The reviews for Fifth Avenue Health Care Center present a sharply mixed picture with strong, recurring praise for direct-care staff and rehabilitation services juxtaposed against serious safety, management, and housekeeping complaints. Many reviewers emphasize that caregivers are compassionate, attentive, and respectful; they frequently compliment therapy teams, rehabilitation outcomes, and the dietitian. Positive accounts describe a resident-centered, non-regimental atmosphere where rooms can be personalized, staff assist residents with activities, and emergency response and problem resolution are timely. Several families explicitly recommend the facility, citing good food, engaging activities (bingo, devotions, musical entertainment), community dining at times, and staff who provide dignified, compassionate care.
However, an equally prominent thread of criticism raises significant concerns about consistency and safety. Multiple reviews allege lapses in basic hygiene and clinical care — examples include residents reportedly left in soiled diapers, instances of burns on skin, and claims that meaningful care occurs primarily when visitors are present. There are specific allegations that staff have been distracted (for example, CNAs using phones), and that some housekeeping practices and physical maintenance are inadequate (dirty floors, a prolonged hot water outage). These reports suggest variability in day-to-day operations and a need for stronger oversight and quality control.
Management and communication emerge as another key tension. While front-line caregivers are often described as kind and supportive, several reviewers portray management as unprofessional, dismissive, or rude. Families describe situations where complaints were ignored, where staff quit without notice, and where major care decisions were misrepresented or poorly communicated (notably a disputed choice around feeding tube placement versus hospice). Such accounts point to leadership and administrative problems that can undermine trust even when direct caregivers perform well.
Infection control and safety concerns are specifically flagged by reviewers who say a resident with COVID was allowed to roam, which compounds worries about policies and enforcement. Combined with reports of high staff turnover and allegations of unsafe care practices, these items raise red flags about organizational stability and resident protection. At the same time, positive reports about therapy effectiveness, staff empathy, and activities indicate real strengths that many residents and families experience.
The overall sentiment is therefore polarized: several detailed and heartfelt endorsements of compassionate care and successful rehabilitation coexist with serious allegations of neglect, poor housekeeping, unsafe incidents, and poor management responsiveness. This pattern suggests that the facility may deliver high-quality care under certain staff configurations or shifts, but that outcomes and experiences are inconsistent and potentially dependent on which personnel are present and how management addresses problems.
For prospective residents and families, the reviews recommend careful, specific vetting: tour the facility multiple times at different hours and on different days; observe staff-resident interactions, dining, and housekeeping in person; ask about recent incidents, infection control policies, staff turnover, and how the facility documents and resolves complaints; and request information on staffing ratios, training, and supervisory oversight. The diverse reports indicate that while Fifth Avenue Health Care Center has notable strengths—especially in therapy and many direct-care staff—there are credible, recurrent concerns about safety, management, and consistency that should be explored before making placement decisions.
