Overall impression: The reviews present a deeply polarized picture of Forrest Manor Nursing Center. A substantial portion of reviewers praise the caregiving staff — describing nurses and aides as caring, competent, patient, and attentive, with attending physicians noted in at least one account. Meals and activities receive repeated positive mentions, and several reviewers say the quality of care is outstanding and that their experience shattered their negative expectations of nursing homes. At the same time, multiple reviews contain serious allegations about the facility environment, sanitation, management, and some staff behaviors that paint a starkly negative portrait.
Care quality and staff: Many reviews emphasize that frontline nursing staff can provide excellent, compassionate care. Specific praise includes attentive, patient-centered nursing, responsiveness to comfort needs, and clinical competence. Some reviews explicitly state they would return or recommend the facility because of this level of care. However, these positive accounts stand alongside very troubling accusations: several reviews allege unprofessional conduct (including staff under the influence during shifts), claims of over-medication resulting in residents drooling, and inconsistent behavior from office/administrative personnel. This suggests a wide variance in staff performance or possibly significant differences between shifts or departments — with some employees offering exemplary care while others are perceived as harmful or neglectful.
Facilities, cleanliness, and infection/pest control: A recurring and severe theme is poor facility sanitation. Reviews report infestations of cockroaches and bedbugs, including claims that residents were bitten. Multiple reviewers describe pervasive odors of urine and feces, leaking ceilings/dripping liquids, and an overall filthy condition. These are serious infection control and quality-of-life concerns and contrast sharply with other comments that the facility's exterior can appear well-kept, misleading families about interior conditions. Several reviews also note the lack of recent renovations and visible maintenance problems, which compounds worries about cleanliness and safety.
Management and administration: Numerous reviews criticize management and administrative staff. Complaints include rude or unprofessional behavior from the director of nursing and office staff, allegations that management is primarily money-driven, and at least one reviewer specifically names a manager (reported as problematic in the reviews). Other administrative concerns include allegations of quickly evicting or removing deceased residents, delayed communication with families (one example cited a two-hour delay), and disputes between staff and the legally authorized representative/POA. Staff who worked there reported the workplace as a 'nightmare' and 'terrible to work,' indicating potential systemic issues in leadership and culture.
Dining and activities: In contrast to many facility- and management-related complaints, dining and activities appear to be relative strengths in several reviews. Meals are described as nutritious and very good, and activities are called great — suggesting that certain operational areas are functioning well and contributing positively to resident experience.
Patterns and contradictions: The reviews show a clear pattern of contradictory experiences: some residents and family members report exceptional, even unmatched, care, while others report conditions that raise concerns about safety, sanitation, and professionalism. This divergence could reflect variability across units, staffing shortages or turnover, differences between daytime and nighttime shifts, or that positive frontline caregivers are operating within a facility that has broader systemic problems (pest control, maintenance, management). A repeated note is that outward appearances can be deceiving — the facility may look acceptable from the exterior while interior issues persist.
Takeaway and suggested actions: Based on these reviews, prospective residents or families should approach Forrest Manor with caution and perform targeted due diligence. Key recommended actions include: scheduling an unannounced visit to inspect cleanliness and odor, asking for documentation of pest-control and infection-prevention efforts, inquiring about recent staffing changes, turnover rates, and background checks, requesting the facility's most recent inspection and deficiency reports, discussing medication-management protocols, and clarifying communication processes with families and POAs. The mixed nature of the reviews means that while high-quality care is reported by some, the repeated, serious allegations about infestations, sanitation, and management warrant thorough verification before making placement decisions.
