Overall sentiment across the review summaries is mixed but leans positive regarding clinical care and rehabilitation services, while raising repeated administrative, housekeeping, and communication concerns. Many reviewers express strong satisfaction with the clinical team and rehabilitation department, describing staff as friendly, compassionate, dedicated, and professional. Several reviewers singled out individual nurses and caregivers (Wendy, Cheryl, and S. Hamm) for being knowledgeable, warm, and highly attentive. The rehabilitation services are frequently praised as excellent and professional, and some families noted smooth transitions and informative care coordination. Social and emotional care also receives positive notice, with multiple mentions that the facility cares about residents’ overall well-being and creates a safe, trusting environment for families.
Facility features and dining also receive positive mentions: reviewers describe hotel-like rooms with private baths, large and cozy rooms, and an overall clean, comfortable environment. Food quality is generally appreciated, with specific compliments for soups and meals. The facility’s visitor sign-in system and safety protocols are noted as efficient and reassuring by several reviewers, and many families explicitly recommend the facility and say they trust it.
Contrasting sharply with the positive clinical and facility attributes are recurring operational and administrative problems reported by a subset of reviewers. The most serious and repeated complaints concern housekeeping and room cleanliness: multiple summaries mention filthy toilets, soiled pillowcases, dirty phones, and missing toiletries. These issues are sometimes coupled with reports of little or no staff reaction when cleanliness or supply problems are raised. Understaffing — particularly slow response at night — is also cited and appears to contribute to delayed responses to urgent needs and inconsistent delivery of scheduled rehabilitation therapy.
Another prominent negative theme is communication and discharge/admissions handling. Several reviewers reported abrupt, short-notice, or rushed discharges without clinical explanation, unreturned calls and emails, and a general lack of transparency from admissions or management about guidelines and denial rationales. There are specific mentions of disputes or pressure related to Medicare coverage and discharge decisions, and at least one report of an unnecessary oxygen bottle being provided. Admissions experiences in some cases were described as frustrating and unhelpful, with staff failing to provide upfront reasons for denials. These administrative and communication failures stand out as significant concerns because they affect continuity of care and family trust.
Security measures and management practices were also criticized by a few reviewers (for example, concerns about a weapon detector), although these critiques were not as prevalent as the cleanliness and communication complaints. Importantly, the pattern across reviews suggests two distinct clusters of experiences: many reviewers who received attentive clinical care, excellent rehabilitation, and a comfortable environment with strong recommendations; and a smaller but serious group who encountered unacceptable cleanliness, poor responsiveness, and opaque administrative or discharge practices.
In summary, New Jersey Eastern Star Rehabilitation and Nursing is frequently praised for its clinical and rehabilitative excellence, compassionate staff, comfortable rooms, and good food, earning strong recommendations from many families. However, prospective residents and their families should be mindful of reported issues around housekeeping, staffing levels (especially at night), communication, and admissions/discharge transparency. These operational and administrative concerns — particularly abrupt discharges without clear explanation and reports of unclean rooms — are recurring and significant. When considering this facility, it would be prudent to ask targeted questions about housekeeping protocols, staffing ratios and night coverage, rehabilitation scheduling consistency, and how discharge and Medicare coverage decisions are communicated and appealed.
