Hughes Health & Rehabilitation

Hughes Health & Rehabilitation stood at 29 Highland Street in West Hartford for over 50 years and was known as a family-owned and locally run skilled nursing facility, housed partly in a historic home with features like a grand staircase, a restored front patio with Christmas lights, and the kitchen entrance built into the old house which gave it a special kind of charm you don't see in more modern places, and though the building dated back to 1900 in parts and needed about $10 million in upgrades, families often said the care there more than made up for the outdated look, because everyone from nurses to support staff worked with an easy rhythm and showed a real warmth to the residents, considering them more like family than just patients. The staff could speak 27 languages which helped everyone understand each other, whether it was about daily needs or something more serious, and the care team included a medical director, attending and consulting physicians, a full-time ADA-registered dietitian, an APRN, plus a dentist and a podiatrist, so whatever health concerns came up-from advanced dementia to multiple sclerosis-they could handle it right in the facility, and if you needed rehabilitation after surgery, a stroke, or heart failure, they offered speech, occupational, physical, memory support, orthopedic, palliative, amputation, and neurological therapies, both for short stays between hospital and home or for residents who needed longer support. Every day, the facility provided recreation programs, regular housekeeping, linen service, a concierge, and scheduled transportation, which made life a little easier for everyone living there. Hughes operated year-round, admitting and discharging residents every day, and they also offered support to families who needed help finding other care options, especially as the census declined and staffing needs grew, because they had to file to close in March 2023, but worked with families and the state to make the transition as safe as possible-residents fell under veterans contracts at times and always had the right to appeal plans if they needed to. Medicare.gov once rated Hughes Health & Rehabilitation five stars, and they'd also earned a gold award for excellence from the AHCA/NCAL, which was no small feat, but with only about 87 of the possible 170 beds filled as of early February 2023, the decision came down to rising costs and fewer residents, so after the closure, the elegant but worn building with its grand old staircase and Christmas-lit patio at night became vacant. Still, for decades, Hughes defined itself by compassion, an inclusive spirit, and a focus on both short-term rehab and long-term skilled nursing care, serving families all across West Hartford and beyond.