Overview and overall sentiment Reviews of Sandstone Estates present a deeply polarized and inconsistent portrait. A substantial subset of reviewers report exceptional care: compassionate, skilled nurses and CNAs, highly effective physical and occupational therapy, clean and attractive hotel-like facilities, private rooms with helpful amenities, and restaurant-quality dining. At the same time, numerous reviews describe severe lapses in basic care and safety — unresponsiveness to call lights, medication errors and delays, neglect after falls, and poor communication with families and physicians. The net effect is a facility that can deliver top-tier rehab and hospitality when core staff and leadership are functioning well, but which also displays recurring systemic failures that have caused real harm and distress for many families.
Staff quality, teamwork, and variability One of the clearest patterns is extreme variability in staff performance. Many comments single out individual nurses, therapists, CNAs, front-desk employees, transportation and respiratory staff by name (e.g., Lori, Delia, Noel, Jamie, Mike, Jassell, Jared, Richelle), highlighting compassion, clinical skill, strong family communication, and consistent follow-through. Physical and occupational therapy are repeatedly praised for producing good outcomes and fast recovery. Conversely, other reviewers describe the opposite experience: unresponsive or punitive staff, CNAs who do not assist with toileting, night staff who fail to perform routine rounds, and frequent use of temporary hires. Multiple accounts emphasize that day shifts tend to be better staffed and more responsive than night shifts, creating unequal care depending on timing.
Clinical care, medication, and safety concerns Serious clinical lapses recur across reviews. Medication administration problems include delayed pain medication or complete lack of pain control, missed doses, late medications, and at least a few reported medication errors (including insulin). Several reports describe delayed or absent physician communication, uninvestigated medical symptoms (e.g., edema), and chaotic or absent wound and infection management. Safety incidents include falls with prolonged waits for assistance (one report of a nine-hour delay), entanglement with mobility devices leading to injury, patients left unattended in ambulances or transferred without family notification, and reports of pressure ulcers, sepsis, and COVID exposure. Multiple reviewers reported being left soiled for extended periods, strong odors of urine/feces, and hygiene neglect — serious red flags for patient safety and dignity. Several reviews indicate regulatory escalation (Medicare investigation mentioned) or family-filed complaints.
Therapy and rehabilitation patterns Therapy (PT/OT) is a relative strength in many reviews: staff frequently communicate progress, set goals, and deliver measurable mobility improvements. Many families credit therapy staff with successful recoveries and rapid return home. However, there are also multiple complaints about ineffective, uncoordinated, or missing therapy sessions, unclear rehab goals, and being billed for therapies that were not delivered. This inconsistency suggests a variable therapy program dependent on staffing levels, scheduling reliability, or possibly separate therapy teams across different units or time periods.
Facilities, cleanliness, and amenities Physical facility reviews are likewise mixed but trend positive on appearance: many reviewers describe the campus as modern, bright, hotel-like, and well-decorated, with private rooms, kitchenettes, roll-in showers, and a pleasant dining room. Several reviewers praise a gourmet chef and restaurant-style dining (including Starbucks on-site) and name Chef Robert or kitchen staff positively. At the same time, other reviewers report dirty bowls, unclean walls, foul odors, broken fixtures (lights torn off walls, broken TVs), and inconsistent housekeeping. These contradictions suggest that housekeeping standards and maintenance responsiveness vary over time or by unit and are sensitive to staffing and leadership effectiveness.
Dining and nutrition Dining experiences are highly polarized. Many reviewers praise upscale, varied menus, attentive kitchen staff, and low-salt or specialty options, while others describe poor meals: flavorless, carb-heavy, over/undercooked, small portions leading to weight loss, and inconsistent service. A number of accounts note that food quality declined after certain chefs left or when staffing problems emerged. The consequence is that nutrition and meal satisfaction appear to depend on kitchen staffing continuity and menu management.
Communication, administration, and discharge practices A recurring and prominent theme is poor communication and administrative responsiveness in many reviews. Families report unreturned calls, broken promises to call back, lack of transparency about incidents, and failure to notify next of kin after critical events (injuries or death). Discharge planning and paperwork are also frequently criticized: chaotic or last-minute discharges, discharged in worse condition than at admission, illegal or inappropriate prescriptions on discharge, and failure to provide discharge paperwork electronically. Some reviewers describe an administrator characterized as cold or deceitful; others praise management turnaround and named administrators or case managers who made the difference. Billing errors, confusing cashless policies, and perceived upcharging are additional common administrative complaints.
Patterns of change over time and facility identity confusion Several reviews indicate changes over time — leadership/staff turnover, facility name changes, or varying experiences for earlier vs. later stays. Some reviewers attribute excellent outcomes to early staff (e.g., initial opening team) and describe a marked deterioration after staffing changes. There are also references to other facility names (Sapphire, Santé/Sante) in the dataset, suggesting either multiple properties in the same system or name/brand changes; reviews imply care consistency shifted when such changes occurred.
Risk signals and regulatory implications Beyond poor customer service, multiple reviews describe events that constitute safety risks: prolonged waits after falls, withheld or delayed emergency response, medication errors, infection outbreaks, and documented neglect (soiling, pressure injuries). These are not merely service complaints but potential regulatory concerns; at least one review referenced an investigation by Medicare. Families repeatedly state they had to advocate aggressively or visit daily to ensure basic needs were met — a signal that the facility’s systems for oversight and accountability may be inconsistent.
Conclusions and guidance for prospective families The most important takeaway is that Sandstone Estates elicits both high praise and severe criticism. When the right staff are assigned and leadership is responsive, the facility can deliver excellent rehabilitation, compassionate nursing, superb dining, and a pleasant environment. However, the frequency and severity of negative reports — especially around call-button response, medication management, neglect after falls, poor discharge practices, and nontransparent administration — are substantive and repeated enough to warrant caution.
If considering Sandstone Estates, prospective residents and families should: (1) request specific staffing ratios and confirm RN/CNA coverage across nights and weekends; (2) ask for names of the therapy team and primary nurses who will manage the stay; (3) require a written, individualized rehab plan with scheduled therapy times and measurable goals; (4) clarify medication administration protocols and pain management procedures; (5) verify communication protocols for incident reporting and family notification; (6) check recent inspection results or regulatory actions; and (7) plan to visit frequently or designate a patient advocate to monitor care, especially early in the stay. The reviews suggest Sandstone Estates can provide exceptional, hotel-like rehab and caring clinicians — but significant, recurrent operational and safety failures indicate that outcomes depend heavily on current staffing, leadership, and oversight. Families must weigh these mixed reports carefully and take proactive steps to confirm consistent, safe care before admission.
