Heathwood HealthCare

    188 Florence St, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467
    2.0 · 13 reviews
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    2.0

    Worrying care, understaffed and unsafe

    I had a mixed, mostly worrying experience. Some staff were attentive, polite and caring, rooms/therapy/dining looked clean with fresh bedding and good food, and leadership seemed professional and accessible at times. But the place felt dangerously understaffed and inconsistent - long delays answering call buttons, meds and snacks left unattended, no supervision at meals, missing bed rails/walkers, weekend/night gaps, security lapses, signs of poor cleanliness (mice, cracked glass/hair) and very slow emergency response - which left me nervous about safety. I appreciated pockets of high-quality care, but overall I cannot recommend it until staffing, security, and cleanliness are reliably fixed.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    Healthcare services

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

    Healthcare staffing

    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

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

    Room

    • Cable
    • Fully furnished
    • Housekeeping and linen services
    • Kitchenettes
    • Telephone
    • Wifi

    Common areas

    • Beauty salon
    • Dining room
    • Garden
    • Outdoor space
    • Small library

    Community services

    • Move-in coordination

    Activities

    • Community-sponsored activities
    • Resident-run activities
    • Scheduled daily activities

    2.00 · 13 reviews

    Overall rating

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

      2.0
    • Staff

      2.1
    • Meals

      2.3
    • Amenities

      2.3
    • Value

      2.0

    Pros

    • Attentive staff (reported by some reviewers)
    • High quality of care in many cases
    • Excellent hygiene and cleanliness in some units
    • Clean rooms and fresh bedding (reported by multiple reviewers)
    • Good dining/“great food” mentioned
    • Updated floor and facilities in parts of the building
    • Private rooms available
    • Accessible medical director
    • Competent and professional staff members (several staff called out by name/role)
    • Some staff described as knowledgeable, personable, and caring
    • Clean therapy and dining areas
    • Management/staff improvements noted by some after management change

    Cons

    • Neglect and abuse allegations in multiple reviews
    • Extremely low staff-to-resident ratios / chronic understaffing
    • Delayed assistance and long wait times for call-button help
    • No supervision during meals and unaddressed emergencies
    • Medication mishandling / medications left unattended
    • Theft or missing food/snacks allegedly taken by staff
    • Residents found in unsanitary conditions (waiting in waste)
    • Undertrained or inexperienced staff on many shifts
    • Inconsistent staff competence — some excellent, some reckless
    • Long emergency response times (reports of 30–40 minutes)
    • Staff distracted by computers/phones; inattentive behavior
    • Significant weekend and night shift issues
    • Filthy rooms and poor overall cleanliness reported in some cases
    • Missing or unsafe equipment (no bed rails, no walker available)
    • Safety hazards (cracked glass with hair, mice infestation)
    • Open/unsecured doors and lack of visible security
    • Rude attitudes from some aides and poor resident engagement
    • Poor communication around discharge, transportation, and weekends
    • Rickety elevator and unpleasant facility odors reported
    • Reports of janitor theft and warnings about valuables

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across the reviews for Heathwood HealthCare is highly mixed and polarized: a number of reviews report attentive, professional, and caring staff, clean rooms, good food, and an accessible medical director, while a substantial number of other reviews allege serious problems including neglect, safety concerns, and poor staffing. The patterns suggest that experiences differ significantly by unit, shift, and perhaps changes in management, with several reviewers explicitly noting improved quality after a management change while others describe ongoing, severe issues.

    Care quality: Reviews frequently mention both ends of the spectrum. Positive accounts describe high-quality care, competent clinicians, and staff who are polite, kind, and unobtrusive. Several reviews highlight clean therapy and dining areas and specific caregivers who provided attentive care. Conversely, many reviews recount neglect: delayed responses to call buttons (including waits of 20–40 minutes), lack of supervision during meals, unaddressed emergencies, medication irregularities, and residents being left in soiled conditions. There are multiple reports suggesting that weekend and night coverage is particularly problematic, and that some staff are undertrained or inexperienced, contributing to lapses in basic care.

    Staffing and professionalism: Staffing issues are a dominant theme. Numerous reviewers say the facility is understaffed and staff are overworked/underpaid yet doing their best; other reviewers describe staff as unprofessional, reckless, or inattentive. There are consistent complaints about distracting behavior (staff on phones or computers), long emergency response times, and inconsistent competence across shifts. At the same time, reviewers also call out many individual caregivers and the director as professional, personable, and caring. This mixed feedback points to variability in staffing quality and possible problems with training, scheduling, and weekend/night supervision.

    Facilities, cleanliness, and safety: The facility receives conflicting assessments. Some reviews praise excellent hygiene, no bad odors, fresh bedding, and updated floors; others report filthy rooms, mice infestation, cracked glass with hair, unpleasant smells, and rickety elevators. Safety concerns recur: missing bed rails, lack of walkers, medications left unattended, unsecured doors, and reports of residents being left in unsafe/sanitary conditions. There are also allegations of theft (snacks taken by staff, janitor theft) and warnings not to bring valuables. These discrepancies imply that some wings or shifts may be well-maintained while others suffer from serious environmental and safety lapses.

    Dining, therapy, and activities: Several reviewers compliment the food as “great” and note clean dining areas, but there are also complaints of no supervision during meals and staff eating resident snacks. Therapy availability appears inconsistent — one reviewer noted no physical therapy on Sundays or Mondays — and limited staff coverage may reduce availability of scheduled therapies and activities. Multiple reviews mention resident loneliness and limited family engagement, suggesting activity programming and social engagement could be areas needing attention.

    Management, communication, and operations: Some reviews credit a management change with improvements, and the director/medical director is described as accessible and professional by several reviewers. However, there are persistent reports of poor communication — particularly around discharges, transportation, and weekend updates — and at least one allegation of a social worker lying about discharge plans. Lack of staff at the front desk, an apparently open main door, and an overall deserted feeling on some shifts raise concerns about operational oversight, security protocols, and staffing models during off-peak hours.

    Notable patterns and recommendations: The reviews reveal a facility with substantial variability in resident experience. Positive experiences tend to highlight specific staff members, cleanliness in certain areas, private rooms, and decent food. Negative reviews are concentrated around understaffing, safety and hygiene failures, inconsistent supervision (especially nights and weekends), long emergency response times, and alleged theft. This pattern suggests that prospective residents and families should investigate shift coverage, weekend staffing ratios, incident reporting practices, infection control measures, security procedures, and how the facility addresses past complaints. When evaluating Heathwood HealthCare in person, visitors should tour multiple units and shifts if possible, ask for staffing schedules and training protocols, verify policies on medication handling and valuables, and request recent inspection or violation records to reconcile the starkly different experiences reported by reviewers.

    In summary, Heathwood HealthCare elicits both strong praise and strong criticism. Many reviewers experienced competent, caring staff and clean, well-run areas, but a significant subset reported dangerous lapses in care, sanitation, staffing, and security. The divergence suggests inconsistent performance across units or shifts; therefore, careful, specific inquiry and on-site evaluation are advisable for anyone considering placement there.

    Location

    Map showing location of Heathwood HealthCare

    About Heathwood HealthCare

    Heathwood Healthcare is a nursing home facility located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, dedicated to providing comprehensive care for those who require nursing home services. With cost options ranging from $1,970 to $12,395 per month, the community is equipped to cater to a broad spectrum of care needs and budgets. The fees may vary based on the specific services required by each resident, ensuring that care at Heathwood Healthcare is tailored to individual needs. This flexibility allows families and individuals to find an option that balances both their health requirements and financial considerations.

    Residents at Heathwood Healthcare can expect to benefit from a welcoming environment that emphasizes comfort and support. The facility is designed to accommodate those who need professional nursing assistance, offering a variety of amenities to enhance the quality of life for its residents. One notable feature is the community’s pet-friendly policy, which permits residents to bring their pets with them. This approach helps maintain companionship and emotional well-being, acknowledging the important role that animals can play in the lives of older adults.

    The commitment to care at Heathwood Healthcare is evident not only in the services provided but also in the attention to creating a supportive and nurturing atmosphere for its residents. The community recognizes that every resident is unique, and therefore seeks to provide personalized options that reflect individual preferences and needs. Whether requiring extensive daily care or a more moderate level of support, Heathwood Healthcare aims to ensure safety, dignity, and a sense of belonging for all who reside within its walls.

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