The reviews for Heartland of West Ashley Rehabilitation & Nursing Center show a sharply polarized set of experiences, with strong praise from some families and residents and very serious complaints from others. Positively, multiple reviews highlight excellent therapy services (OT/PT), goal-oriented rehabilitation, and specific therapists and staff members who provided knowledgeable, hands-on care. Several reviewers reported great food, individualized attention, successful discharge planning, and that staff helped set patients up for success at home. There are repeated notes that when the right staff are present, care can be outstanding — phrases such as "best rehab," "outstanding team," and named staff receiving strong praise appear in the feedback.
Conversely, an equally strong and recurring theme is poor communication, unprofessional conduct, and facility-level deficiencies. Numerous reviewers describe disrespectful or careless handling of residents, including disturbing accounts of belongings being removed or stolen, photos taken down and ruined, and a keepsake defaced with an indelible notation of a date of death. Several reports claim families received no condolences, no official information, and were given excuses rather than transparent explanations. Administrative communication failures extend to lack of family updates, COVID-related communication breakdowns, limited or enforced visiting hours, and instances of being turned away at the entrance.
Facility maintenance and hygiene concerns are prominent complaints: peeling wallpaper, roach sightings, foul odors, stained commode lids, urine observed in rooms, blood on beds, and even beds without sheets were reported. Reviewers frequently cite understaffing and administrative shortages that translate into slow assistance, long waits for water or help, and delays in basic requests such as bed adjustments (one review cited a four-day wait). Medication management and clinical responsiveness are also inconsistent in the reviews — missed or delayed medications, delayed pain control, late UTI treatment, and absence of regular doctor visits or an in-house pharmacy are specific clinical concerns that families flagged.
Staff performance appears highly variable by shift and by individual: many reviewers singled out particular CNAs, nurses, therapists, or case workers as compassionate and competent, while others described rude, unclean, or inattentive staff (dirty uniforms, unwashed hair, closed wings). This inconsistency contributes to a pattern where some patients receive excellent, recovery-focused care while others experience neglect, clinical decline, or even traumatic outcomes. Financial concerns are also raised repeatedly: reviewers perceive the facility as expensive or "money hungry," especially given the reported lapses in care.
Taken together, the reviews suggest that Heartland of West Ashley can provide high-quality rehabilitation and good dining and therapy services under certain conditions, but there are systemic problems affecting communication, staffing, safety, and facility upkeep that have led to serious negative experiences for other residents. The dominant pattern is one of variability: outcomes and satisfaction appear to depend heavily on which staff and which unit a patient encounters. Families considering this facility should note both the strong positive reports of therapy and individual caregivers and the recurring, concrete reports of neglect, poor communication, and environmental hazards documented in multiple reviews.
