Overall sentiment is mixed but leans positive on quality of life and life‑enrichment, with serious operational and safety concerns that recur across multiple reviews. The community receives repeated praise for its compassionate, hands‑on caregivers, engaging activities programming, attractive apartments, and convenient transportation and outings. Many reviewers highlight attentive CNAs, responsive maintenance and housekeeping, an active social calendar (exercise, chair yoga, crafts, games, theater, music, book club, and frequent field trips), and multiple dining options with rotating specials. Renovations, bright common areas, courtyards, and a movie theater are frequently mentioned as strengths that contribute to a hotel‑like, welcoming atmosphere. Several written accounts praise specific leaders and staff members by name and credit new executive leadership with tangible improvements.
Care quality shows two contrasting patterns. Numerous reviews describe excellent personal care: staff helping with dressing, showers, transfers, medication reminders, and individualized attention; strong nursing and memory care teams are singled out as outstanding in many reports. Memory care is described as safe and caring in many accounts, and safety features like double locks and generator backup are noted positively. However, a set of serious and recurring safety and clinical issues appear in multiple reviews: medication administration failures and missed doses, problems with medication distribution (including extra charges), and at least one report that a temporary worker stole a resident's wallet and others of identity theft. Falls and injuries -- including a broken hip and at least one death associated with a fall -- are reported. Some families described confusion and poor coordination with hospice/comfort care, delayed responses to calls for assistance (reports of response times over 25 minutes), and staffing lapses that left residents waiting or unattended. These issues represent significant red flags that conflict with the many reports of compassionate bedside care.
Staffing and management present a mixed picture. On the positive side, many reviewers praise long‑term staff, specific department leaders, and recent executive directors who are visible and responsive. Staff are often described as going above and beyond to make families feel welcome and residents comfortable. Conversely, frequent reports of high staff turnover, constant changes in caregiving personnel, and management turnover suggest instability that can undermine continuity of care. Several reviews mention rushed staff, inattentive behavior unless the call button is used, and instances of rude or even abusive conduct. There are also reports of unethical behavior including charging for services that should be free, selling items to residents, outside solicitation, withheld refunds, and inconsistent billing practices.
Dining and food service are polarized in the reviews. Many residents and families praise plentiful, home‑style meals, a full menu with lots of choices, special events, and servers who engage with residents (singing, table service, accommodating dietary requests). Yet an important cluster of complaints points to inconsistent food quality and service problems: cold meals served at room temperature, incomplete or incorrect orders, rancid items reported, use of lower‑quality food suppliers (SYSCO) cited negatively, and hygiene incidents (servers photographed handling food improperly). Dining management issues such as absent dining managers and poor supervision are raised more than once.
Facilities and maintenance are generally well regarded where renovations are complete: updated apartments, fresh paint, sunrooms, bright dining rooms, attractive landscaping, and well‑kept common areas. The on‑site amenities like movie theater, gym (though some reports mention the gym was shuttered), courtyards, and accessible buses earn consistent praise. However, there are examples of deferred maintenance and slow repairs (water damage left unrepaired for weeks, broken AC units, baseboard and drywall damage), and occasional odor problems in certain areas (urine odor in memory care or corridors). Memory care decor and ambiance are described as excellent by some reviewers and hospital‑like or poorly decorated by others, suggesting variability across units or changes over time.
Activities, social life, and transportation are among the strongest, most consistent positives. An extensive calendar of events, frequent outings (lunches, trips to Nashville, local attractions), in‑house entertainment, and a strong music program are often cited as central to residents' satisfaction. The Vitality bus and Hearth bus receive multiple commendations for dependable, compassionate drivers who go the extra mile. Residents report making friends quickly, enjoying busy communal life, and being actively engaged in clubs and games.
Patterns and notable concerns to weigh: the volume of praise for staff and activities indicates a high quality of life for many residents, but the recurring, specific safety issues (medication errors, theft, falls), dining hygiene/quality problems, administrative billing ethics, and reports of management instability are material concerns. Complaints filed with the health department, reports of identity theft and theft by staff, and accounts of serious clinical lapses raise the stakes beyond ordinary service variability. Several reviews say problems improved under new leadership, while others describe a decline after corporate changes — indicating uneven performance over time and across shifts/units.
Bottom line: Vitality Living Hendersonville offers many strengths that drive resident satisfaction — lively programming, compassionate caregivers, attractive living spaces, and strong transportation and amenity offerings. However, prospective residents and families should also probe outstanding operational and safety issues surfaced repeatedly in reviews: medication management protocols, staffing stability and turnover rates, incident reporting and resolution (including any regulatory findings), dining hygiene controls, and billing transparency. When evaluating the community, ask for recent incident logs, staff turnover statistics, medication administration policies, references from current family members, and evidence of corrective actions for the specific issues summarized here to balance the clear lifestyle advantages against documented clinical and administrative concerns.
