Overall sentiment across the review summaries is mixed but centers on a clear split between the quality of direct care (nursing and therapy) and systemic/administrative failures. A consistent and strong theme is praise for the direct-care teams: nursing, therapy, and certain aides receive numerous compliments for compassionate, competent, and outcomes-focused care. Multiple reviewers reported meaningful rehabilitation gains (for example, mobility improvements from wheelchair to walking) and comfortable, attentive end-of-life care. Social workers and the social director are frequently described as engaged and helpful, and maintenance and housekeeping are noted as prompt and effective. The facility is repeatedly called clean and welcoming, residents are described as enjoying the community, and staff are often characterized as warm, friendly, and willing to treat residents like family. These positive elements underpin why many reviewers say they would recommend Ridgewood Manor and why some describe it as a great place for care and a good place to work.
Contrasting those positives are recurrent and serious administrative and communication problems. Many summaries point to an unreliable phone/voicemail system (full mailboxes, no greeting, hung-up callers, and no visible desk presence), poor responsiveness to family inquiries, and difficulties getting timely information. Specific clinical communication lapses were reported as well, including missed medication changes and failures to notify families or the facility of hospital transfers. Several reviewers reported delays or failures in scheduling important appointments. These breakdowns in communication are a major theme and are cited as undermining trust between families and facility leadership.
There are also substantial concerns about staffing stability and oversight. Reviewers noted high turnover among aides and variable quality of caregiving staff — some aides are praised as attentive while others are described as unprofessional or rude. Upper management instability is mentioned repeatedly, and several comments link management failures to broader problems: health code violations, PPE shortages early in the pandemic, and COVID outbreaks that made the environment feel unsafe to some families. A number of reviewers explicitly stated they lost trust in administration or would advise against placing family members there because of these issues. Allegations of fake positive reviews by employees were raised, which further erodes confidence among skeptical reviewers.
Facility features and supportive services receive generally positive marks, with consistent reports of cleanliness, prompt maintenance, available laundry, and active community partnerships. Dining opinions are mixed: dietary staff are commended for accommodations and willingness to adjust meals for changing needs, but food quality itself is noted as an area needing improvement by some reviewers. Activities and social engagement seem to be strengths in some summaries — residents experiencing laughter, engagement, and a sense of home are described — and community outreach and growth are recognized as positives.
In summary, Ridgewood Manor appears to deliver strong hands-on clinical care and rehabilitation for many residents, supported by compassionate social workers and responsive maintenance/housekeeping. However, significant and recurring issues with communication, administrative leadership, infection-control incidents (notably during COVID), staff turnover, and occasional reports of neglect or health-code concerns create notable risk factors that families should weigh carefully. The pattern suggests that when direct-care teams are intact and communicative, resident experience is very positive; when administrative systems and leadership are unstable, those positives are undermined. Prospective residents and families should consider visiting, speaking directly with the therapy and nursing leads, assessing current management stability, and testing communication channels (phone/voicemail and receptionist responsiveness) before making a placement decision. If deciding on Ridgewood Manor, maintaining close, regular contact and asking for documented care/transfer and medication-change protocols may help mitigate some of the reported risks.
