Overall impression: Reviews of Highlands Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center are highly mixed, with many families and reviewers offering strong praise for staff, therapy outcomes, cleanliness and resident programming, while other reviewers report serious and potentially life‑threatening care failures. The result is a polarized picture: multiple accounts describe "amazing" or "stellar" staff and effective clinical rehabilitation, while other accounts allege neglect, medical mismanagement and poor communication. This split creates a pattern where experiences appear to vary substantially between residents and shifts.
Care quality and safety: A recurring and most serious theme among the negative reviews is concern about medical care and safety. Multiple summaries allege neglect, untreated urinary tract infections progressing to sepsis, severe dehydration, dramatic weight loss leading to placement of a feeding tube, and falls that resulted in injury and bruising. There are also reports of medication problems — including refusal to administer pain medication and improper medication handling — and at least one dispute over on-site doctor charges. These are not isolated minor complaints; the descriptions indicate potentially severe adverse outcomes for some residents. At the same time, other reviewers report effective nursing and therapy care that enabled residents to regain strength and return home, suggesting inconsistent clinical performance across residents or shifts.
Staff, communication and family interaction: Staff behavior and communication are strong positive points in many reviews: numerous reports praise friendly, loving, respectful and professional staff who keep families informed, perform dietary meetings, and provide comforting interactions. However, an opposing and substantial set of reviews describe rude staff, poor phone handling (long rings, hanging up), delayed or absent medical updates, distressing late-night calls, and perceived lack of empathy. Power-of-attorney (POA) issues and disagreements with management or billing were raised, as were calls for legal action in the worst accounts. The contrast suggests that communication practices and staff demeanor vary and that families should expect variability in how informed and involved they'll be.
Facilities, meals and activities: The facility is frequently described as clean, bright and well-kept, with a pleasant dining area and dementia-friendly decor. Many reviewers compliment the food — calling it appealing or delicious-looking — and note that dietary staff solicit resident preferences. Activities programming receives positive mentions too: multiple daily activities, reading groups and socialization are common. Conversely, some reviewers reported inconsistent meal times, cold food, and hygiene problems such as urine odor and dirty toilets. There are also maintenance concerns like a malfunctioning elevator. These contrasts indicate that while the physical environment and programming are strengths for many residents, operational lapses occur for others.
Management, administration and logistics: Administrative and logistical issues are another mixed area. Positive notes include easy entry/sign-in and helpful reception staff. Negative themes include disputes around billing and charges (on-site doctor charge dispute), limitations on resident phone access, and transportation/distance barriers for families (reports of the facility being three hours away). Several reviews mention downgraded ratings over time and calls for investigation or closure in extreme cases, signaling serious trust issues with leadership among some families. The combination of POA disputes and lawsuit concerns suggests families should carefully review admission paperwork, billing practices and physician arrangements.
Patterns and recommendations for prospective families: The reviews show a noticeable division between consistently positive experiences (kind staff, good therapy, clean facility, engaging activities) and severe negative incidents (neglect-related illness, falls, medication errors, poor communication). This suggests variability in care that could be due to staffing levels, shift-to-shift differences, or administrative oversight. Prospective residents and decision-makers should ask specific questions before admission: details about nursing staffing ratios and shift coverage, fall monitoring and alarm practices, medication administration protocols, infection prevention policies, how families are notified about changes in condition, policies on physician charges and billing, elevator and equipment maintenance, and how dietary preferences are accommodated. Visiting in person, checking recent state inspection reports, and speaking with multiple families currently at the facility can help assess whether a given unit or wing maintains the higher standard reported by many reviewers or whether risks highlighted in negative reviews are present.
Bottom line: Highlands Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center receives many strong endorsements for staff compassion, rehabilitation success, cleanliness and resident programming, but also has multiple, serious negative reports alleging neglect, medical mismanagement and poor communication. Because of that polarity, careful, targeted inquiry and direct observation are crucial for families considering this facility.
