Overall sentiment across the reviews is highly mixed and polarized. Multiple reviewers describe Auburn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center as a place where some residents receive attentive, knowledgeable care—especially in therapy and from certain CNAs and nurses—while other residents experience serious neglect, safety problems, and unprofessional staff behavior. The recurring theme is inconsistency: the same facility is praised for its compassionate staff, effective physical therapy, updated rooms, activities, and successful rehab discharges in many accounts, yet criticized in equally strong terms for safety failures, hygiene problems, and outright abusive conduct in others.
Care quality and safety are major, recurring concerns. Numerous reviews allege significant lapses: residents experiencing multiple falls (including falls that resulted in fractures), bed sores with delayed dressing changes, unsafe wheelchairs, and medication administration problems—most notably insulin not given on time and blood sugars not checked. Several reports describe feeding neglect (residents not ensured to eat, trays dropped and left, or not being escorted/assisted into dining) leading to weight loss. These are concrete safety and clinical issues raised repeatedly across reviews and are often coupled with calls for family advocacy and even state inspection.
Staff behavior and staffing patterns are described very inconsistently. Many reviewers single out individual staff—nurses and aides—as dedicated, warm, and compassionate, with specific praise for CNAs and therapy teams who helped residents regain independence. At the same time, a significant number of reviews complain about rude, hostile, or uncaring staff, gossiping and a hostile culture, and in several serious allegations, staff intoxication or substance misuse while on duty. Short-staffing and staff being overworked are cited as underlying causes of poor responsiveness (long waits for bathroom assistance, delayed medication, unreturned phone calls), which contributes to a perception of indifference or incompetence on some shifts.
Facility condition and infection control show the same pattern of mixed experience. Some reviewers note updated rooms, renovations in progress, a quieter and cleaner environment, and proximity to family as positives. Conversely, other reports describe an old, smelly, and dirty building with strong odors, damaged mattresses (including a hole and leaking fluid), and claims of rampant COVID-19 cases and poor medical capability after surgery. These opposite depictions suggest that parts of the building may have been renovated while other areas remain run-down, or that cleanliness and infection control vary significantly by unit and shift.
Rehabilitation and activities receive both strong praise and sharp criticism. Many families rave about outstanding physical therapy, knowledgeable therapists, and successful rehab outcomes leading to quick returns home. Activities and a family-like social atmosphere are also highlighted positively. However, other reviewers say physical therapy was nonexistent or inadequate, social services were unhelpful, and the rehab environment could feel inhumane. These conflicting accounts reinforce the overall theme of uneven service delivery.
Management and communication are areas of concern in several reviews. Positive notes include reports that management has improved and that some staff go above and beyond. Negative reports reference a defensive or hostile Director of Nursing (DON), gaslighting of families, threats (such as contract cancellation), and unresponsiveness from social services. Multiple reviewers explicitly state that families had to advocate strongly to obtain appropriate care. Given the allegations of serious safety issues (falls, bedsores, medication errors) and unprofessional conduct, several reviews urge investigation or regulatory oversight.
In sum, Auburn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center appears to produce very divergent resident experiences. Strengths reported include compassionate individual caregivers, capable rehab and therapy teams in many cases, updated rooms in some areas, and meaningful activities. The most concerning and repeatedly cited weaknesses are inconsistent and sometimes dangerous care practices (falls, wounds, medication failures), poor hygiene and facility cleanliness in parts of the building, reports of staff intoxication, and a troublingly uneven staff culture. The most actionable pattern from the reviews is variability—care and conditions depend heavily on which staff are on duty, the unit, and perhaps timing—making family advocacy and close monitoring frequent themes among reviewers.
