Overall sentiment across the reviews for Carlyle Senior Care of Aiken is highly mixed but leans toward serious concern. Several reviewers praise specific staff members, therapists, and the rehabilitation program, describing meaningful progress in mobility and memory care and noting that some residents (including one reviewer’s grandmother) were very happy with their experience. At the same time, a substantial number of reviews describe severe care and safety problems: persistent urine odor, filthy interiors, poorly maintained rooms and bathrooms, and an overall need for interior remodeling and deep cleaning. These environmental issues are recurring and noted specifically in entryways, dementia wings, and visiting/comfort rooms.
Care quality and resident safety are the most frequently cited and serious areas of concern. Multiple reviewers report neglectful practices — residents left sitting all day, left on bedpans too long, left in diapers for extended periods, and not repositioned leading to bedsores. There are repeated allegations about urinary tract infections being misdiagnosed or denied, leading to repeat hospitalizations. Some reviewers state that delays in care and unresponsiveness contributed to severe outcomes, including death. Conversely, other reviews recount positive clinical experiences with therapists and nurses who supported rehab and memory improvement, indicating significant variability in outcomes depending on staff and timing.
Staff behavior and management response are described as highly inconsistent. Many reviewers commend individual staff members as caring, friendly, and accommodating, and some say management was responsive to concerns. However, an equally strong thread of reviews describes uncaring or rude CNAs, supervisors, and receptionists. Several reviews allege that complaints were ignored by higher-ups or “swept under the rug,” and at least one account expresses distrust of local authorities and concerns about exploitation of residents on Medicaid/Medicare. There are also accounts of staff misconduct — including an alleged incident where a CNA rammed a wheelchair into a trash can and staff laughed — which raises questions about staff training, supervision, and accountability.
Security, property, and belongings are additional recurring issues. Reviewers report unsecured access at night with no front desk presence, which allows outsiders to enter freely. Several people reported missing clothing, shoes, or personal items, and one review referenced Emergency Protective Custody and visible marks on a resident’s body, suggesting severe protection and safety lapses in at least some cases. The facility’s exterior appearance was noted as attractive by some, but that positive external impression did not match multiple reviewers’ descriptions of interior disrepair and unclean conditions.
Activities and therapy received more positive mentions: walking programs, social activities, and rehabilitation services were highlighted by families who saw progress in mobility and cognition. This suggests that when staffing and management align, the facility can deliver beneficial programming. Nevertheless, the frequency and severity of negative accounts — especially those alleging neglect, infection management failures, abuse, and administrative indifference — indicate substantial variability in the standard of care. Prospective residents and families should weigh the positive reports of effective rehab and caring staff against serious and repeated reports of poor hygiene, neglect, security lapses, and alleged abuse.
In summary, the reviews paint a polarized picture: Carlyle Senior Care of Aiken appears capable of providing high-quality, compassionate rehab and memory care in some cases, but there are many credible-sounding reports of neglectful practices, unsanitary conditions, security failures, and inadequate administrative response. The most pressing themes are infection management (UTIs), inattention to basic hygiene and repositioning (bedsores), environmental cleanliness and odors, inconsistent staff behavior, and potential safety/exploitation issues. This pattern suggests that care quality may depend heavily on specific staff members, shifts, or units. Families should conduct thorough, targeted due diligence — tour the interior (including dementia units), check state inspection and complaint records, ask about staffing ratios/training, observe mealtime and hygiene practices, inquire about security at night, and get references from current families — before making placement decisions.
