The reviews for Chestnut Hill Lodge Health and Rehabilitation Center show a deeply polarized and inconsistent experience across residents and families. There is a recurring pattern of two distinct realities: many reviewers praise specific staff members, therapy teams, and recent management improvements, while a substantial number of reviews describe dangerous, unsanitary, and neglectful conditions. Positive accounts emphasize compassionate CNAs and nurses, effective physical and occupational therapy with good rehab outcomes, welcoming admissions/front-desk interactions, and instances where rooms and common areas are kept clean and comfortable. Several families credit the therapy staff and particular caregivers by name for significant improvement in mobility or successful discharges. New management and a few responsive directors were repeatedly called out as improving communication and operational responsiveness in certain periods.
Despite these positives, the negative reports are frequent, specific, and severe. Multiple independent reviewers describe pervasive pest problems — roaches, mice, ants, and gnats — and strong urine or fecal odors in rooms and hallways. Housekeeping failures are often cited: soiled clothing or linens, trash left in drawers and closets, blood on curtains, infrequent sheet changes, neglected bathing and grooming (overgrown beards, uncut toenails), and rooms left wet or unsanitary. Laundry mismanagement and missing personal items appear repeatedly, with several reports alleging theft or permanent loss of residents' belongings. These cleanliness and possession-control concerns create serious dignity and infection-risk issues for vulnerable residents.
Clinical safety and care consistency are major themes of concern. There are numerous allegations of medication errors, withheld medications, and delays in pain relief and other urgent care. Reported incidents include long delays in caregiver response (one report described a three-hour delay), missed or insufficient nursing assessments, delayed ambulance transfers for infections, and withheld notifications to families about hospital transfers. Several reviewers explicitly raised safety concerns such as bedridden roommates left unattended, risk of blood clots from lack of mobility, and an overall feeling that some residents were underfed or experienced weight loss. Combined with claims of rude or rough handling by staff, these accounts point to systemic lapses in clinical oversight and resident safety on some units or shifts.
Staffing and management patterns emerge repeatedly: many reviews praise weekday staff and highlight that therapy, admissions, or day-shift nurses deliver high-quality care, while weekend, holiday, night shifts, or agency staff are often described as skeletal, inattentive, or absent. High turnover is commonly mentioned, with families noting that long-tenured, trusted staff had left and replacements were inconsistent in skill and compassion. Communication problems with leadership are a recurring negative: families report unreturned calls, an unresponsive Director of Nursing (DON), poor coordination with families, slow record requests, and at least one reviewer mentioning Department of Health complaints or state investigations. Conversely, when directors or new leadership are responsive and visible, reviewers report markedly better experiences, suggesting management presence materially affects perceived care quality.
Dining and activities receive mixed reviews. Food quality is often criticized — described as inedible, cold, or not meeting dietary restrictions — and some residents experienced weight loss tied to poor nutrition. A number of reviewers, however, noted that meals improved after the initial weeks or under new staff. Activity programming is variable: some families applaud an engaging activities director and regular group programming that supports quality of life, while others report no activities at all and a very sparse environment for social engagement.
Facility condition and amenities are likewise inconsistent. Several reviews describe modern, bright, well-kept, and recently renovated spaces, while many others report a 'dump' or 'shack'-like setting with broken showers, plumbing problems, neglected bathrooms, and poor parking. The discrepancy suggests uneven maintenance or that improvements are occurring in phases; some reviewers explicitly mention ongoing construction and transitions to newer ownership or management. These transitions may explain why a subset of reviewers are optimistic about future improvement while others warn to avoid the facility entirely.
There are also repeated reports about dignity and resident rights being compromised: lack of basic supplies (washcloths, toothbrushes), shared phones with limited call time, misplacement or theft of personal items, and situations where residents were left on bedpans or ignored for extended periods. Such accounts raise ethical and regulatory red flags and align with other statements calling for investigation or shutdown. At the same time, many families emphasize individual staff members who went above and beyond, orchestrated celebrations, or provided consistent, loving care.
In summary, Chestnut Hill Lodge presents as a facility with clear strengths in pockets — namely an effective therapy program, many dedicated caregivers, and some units that are clean and well-managed — but also with widespread, serious, and repeatedly reported weaknesses. The most urgent concerns are pest infestations, sanitation and laundry failures, medication and safety lapses, staff rudeness or roughness, inconsistent staffing (notably weekends and nights), poor communication from leadership, and alleged theft or loss of personal items. Prospective residents and families should weigh the mixed reports carefully: if visiting, prioritize inspection of the specific unit and shifts that will provide care, ask detailed questions about staffing ratios on weekends and nights, verify how laundry and personal belongings are handled, and request documentation of medication administration and infection-control practices. If already involved with the facility and encountering problems, families should document incidents, escalate concerns in writing, and consider contacting regulatory authorities given the number of reviews reporting safety and hygiene violations.
