff and an environment that was inviting and warm. My mother loved her room and enjoyed the options available to her. Back in 2013, they completed construction on a new nursing home and moved all the residents to their new homes. It is a lovely place, however, something changed in that time. While the staff are very dedicated and work very hard to do their best, the culture of Friendship Haven has changed drastically. It feels as if the staff are always rushed, always struggling to meet the demands that the administration has set upon them and I feel that they constantly feel like they are letting down others. I'm not completely sure what the issue is, but in speaking with other family members in my family as well as other family members of other residents, I am not alone in this observation. It seems that administration is striving to make Friendship Haven the best in the state, but at what cost? The turnover is high and the residents suffer. If they continue to add more and more to the load their staff is already carrying, they are going to run into issues with resident care. The frenzied pace I witness at times is hard to watch and I truly hope the administration is cautious in their efforts.

I think friendship heaven is a very nice facility. The staff are very helpful and caring. They have a lot of programs for people living there to participate in. It is a very large place and the rooms are like apartments. The facility is nicely decorated and they have special rooms in which you can hold parties for birthdays. I feel like my grandpa was very well taken care of and cared for there. I also went there a few times for school. We sang to the residents on holidays and made arts and crafts with them. The staff was very helpful and provided all utensils used. I think the location is very helpful because it is in the same area as the hospital, so if something were to happen to one of the residents the hospital is very close by. They are very open to everyone and all kinds of different people. It is overall a very peaceful and friendly place. I have never heard anything bad about friendship heaven. I would recomend this place for anyone going into a nursing home. All the residents seem very happy and comfortable, and most importantly, comfortable.