Overall pattern and sentiment Reviews for Forestville Healthcare Center are highly polarized and indicate a facility with pockets of strong, effective care (especially in rehabilitation) but widespread, serious systemic problems in nursing care, cleanliness, safety, and management. The most consistent positive theme is an outstanding PT/OT and rehab department; many reviewers credit the therapy team with meaningful functional recovery and independence. Individual caregivers and some nurses are repeatedly praised as compassionate, hardworking, and supportive, and several staff members are named and lauded by families. A minority of reviewers also report timely medication administration, daily housekeeping, a pleasant social environment, and helpful management under a new director.
Care quality and safety Despite notable successes in rehabilitation, the reviews contain numerous and severe allegations about nursing care and patient safety. Multiple families report neglectful practices including untreated bedsores, dehydration, missed diaper changes, skipped breathing treatments, failure to monitor trach tubes, and medication or injection incidents reportedly given without consent. There are accounts linking inadequate care to hospitalizations, pneumonia, and deaths. Call bells and night-shift responsiveness are frequently described as unreliable or nonfunctional, leading to long waits for toileting or other urgent needs. Several reviewers describe a pattern of understaffing, particularly overnight, and note that families must often supervise or provide care themselves. These safety and neglect themes are among the strongest red flags across the reviews.
Staffing, professionalism, and variability A dominant theme is extreme variability in staff performance. Many reviewers identify standout employees and teams (rehab staff, certain CNAs and nurses) who provide excellent, compassionate care; at the same time, numerous reviews describe nurses and aides as rude, lazy, or in it only for a paycheck. Some night staff are praised for teamwork, while others are accused of being unavailable or uncaring. Reports also include possible misconduct (allegations of false reporting, threatened legal action, and claims of a culture that attempts to cover problems). This inconsistency suggests staffing and training issues and points to uneven leadership oversight.
Facility condition and cleanliness Multiple reviews raise serious concerns about facility maintenance and sanitation: persistent urine and other unpleasant odors, feces incidents, dirty bathrooms, dirty diapers in hallways, gnats during meals, rust, peeling paint, holes in walls, worn pillows, and at least one bed bug sighting. Conversely, a number of reviewers say the facility is in good condition or extremely clean, and some praise recent management changes. The mixed reports suggest inconsistent housekeeping standards and possibly variable conditions by unit or over time.
Dining and nutrition Dining receives predominantly negative comments. Common complaints include cold or lumpy food, unappetizing meals, small portions, lack of vegetarian options, and failure to record or honor dietary restrictions. Many families bring home-cooked meals or takeout for residents. There are also reports of late meals and missed mealtimes, which ties into broader staffing and operational issues.
Communication, management, and admission processes Families report inconsistent communication and poor responsiveness from leadership and front-desk functions (disconnected phones, unreturned calls, or rude receptionists). Several reviewers cite paperwork errors, missing intake procedures, and lack of documentation for dietary needs. During COVID, door protocols were sometimes lax or doors left open. There are mixed comments about management: while some praise a new director and note positive changes, others describe uncooperative staff and claim that leadership does not adequately address serious problems.
Resident experience, privacy, and activities Negative reports include overcrowding (triple occupancy rooms), lack of privacy, limited stimulation in common areas, and insufficient equipment like bed rails or accessibility for walkers. Positive experiences emphasize a social, encouraging atmosphere and successful rehab outcomes that improved residents’ mobility and independence. The community/visiting spaces exist but are described as dull and unstimulating by some.
Patterns, red flags, and nuance The overall picture is one of stark contrasts: a rehabilitation program that is repeatedly described as exceptional, set against a nursing and operations side that has recurring, serious deficiencies. Red flags include multiple reports of neglect-related injuries (bedsores, dehydration), alleged improper medical/consent incidents, and deaths or severe hospitalizations cited by families. Repeated problems with cleanliness, sanitation, and maintenance are also prominent. At the same time, the presence of a committed subset of staff and some positive management feedback suggests that improvements might be possible but are not consistently realized facility-wide.
Recommendation based on reviews Families considering Forestville should weigh the strong rehab reputation and the presence of caring, effective staff against the frequent, serious complaints about nursing care, safety, sanitation, and leadership responsiveness. Prospective residents and their families should: (1) visit unannounced at varied times (including nights) to observe staffing and cleanliness; (2) ask specifically about nurse-to-resident ratios, night coverage, call-bell response times, and documented infection control/cleaning procedures; (3) verify how dietary needs are recorded and honored; (4) inquire about incident reporting and accountability for medication or consent issues; and (5) get clear, written commitments about admission processes and the unit where the resident would be placed (to avoid crowded rooms). The volume and severity of negative reports constitute meaningful red flags that warrant caution, close monitoring, and clear written agreements if choosing this facility.
