Overall sentiment about Hawthorne Inn of Brandon is mixed but leans positive for facility quality, amenities, and programming while repeatedly raising serious concerns about staffing and the consistency of direct care. Many reviewers praise the physical campus: it is described as new, well-maintained, clean, and attractive, with ongoing remodeling, a chapel, library and snack/coffee areas. Residents and families frequently mention spacious private rooms or studios, a smoke-free environment, and helpful on-site services such as transportation and regular physician visits. The facility’s dining setup and food are noted positively in many reviews — multiple dining areas (including small, intimate dining), customizable meal options, dietary accommodations, continental breakfast options, and pleasant social dining atmospheres are repeatedly called out. Several comments also highlight that management can be responsive and that prospective residents are given menu samples and Medicaid information.
Activities and social programming are a strong, consistent positive theme. Multiple reviewers singled out an enthusiastic activities director and a robust calendar that includes group exercise (e.g., pool noodle classes), music from residents’ eras, field trips, and a variety of daily programs. Reported outcomes of these programs include smiling residents, a social atmosphere, and a sense that staff ‘‘go above and beyond’’ with creative offerings. Staff are often described as friendly, knowledgeable, respectful and passionate about their work; several reviews explicitly say residents are treated like family and recommend the community based on staff interactions.
However, the most significant and recurring negative theme is understaffing and the resulting impact on care quality and safety. Numerous reviews report staff being spread thin, especially on weekends and after hours. Concrete consequences cited include delayed responses for assistance (reports of 30–45 minute waits), after-hours unresponsiveness, and situations where residents were left unattended. More serious allegations include hygiene and basic care lapses (soiled briefs, spoiled sheets, hair and teeth not brushed), food and hydration issues (meals left in trays, no drinking water provided, residents not able to eat because meals were delivered to rooms without surfaces), and clinical outcomes such as a weight loss of about 15 pounds for one resident. There are also reports of falls, bruises, and at least one family removing a loved one due to safety concerns. Several reviews describe problems with medication handling and care transitions: medication transfer issues, limited access to simple medications (one Tylenol per day), a care-plan meeting with an unexpected discharge date, and a lack of follow-up nursing, occupational therapy or physical therapy after discharge. One review described miscommunication with a home health agency and an unfulfilled walker request.
Taken together, the pattern is: the facility’s environment, meals, programming, and many staff interactions are frequently praised, making Hawthorne Inn appealing on amenities and community life. Yet recurring staffing shortages and lapses in day-to-day caregiving create inconsistent experiences and, in some cases, serious quality and safety problems. Reports vary widely by family and timing — some families experienced consistently excellent care and enthusiastic staff, while others encountered neglectful incidents and poor coordination during transitions of care. Additional concerns raised by reviewers include restricted resident freedom due to locked doors (some families view this as overly restrictive), occasional crowding given the facility’s size, and cost or distance issues for some prospective residents.
For prospective residents and families, the reviews suggest a few practical precautions: tour the facility multiple times (including evenings and weekends), meet direct care staff as well as management, ask for details on staffing ratios and weekend/after-hours coverage, inquire specifically about medication transfer and discharge procedures, and request examples of how weight loss, falls and hygiene concerns are monitored and addressed. In summary, Hawthorne Inn of Brandon appears to offer many desirable physical amenities, social programs and warm staff interactions, but families should carefully evaluate current staffing reliability and clinical oversight to ensure consistent, safe daily care for their loved ones.
