Hillcrest Nursing Center reviews present a highly mixed and polarized picture: many families praise the staff and therapy services enthusiastically, while multiple serious complaints raise safety, hygiene, and management concerns. A sizable proportion of reviewers describe the nurses, aides, therapists, and admissions teams as compassionate, attentive, and effective. Specific strengths repeatedly mentioned include prompt responses to call lights (some reporting under a minute), a visible staff presence who know residents by name, and a family-like culture where staff go above and beyond. Therapy and short-stay rehab services receive strong, consistent praise — reviewers cite measurable mobility improvements, pacemaker checks (in some cases), active participation by residents, and reasons they would return for future therapy stays. Recreational offerings — bingo, card games, ice cream socials, Elvis visits, talk groups, and current-events gatherings — are repeatedly noted as meaningful contributors to residents’ engagement and reduced loneliness. Several families also emphasize compassionate end-of-life and hospice care, saying staff provide dignity and comfort "from the heart." For many, the facility feels clean, well-staffed, and well-managed, with smooth admissions and good communication.
Despite those positive reports, there are numerous and serious negative themes that must be highlighted. Multiple reviewers allege critical lapses in medical oversight and safety: a pacemaker reportedly not checked for over two years and found non-functional, residents described as drugged or wearing lockdown bracelets, and at least one account of a resident hugging a stuffed animal expressing a desire to go home. There are troubling allegations of abuse and unprofessional behavior (yelling at patients, rough feeding techniques, staff speaking poorly about patients) alongside reports of theft (missing rings and other items) and even alleged fraudulent financial activity including multiple charges and a hacked DoorDash account. Infection and pest concerns appear in several reviews: reports of scabies, mice, bed bugs, poor ventilation, and a severe COVID-19 outbreak with a high death toll — all of which suggest inconsistent infection control and facility maintenance in some periods or units. These safety and ethical concerns led some reviewers to explicitly state they would not leave loved ones at Hillcrest and moved relatives to other homes.
A recurring pattern in the feedback is inconsistency. Many reviewers describe a warm, caring culture and excellent hands-on caregivers — while others report the opposite: inattentive or uncaring staff, smells in the building, people screaming, and misleading progress reports that resulted in hospitalization. This suggests variability by unit, shift, or period: some families consistently encountered responsive administration and quick grievance resolution, while others encountered unresponsiveness, ownership decisions perceived as "cutting corners," and staff turnover that undermined continuity of care. Facility condition comments are likewise mixed: multiple reviewers call Hillcrest "very clean" and "well-kept," whereas others cite dirty facilities, dated furniture, and poor ventilation. The building and furnishings are described as dated by several reviewers even when staff and cleanliness were otherwise praised.
Management and ownership issues appear as an important thread. Positive accounts often single out specific staff members and say administration was responsive to concerns and proactive with updates. Conversely, a number of reviews accuse ownership of cost-cutting, poor oversight, or insufficient attention to infections and building maintenance. There are also operational concerns around security and fraud that are non-trivial: alleged theft of resident jewelry, a reported hacked account and multiple unauthorized charges tied to food delivery, and reports that the facility sometimes failed to escalate medical concerns in time. Finally, reviewers repeatedly warn that Hillcrest may not be appropriate for residents with advanced dementia, citing a need for more dementia-specific care.
Overall impression: Hillcrest Nursing Center delivers exceptional person-centered care, therapy outcomes, activities, and hospice support for many residents, driven by staff who families describe as kind, visible, and engaged. However, these positives coexist with multiple red flags that are serious and specific: lapses in medical monitoring, infection and pest reports, allegations of abuse and theft, and inconsistent management practices. The pattern is one of significant variability in resident experience — excellent care in many cases, but also instances of harm and poor oversight in others. Families considering Hillcrest should weigh the frequently praised strengths of staff compassion and rehab effectiveness against the reported safety, hygiene, and management issues; prospective residents and families would be well advised to ask targeted questions about medical oversight protocols (e.g., device checks), infection control measures, staffing consistency, security of personal belongings, and dementia-specific supports, and to seek references from recent families whose loved ones are currently in the same unit or have comparable care needs.
