Overall impression: Reviews of Heath Springs Residential Care are highly polarized, with a strong split between families who praise individual caregivers and the facility environment, and families who report serious safety, management, and sanitation concerns. Many reviewers highlight outstanding, compassionate staff members by name (Kristy, Tammy, Jacky) and describe a home-like atmosphere, engaged activities, and meaningful, personalized attention. At the same time, a substantial number of reviews allege severe neglect, unprofessional behavior, and administrative failures that raise safety and regulatory concerns.
Care quality and resident safety: The reviews reveal two very different experiences of clinical and personal care. Positive accounts describe attentive med techs, caregivers who go above and beyond, and residents who seem happy, well-dressed, and comfortable. Conversely, numerous reports detail missed medications (including insulin and pain medications), medications left unattended on carts, delayed hydration, unmanaged wounds and abscesses, and even alleged deaths connected to neglect. Several reviewers reported residents found bruised, increased falls, or suffering serious injuries (including an arm broken), and claims that staff did not call 911 or notify families in timely fashion. These safety-related allegations are among the most serious themes and suggest inconsistencies in staff training, supervision, or staffing levels.
Staffing and staff behavior: A recurring theme is inconsistency in staff performance. Many reviews single out compassionate, experienced caregivers and hardworking med tech teams, while others describe untrained or unprofessional aides, staff sleeping on duty, cussing at residents, smoking (including allegations of marijuana use during shifts), and staff providing inappropriate personal advice or being unable to answer basic questions. Several families praised specific individuals and the care they provided, but also noted that other staff (especially younger aides or certain shifts) did not meet expectations. Understaffing and uneven competency across shifts emerge repeatedly as drivers of the negative experiences.
Management, administration, and communication: Administrative issues are a prominent negative theme. Reviewers reported poor or nonexistent administration and business office functions, unresponsiveness to family concerns, incorrect or missing documentation (notably unlabeled or outdated DNRs), and an overall sense of unprofessional management. Some accounts describe panicked or unsympathetic owners/administrators, alleged inappropriate relationships between administration and staff, threats to families (including threats of arrest), visitation bans, and even attempted eviction without proper notice. Several reviewers advised contacting ombudsman or regulators, and some expressly alleged DHEC or regulatory violations. These patterns point to systemic administrative and governance problems that can erode trust and hamper quality improvement.
Facility, cleanliness, and infection control: Reports on facility cleanliness are mixed and sharply divided. Multiple reviewers praise recent cosmetic updates — new paint, new floors, and well-kept common areas — and describe the building as clean and cozy. However, many other accounts allege horrendous, filthy conditions: dirty, sandy bedroom floors; bathrooms with standing water; pervasive urine and body odors; beds left wet with urine or feces; pest infestations (bed bugs, roaches, ants); and kitchen staff who reportedly work on floors with patients (raising cross-contamination concerns). These starkly different descriptions suggest either significant variability over time or inconsistent housekeeping practices between units or shifts.
Dining and activities: Opinions on dining are divided. Several families say food is acceptable or that residents enjoy activities and the social environment. Other reviewers describe the food as poor or subpar. Activities and the family-like atmosphere were commonly praised among positive reviewers, who noted engagement, fun activities, and residents describing the place as home.
Documentation, legal, and regulatory concerns: Multiple reviewers reported documentation errors, missing or unlabeled medical directives (DNRs), and poorly maintained folders. There are serious allegations of improper discharges, hospice involvement without family discussion, attempts to suppress negative reviews, and reports of DHEC/regulatory violations. Some families recommended contacting the ombudsman. These issues suggest that potential residents’ families should request up-to-date licensing and survey information and verify the facility’s regulatory history before placement.
Patterns and contradictions: The reviews collectively paint a picture of a facility with pockets of very good caregiving and significant, recurring operational problems. Positive experiences tend to focus on specific staff members and certain parts of the facility that appear well-maintained, while negative experiences cluster around administration, documentation, safety incidents, and sanitation. The variability suggests there may be shift-to-shift and staff-to-staff differences in training, oversight, and adherence to policies. Several reviewers also indicated that improvements were underway in some areas, but that these improvements were inconsistent and had not resolved more serious systemic concerns.
Final observations: Families considering Heath Springs Residential Care should be aware of the polarized feedback. The facility has notable strengths in the dedication and compassion of certain caregivers and in some updated physical spaces. However, the volume and severity of allegations regarding medication errors, neglect, poor communication, management failures, and sanitation/pest issues are substantial and cannot be overlooked. Prospective residents and families should perform thorough, current due diligence: request recent state inspection reports, ask for details on staffing ratios and training, verify medication and emergency protocols, review how documentation (DNRs and care plans) is maintained, tour multiple times across different days and shifts, and speak directly with current families. If serious concerns are observed, contacting the local long-term care ombudsman or state regulatory agency is warranted.
