Heritage Mill Personal Care and Memory Care Residence

    846 E Wiconisco Ave, Lower Burrell, PA, 17980
    4.3 · 18 reviews
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    4.0

    Caring staff, clean, but inconsistent

    I placed my mom here and she truly feels at home - the staff are caring and attentive (Cathy, Trish and Wendy especially), the facility is very clean, welcoming and nicely decorated, meals are good, and therapy/activities help her thrive. She's safe, comfortable and our family has real peace of mind. Downsides: high turnover/occasional understaffing, inconsistent communication and friendliness, small rooms/common areas, and some lapses in medical (diabetes) management and administrative follow-through, including delayed reimbursement and unreturned inquiries. Overall, a positive place with a few important caveats.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    4.33 · 18 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      4.8
    • Staff

      4.1
    • Meals

      4.0
    • Amenities

      3.5
    • Value

      4.3

    Pros

    • Clean, well-maintained facility
    • Beautifully decorated and fresh appearance
    • Caring, attentive frontline staff
    • Multiple staff standouts named (Cathy, Trish, Wendy, Keeley, Shawna)
    • Welcoming, family-like atmosphere
    • Good meals for many residents
    • Quick response to call bells
    • Calm unit atmosphere
    • Accepts wheelchair residents and handled transfer paperwork
    • Physical therapy services available
    • High level of personal care and resident safety
    • Residents report feeling comfortable and thriving

    Cons

    • Administration unresponsive or poor communication
    • Financial dispute: over $4,000 reimbursement reportedly owed to an estate
    • Understaffing and high staff turnover
    • Small resident rooms and limited common-area space
    • Overcrowding in dementia/nursing areas and residents sleeping in lounges
    • Not enough activities or inconsistent programming
    • Inconsistent staff friendliness
    • Gaps in clinical knowledge for diabetes management (blood sugar fluctuations, hospitalizations)
    • Occasional bland food
    • Failure to follow through on promised in-home help or return calls

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across the reviews is generally positive about day-to-day resident care, cleanliness, and the compassion of direct-care staff, but there are consistent and significant concerns about management, staffing levels, physical space, and some clinical competencies.

    Care quality and frontline staff: The strongest and most consistent theme is praise for the frontline caregivers. Multiple reviews describe staff as caring, attentive, and welcoming—some explicitly saying residents were "welcomed as family." Several individual staff members are named as standouts (Cathy, Trish, Wendy, Keeley, Shawna and a noted 2nd shift), and many reviewers say their loved ones were well cared for, safe, and comfortable. Call bells were described as answered quickly, the unit atmosphere was characterized as calm, and families frequently reported peace of mind as a result of staff interactions. Physical therapy services and staff encouragement of activities were noted as helping residents thrive. Housekeeping and overall cleanliness also receive repeated compliments; the facility is described as clean, fresh, odor-free, and beautifully decorated.

    Facilities and space: Multiple reviewers praise the appearance of the building and common areas, yet several point to real limitations in physical space. Common areas are described as too small, and there are reports of residents sleeping in lounge chairs, which suggests crowding or inadequate communal seating/visiting space. Resident rooms are described as small with limited storage and living space. The dementia unit/related nursing areas have at least one report of being overcrowded. These space constraints appear to limit socialization and may contribute to impressions that the facility is better suited for residents who receive regular family outings or weekly visits.

    Dining and activities: Dining receives mixed but mostly positive feedback. Many reviewers call the meals "good" and praise housekeeping and food service, while a smaller number say the food can be bland. Activities are described positively in instances where staff actively encourage participation, but several reviewers say there are "not enough activities" or that programming is limited—particularly for residents who do not get regular family visits. Overall, dining and activity offerings seem acceptable for many residents but inconsistent between shifts or units.

    Management, communication, and administration: This is the clearest area of concern. While one reviewer praised the administrator for handling transfer paperwork, others describe the administration as unresponsive, lacking integrity, and failing to follow through on promises. A serious financial complaint cited an outstanding reimbursement of over $4,000 owed to an estate and delayed estate settlement due to lack of communication. Multiple reviews mention poor communication: calls not returned, promised in-home help not delivered, and delays in responding to family inquiries. These administrative failures contrast strongly with the high marks given to frontline staff and create a mixed overall impression.

    Staffing, turnover, and clinical competence: Several reviewers mention understaffing and high turnover, which can undermine continuity of care despite the evident dedication of many caregivers. Clinical competence concerns appear in a specific area: diabetes management. One review reports inadequate diabetes knowledge, blood sugar fluctuations, and hospitalizations for low blood sugar. This indicates a potential gap in clinical training or oversight for residents with complex medical needs. Combined with staffing challenges, this raises a caution for families whose relatives require close medical monitoring.

    Patterns and contradictions: The reviews reveal a split between the day-to-day resident experience and organizational performance. Direct care is regularly praised—clean facility, caring staff, quick response times—while the administration and some clinical systems are criticized. Some reviewers explicitly recommend the community and report wonderful outcomes, while others advise against placement due to administrative or billing disputes. This mixed picture suggests a facility that performs very well at the point of care most families see (staff interactions, cleanliness, resident comfort), but that may have systemic issues in management, billing/administration, staffing levels, space planning, and certain clinical protocols.

    Bottom line: If your primary priorities are compassionate, hands-on caregivers, a clean and welcoming environment, and responsive bedside care, reviewers frequently found Heritage Mill’s personal care and memory care strengths compelling. However, prospective residents and families should probe administrative responsiveness, review billing and contract terms carefully, ask about staff turnover and staffing ratios, verify clinical competency for specific medical needs (for example diabetes management), and tour common areas to confirm they meet your expectations for space and activities. These targeted questions will help determine whether the facility’s strong frontline care aligns with your expectations for operational transparency and clinical oversight.

    Location

    Map showing location of Heritage Mill Personal Care and Memory Care Residence

    About Heritage Mill Personal Care and Memory Care Residence

    Heritage Mill Personal Care and Memory Care Residence sits near the center of Tower City, PA, and it offers both personal care and memory care for seniors, which means folks with Alzheimer's or other memory concerns live in a secure area with special staff and programs set up just for them, and the property was built with safety in mind-there's monitored entryways, security systems, and nurse call buttons in every room and nurses on hand at all times, because people sometimes need help at night or during emergencies. Rooms come in studio, semi-private, and even two-bedroom options, and they're wheelchair accessible with wide showers considering the needs of older adults, and there's free Wi-Fi all over, which today's families want for video calls and such. Staff can watch blood sugar, give medicine and shots, and help with bathing, grooming, and daily routines, though if a resident needs help with incontinence, they've gotta manage it by themselves, but otherwise, there's help with two-person transfers if somebody can't move alone, and lifts are available, which is important. There's always someone awake for emergencies-nurses, aides, and even a doctor on call-plus caregivers support people who might wander or sometimes act out, and everyone's trained for dementia and memory care. The calendar's usually full with morning exercise, brain games, Bible study, art and karaoke, cooking, manicures, movie nights, and outings to stores, restaurants, and even a casino sometimes, and memory care residents get more targeted activities meant to help keep them engaged and at ease. On-site therapists offer physical therapy right there without leaving, and there's complimentary transportation for errands and doctor visits, which takes a load off for families. You'll find spaces inside and outside for sitting around and having a chat, and there's a library, a beautician, a kitchenette for snacks and drinks day or night, and rooms for entertainment like singing or Wii bowling. Residents eat meals together in a dining room, with chefs cooking up balanced food and options for vegetarians or special diets, whether low-salt or gluten-free, and there's anytime dining so folks can eat when they're hungry. Housekeepers handle laundry and cleaning every day, which leaves people free to focus on activities instead of chores. People can bring their car since there's parking, or use the free shuttle bus, and guests find it easy to visit thanks to the location. The staff develops personal care plans for every resident, with the support of nurses, personal attendants, and recreation workers, so most health and daily needs are covered, and there's even staff to handle behavior problems that sometimes happen with dementia, like wandering or outbursts. Fees are private pay with Social Security, veterans' benefits, or private insurance accepted, and there's a one-time fee to move in. Heritage Mill also offers hospice and respite care, which helps when someone needs short-term or end-of-life support. Smoking is allowed outside. All in all, Heritage Mill tries to balance independence and support, so people can stay active, safe, and comfortable as they age.

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