Overall sentiment: Reviews for Hickory Creek at Franklin are mixed but lean positive overall, with a strong and recurring emphasis on the quality of direct care staff, the homelike atmosphere, and active family communication. A majority of reviewers praise the caregivers, CNAs, nursing leadership and specific administrators for being compassionate, attentive, and communicative. Many families describe the community as small, cozy, and family-like, with residents who appear happy and well cared for. Several reviewers explicitly recommend the facility and highlight effective rehabilitation outcomes, especially post-stroke therapy and progress under staff supervision.
Care quality and safety: The dominant positive theme is high-touch, personalized care: attentive primary caregivers, CNAs who provide meaningful daily assistance, and a rehabilitation team that helps residents make measurable progress. Families frequently note open lines of communication, responsiveness to concerns, and leadership that goes above and beyond. However, a smaller but important subset of reviews reports serious safety and care-quality issues. These include allegations of medication not being administered, falls that resulted in fractures or a broken hip, injuries that were reportedly not documented or communicated, and long waits for assistance. These reports raise significant safety concerns that contrast sharply with the otherwise positive narratives. The presence of both strongly positive and strongly negative accounts suggests variability in resident experience that prospective families should probe further.
Staff and management: Reviewers repeatedly praise specific leaders (Executive Director, Director of Nursing, and an administrator named Mandy) and describe nursing management as supportive, trustworthy, and actively engaged with families and staff. The staffing culture is frequently described as compassionate, family-oriented, and knowledgeable. Conversely, there are recurring complaints about staff turnover, inconsistent staffing levels, and organizational issues that appear to coincide with a reported change in ownership/management by some reviewers. Several former or prospective employees describe misleading hiring practices, a prolonged hiring process, and unfulfilled promises, which contributes to distrust of management in those accounts. Workplace culture concerns—such as gossip and lack of accountability—were mentioned and appear to correlate with the negative care incidents in some reviews.
Facility and environment: The facility is commonly described as small, quaint, and homelike—qualities many families find appealing. Cleanliness is reported positively in multiple reviews, including mentions of rooms being cleaned thoroughly. However, other reviews describe problems such as bad odors, gnats, and occasional dirtiness. Room size is frequently noted as small or tight, which may be a consideration for some families. Another specific facility-level complaint is the lack of a family room or dedicated family seating during meal times, which some families found inconvenient for visits.
Communications and family engagement: A strong pattern in the reviews is praise for communication—many family members feel listened to, informed, and included in care decisions. Reviews highlight that staff build meaningful relationships with families and the administration is accessible. That said, a few reviews counter these sentiments with examples of unclear explanations surrounding incidents or poor follow-up after adverse events, which detracted from trust.
Notable patterns and recommendations for evaluators: The overall picture is of a community with a strong caregiving culture and several passionate staff and leaders who create a family-like environment, especially in day-to-day interactions and rehabilitation outcomes. Yet the existence of severe adverse reports (falls, fractures, medication lapses, unreported injuries) and complaints about staffing consistency and management integrity indicate variability in standards or recent operational challenges. These conflicting patterns mean prospective residents and families should validate current conditions in person and ask targeted questions about staffing ratios, turnover, incident reporting and follow-up, medication administration protocols, fall-prevention measures, memory care security, and family accommodations. Observing staff-resident interactions, mealtime routines, and cleanliness during a visit will help reconcile the mixed reports and determine whether the facility fits a particular person’s needs.
Bottom line: Hickory Creek at Franklin receives many strong endorsements for its compassionate staff, rehabilitative effectiveness, and homelike atmosphere, making it appealing for families seeking personalized, small-community care. However, serious safety and management concerns raised by a notable minority of reviewers warrant careful investigation before choosing the facility. The decision should be based on up-to-date verification of staffing stability, safety records, incident handling, and a personal tour focusing on the specific issues highlighted in these reviews.
