St Elizabeth Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

    3320 Benson Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21227
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    3.0

    Strong rehab but inconsistent staffing

    I had a mixed experience. The building is very clean, welcoming and family-like; many nurses, CNAs, PT/OT, dietary and reception staff were kind, attentive and rehab-focused-my loved one regained mobility, enjoyed activities and the food, and felt well cared for. That said, staffing and communication were inconsistent (temps/agency staff, slow responses, missed meals, delayed meds, hygiene lapses and occasional rude/unprofessional employees), and I encountered maintenance issues (hot water, A/C/phone problems) and the need to constantly advocate for my family. If you want strong rehab and many compassionate long-term staff, I would consider it-but go in aware, monitor care closely, and be prepared to speak up.

    Pricing

    Schedule a Tour

    Amenities

    Healthcare services

    • Activities of daily living assistance
    • Assistance with bathing
    • Assistance with dressing
    • Assistance with transfers
    • Medication management
    • Mental wellness program

    Healthcare staffing

    • 12-16 hour nursing
    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

    • Diabetes diet
    • Meal preparation and service
    • Restaurant-style dining
    • Special dietary restrictions

    Room

    • Air-conditioning
    • Cable
    • Fully furnished
    • Housekeeping and linen services
    • Kitchenettes
    • Private bathrooms
    • Telephone
    • Wifi

    Transportation

    • Community operated transportation
    • Transportation arrangement
    • Transportation arrangement (non-medical)

    Common areas

    • Beauty salon
    • Computer center
    • Dining room
    • Fitness room
    • Gaming room
    • Garden
    • Outdoor space
    • Small library
    • Wellness center

    Community services

    • Concierge services
    • Fitness programs
    • Move-in coordination

    Activities

    • Community-sponsored activities
    • Planned day trips
    • Resident-run activities
    • Scheduled daily activities

    4.18 · 176 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      3.6
    • Staff

      3.9
    • Meals

      3.4
    • Amenities

      3.3
    • Value

      2.0

    Pros

    • Strong rehabilitation/physical and occupational therapy services
    • Many compassionate, attentive nurses, CNAs and technicians
    • Several long-term, dedicated staff who know residents well
    • Clean, attractive facility with recent renovations and new gym
    • Pastoral care, chapel services, and regular worship activities
    • Frequent engaging activities (music, bingo, birthday parties)
    • Concierge/front-desk staff described as friendly and helpful
    • Some proactive and responsive administrators and managers
    • Private and spacious rooms available
    • Housekeeping/maintenance staff generally praised
    • Good variety and quality of food reported by many families
    • Positive, individualized communication from some staff
    • Supportive social work and admissions/financial staff in some reports
    • Positive experiences with named staff who go above and beyond
    • Pleasant common areas and multiple activity/social spaces
    • Well-regarded therapy teams credited with functional recovery
    • Peace-of-mind experiences reported by multiple families
    • Enrichment programs and memory care activities available
    • Helpful concierge/assistance for visitors and families
    • Overall clean odor-free areas reported by numerous reviewers
    • Warm, family-like atmosphere in many units
    • Responsive maintenance and quick repairs in some instances
    • Good access/setting (park-like grounds, bus route accessibility)
    • Professional, courteous staff in many departments
    • Some units report consistent, respectful resident treatment

    Cons

    • Chronic understaffing and high use of temporary/agency workers
    • Inconsistent quality of care across shifts and units
    • Frequent staff turnover creating instability
    • Reports of neglect: delayed assistance, missed baths, long unchanged diapers
    • Serious clinical safety concerns (bed sores, delayed medical attention)
    • Medication errors and poor medication administration practices
    • Med changes implemented without clear consent or review with patient
    • Poor communication and record-keeping with families
    • Call bells, room phones or intercoms not working reliably
    • Hot water shortages on some floors
    • Pest and sanitation issues reported (ants, mice, spoiled food)
    • Food problems: cold meals, missed meals, delivery at odd times
    • Unprofessional or rude staff attitudes, especially nights/weekends
    • Slow nurse/tech response times and delayed pain medication
    • Disorganized management, inadequate training and systems
    • Inadequate wound care management and risk of infection
    • Residents left unattended in chairs or soiled for long periods
    • Construction/disruption and air/dust residue causing issues
    • Appointment/transport delays and transfer paperwork problems
    • Equipment shortages and small or inadequate therapy space
    • Variable therapy quality; some praise but also concerns about effectiveness
    • Perceived overtreatment of agency staff over long-term residents
    • Allegations of dishonest or misleading discharge documentation
    • High charges or value concerns relative to care received
    • Unsafe atmosphere reported by some families (falls, unattended patients)

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment for St Elizabeth Rehabilitation and Nursing Center is sharply mixed, with a clear pattern of strong praise for particular departments and individual staff members counterbalanced by repeated reports of inconsistent care, operational failures, and serious safety concerns. Many reviewers describe outstanding rehabilitation services (PT/OT) and compassionate, dedicated nurses, CNAs, and ancillary staff who provide individualized attention and meaningful activities. These positive reports frequently cite a clean, attractive facility with updated spaces (new gym, chapel), engaging programming (music, pastoral care, Bingo, birthday celebrations), and helpful front-desk and maintenance staff. Multiple families explicitly stated they felt peace of mind and appreciated the professionalism of certain managers and therapists, sometimes naming staff who went above and beyond. In these cases, residents made measurable progress in mobility and functional recovery, and the environment felt family-like and respectful.

    Contrasting that, a substantial portion of reviews highlight systemic issues that undermine care consistency and resident safety. The most common negative themes are chronic understaffing, heavy reliance on temporary/agency workers, frequent staff turnover, and uneven attention across shifts—particularly nights and weekends. These staffing problems manifest as delayed responses to call bells, long waits for pain medication, missed or late meals, delayed bathing and diaper/colostomy care, residents left soiled or seated unattended for extended periods, and inadequate assistance with toileting and transfers. Several reports describe severe outcomes tied to poor care: development or worsening of pressure ulcers (some described as severe or reaching bone), pneumonia, and wounds with suspected infection. Families recounted delays in clinical attention and investigations, sometimes only acted upon after threats of legal action.

    Medication management, communication, and documentation are other recurrent weak points. Reviews include accounts of medication errors, med changes made without explicit patient or family consent, failure to review meds with patients, and poor practices like not opening medications in front of residents. Discrepancies in medical records and discharge notes were also noted, including inaccurate statements about wound healing. Families reported poor or inconsistent communication from staff and administration, difficulty reaching nurses or resolving problems by phone (broken room phones or intercoms were mentioned), and slow review of patient charts. These failures in information flow amplify concerns about clinical safety and family trust.

    Facility-level operational issues appear intermittently but meaningfully: reports of no hot water on some floors, phone systems or call bells not working, pest sightings (ants and mice), spoiled food, and construction-related dust/air residue. While many reviewers praised cleanliness and a lack of odors, others described dresser drawers with food residue, bad smells, or unsanitary conditions. Meal service received polarized feedback — several accounts praised excellent, ample food with variety and hospitality, while others reported cold breakfasts, missed meals, foods delivered at inopportune times, limited dietary options for some residents, and spoiled items.

    Staff attitude and training are inconsistent across reports. Numerous families lauded warm, caring staff who treat residents with dignity and respect; at the same time, there are multiple allegations of rude, nonchalant, or apathetic caregivers—particularly among night and weekend staff—who were described as distracted (phone use), unhelpful, or even intimidating. Reviewers frequently contrasted long-term staff who are compassionate and experienced with temporary workers who lack training and commitment. Management responses also vary: some reviewers singled out specific administrators who were responsive, helpful, and effective in resolving issues, while others described disorganized management with inadequate systems, poor follow-through, and limited training for new hires.

    Therapy and rehabilitation emerge as one of the facility's strongest components. Many reviewers reported excellent PT/OT that led to real progress and confidence gains for residents. At the same time, a minority questioned the therapy department's operations or effectiveness—these critical reports often coincide with broader complaints about record-keeping and staff coordination rather than the skill of therapists themselves. Activity programming, pastoral services, and social engagement received frequent praise, contributing to a positive resident experience when clinical and operational aspects function well.

    Safety-related themes demand attention: multiple reviewers reported falls, bruising, and inadequate investigation into incidents; several described neglects severe enough to prompt relocation of loved ones or consideration of legal action. These are not isolated small complaints—they represent high-risk failures of supervision, assessment, and timely clinical intervention. Given these patterns, families expressed polarized outcomes: some found the facility excellent for rehab and day-to-day care, while others strongly warned against admitting loved ones, citing dangerous lapses.

    In summary, St Elizabeth shows real strengths—particularly in rehabilitation, pastoral care, activities, certain clinical staff, cleanliness in many areas, and individual employees who provide compassionate care. However, persistent operational and staffing weaknesses create significant variability in resident outcomes and safety. The most pressing concerns reported are understaffing, inconsistent quality across shifts, medication and wound-care management failures, poor communication, and maintenance/ sanitation lapses in some areas. Prospective residents and families should weigh the high-quality rehabilitation and several praised staff and programs against documented risks of inconsistent nursing care and systemic operational issues. Families considering St Elizabeth would be advised to ask specific questions about staffing patterns (nurse-to-resident ratios, agency use), medication and wound-care protocols, incident investigation processes, how the facility ensures call bell/phone reliability, and to request regular, documented care planning meetings and clear channels for escalation when issues arise.

    Location

    Map showing location of St Elizabeth Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

    About St Elizabeth Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

    St Elizabeth Rehabilitation and Nursing Center sits on Benson Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland, and it's been around for over fifty years, family-owned with a faith-based approach that makes the place feel homelike, and you'll see touches of that throughout, like the on-site chapel where daily mass happens, along with a resident and family council that has a real say in how things work. The center cares for folks needing short-stay rehab, long-term nursing, memory care, and help with many kinds of medical issues, including heart and lung rehab, wound care, hospice, palliative care, and respite stays, all under the eye of hospitalist physicians, and staffed by people who care, with nurses, aides, and therapists giving 12 to 16 hours of nursing daily and full supervision around the clock. There are 162 certified beds, and in June 2025, thirty-two of them are expected to be available, with a mix of large private and semi-private rooms, each with Wi-Fi, TVs, air conditioning, kitchenettes, and private bathrooms, plus a 24-hour emergency call system, furnished rooms, and an alert system for peace of mind. Folks can join things like movie nights, arts and music programs, daily activities, and resident-run or community events, with an activity staff that gets good words for making life interesting, even when short staffing sometimes happens, and there are wide outdoor spaces-gardens, walking paths, and common areas-where you can spend time or join into outdoor programs. There's scheduled transportation, easy parking, housekeeping, laundry, and support for families, with amenities like a fitness room, library, arts space, and a movie theater all set up for residents. Meals come all day, with a chef handling restaurant-style dining in the main dining room, and there are choices for allergies and diabetes, set up for anyone's needs. Most staff speak English, and the nurse staffing gives about 3.66 hours per resident per day, with past turnover rates at nearly sixty percent, which is something to keep in mind, but the care remains focused on treating everyone with respect and making sure they're safe from abuse or neglect. St Elizabeth accepts Medicare and Medicaid, runs as a nonprofit, and doesn't belong to a Continuing Care Retirement Community, but does have lots of protections and policies so residents know about their health and care. The center doesn't discriminate, and it's part of the Vierra Communities group, also marked as a preferred provider for St. Agnes Hospital, so there are good links to clinical support and therapy, especially in nursing and physical therapy. The memory care unit's locked for safety, and advanced therapies run seven days a week, all aiming to help people get stronger or feel comfortable if recovery isn't the goal. The team here focuses on creating customized care plans that really fit a person, and even though perfection's hard to reach, there's a long-standing effort to balance innovation, safety, and day-to-day comforts for every person who calls this place home.

    People often ask...

    Nearby Communities

    • Exterior view of a senior living facility named Legend of Lititz showing the main entrance with a covered drop-off area, landscaped greenery, and a clear blue sky.
      $3,575 – $5,270+4.1 (130)
      1 Bedroom • 2 Bedroom
      independent, assisted living, memory care

      Legend of Lititz

      80 W Millport Rd, Lititz, PA, 17543
    • Exterior view of a large, multi-story senior living facility building at dusk with lights on inside. In the foreground, there is a landscaped area with a sign that reads 'Legend Personal Care Memory Care' and the number 425. The building has multiple windows and a sloped roof.
      $5,725 – $7,442+4.3 (30)
      Semi-private • 1 Bedroom • Studio
      assisted living, memory care

      Legend at Silver Creek

      425 Lambs Gap Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA, 17050
    • Exterior front view of a large three-story senior living facility building with beige siding and stone accents, a red roof, multiple windows, balconies, a driveway with a stop sign, landscaped greenery, and parked cars under a clear blue sky.
      $2,730 – $4,895+4.4 (139)
      Studio • 1 Bedroom • 2 Bedroom
      continuing care retirement community

      Merrill Gardens at West Chester

      1201 Ward Ave, West Chester, PA, 19380
    • Covered entrance to a brick building with glass double doors, two chairs on either side, potted plants, and greenery around the entrance.
      $2,214 – $3,800+4.4 (137)
      Semi-private • Studio • 1 Bedroom
      independent, assisted living, memory care

      Exton Senior Living

      600 N Pottstown Pike, Exton, PA, 19341
    • Exterior view of a single-story building with beige siding, white trim, and a red roof. The building features multiple windows and a small tower-like structure with a conical roof. The foreground includes a stone retaining wall, green shrubs, and trees partially framing the view.
      $3,925+4.0 (146)
      suite
      independent, assisted living, memory care

      Truewood by Merrill, Glen Riddle

      263 Glen Riddle Rd, Glen Riddle, PA, 19063
    • Front exterior of a multi-story senior living building at sunset with lit windows, a driveway, and landscaped lawn.
      $2,600 – $3,380+4.1 (77)
      Semi-private • Studio
      assisted living, memory care

      Sunrise of Paoli

      324 Lancaster Ave, Malvern, PA, 19355

    Assisted Living in Nearby Cities

    1. 457 facilities$4,550/mo
    2. 263 facilities$4,532/mo
    3. 242 facilities$4,545/mo
    4. 253 facilities$4,592/mo
    5. 327 facilities$4,599/mo
    6. 137 facilities$4,651/mo
    7. 207 facilities$4,635/mo
    8. 144 facilities$4,565/mo
    9. 453 facilities$4,441/mo
    10. 97 facilities$4,860/mo
    11. 442 facilities$4,441/mo
    12. 542 facilities$4,405/mo
    © 2025 Mirador Living