Princeton Transitional Care

    401 Princeton Rd, Johnson City, TN, 37601
    • Independent living
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    3.0

    Beautiful building, mixed care quality

    I had a mixed experience. The building is beautiful, very clean and home-like, and the therapy team and many nurses/CNAs were caring, knowledgeable and helped with recovery. But I also saw serious problems: understaffing, slow/no responses to call lights, rude or inconsistent nursing, missed or undisclosed injuries, phones not working, billing/administrative confusion, and infection-control failures (COVID/pneumonia). I'd consider it for short-term rehab when therapy is strong, but I would not trust it for frail or memory-care residents without constant oversight.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    Healthcare services

    • Activities of daily living assistance
    • Assistance with bathing
    • Assistance with dressing
    • Assistance with transfers
    • Medication management

    Healthcare staffing

    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

    • Diabetes diet
    • Meal preparation and service
    • Special dietary restrictions

    Room

    • Air-conditioning
    • Cable
    • Fully furnished
    • Housekeeping and linen services
    • Kitchenettes
    • Private bathrooms
    • Telephone
    • Wifi

    Transportation

    • Community operated transportation
    • Transportation arrangement

    Common areas

    • Beauty salon
    • Computer center
    • Dining room
    • Fitness room
    • Gaming room
    • Garden
    • Outdoor space
    • Small library
    • Wellness center

    Community services

    • Concierge services
    • Fitness programs
    • Move-in coordination

    Activities

    • Community-sponsored activities
    • Planned day trips
    • Resident-run activities
    • Scheduled daily activities

    3.80 · 114 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      3.3
    • Staff

      3.8
    • Meals

      2.5
    • Amenities

      4.3
    • Value

      2.7

    Pros

    • Strong inpatient rehabilitation/therapy program (PT/OT/Speech)
    • Knowledgeable, encouraging therapists (multiple named: Karen, Haley)
    • Many compassionate, attentive nurses and CNAs (night nurses praised)
    • Dedicated, supportive case manager (frequently named: Heather)
    • Friendly, helpful administrative/front-desk staff (some named: Jason)
    • Clean, modern/newer facility and attractive campus/courtyard
    • Private suite-style rooms with windows, kitchenette, and accessible bathrooms
    • All-inclusive pricing and 24-hour nursing care (for some stays)
    • Good wound-care capability reported in specific cases
    • Equipment/equipment coordination handled well before discharge (named: Deanna)
    • Home-like decor and warm environment appreciated by many
    • Active calendar of activities (wine/music/church services reported)
    • Some exemplary night and floor staff described as attentive and kind
    • Quick/efficient move-in and admission experience in many reports
    • Therapy-focused outcomes with many residents discharged home improved
    • Helpful discharge coordination in many positive cases
    • Some meals reported as delicious and dining area pleasant
    • Responsive, present leadership reported by some families (DON/ADON/administrator presence)
    • High marks for cleanliness and maintenance in multiple reviews
    • Perceived good value for money and location convenience

    Cons

    • Significant inconsistency in nursing and CNA care quality
    • Understaffing, especially nights, weekends and holidays
    • Long/slow call-light response times (reports up to hours)
    • Poor communication with families and lack of timely notifications
    • Medication delays, missed or incorrect medication administration
    • Reports of neglect: weight loss, malnutrition, non-healing pressure ulcers
    • Falls not always reported and incidents with inadequate follow-up
    • Paperwork and discharge mishandling (missing discharge notes, midline issues)
    • Administrative inaction or unresponsiveness to concerns and complaints
    • Hygiene lapses: dirty sheets, stained clothing, poor bathing frequency
    • Food quality inconsistent; several reports of horrible or poor meals
    • Infection-control failures (COVID/pneumonia transmission concerns)
    • Visitation restrictions and confusing/confined policies (vaccination notices)
    • Possessions missing or mishandled; laundry mix-ups
    • Some staff reported as rude, abusive, or unprofessional
    • Billing disputes and unexplained charges for room/board/therapy
    • Allegations of inadequate clinical oversight (limited RN availability)
    • Isolation rooms/phone/room maintenance issues (nonfunctional phones)
    • Perception of corporate/insurance-driven decisions overriding patient care
    • Polarized reviews suggesting inconsistent standards of care across units/shifts

    Summary review

    Overview and overall sentiment: Reviews for Princeton Transitional Care are highly polarized. A substantial portion of reviewers praise the facility for its rehabilitation services, therapy teams, supportive case management, attractive physical environment, and compassionate staff on many shifts. At the same time, a significant number of reviews report serious clinical and operational problems — including neglectful care, staffing shortages, poor communication, medication and paperwork errors, hygiene lapses, and safety incidents. Taken together, the reviews suggest that individual experiences depend heavily on which staff members and shifts a resident encounters; the facility appears capable of providing excellent rehab-centered care in many cases but has recurrent and significant lapses in consistent execution and supervision.

    Care quality & clinical safety: Therapy services (PT/OT/Speech) are one of the most consistently praised aspects. Multiple reviews credit therapists with substantive gains in mobility and independence, and several staff members are named specifically for positive impact. Conversely, nursing and basic care are the areas most frequently criticized. There are repeated reports of delayed or missed medications, very slow responses to call lights, and a lack of RN availability. More serious clinical concerns appear in several reviews: weight loss, malnutrition, non-healing pressure ulcers, UTIs, and transfers to hospital for escalation (including for feeding support). Some family reports describe falls that were not always properly reported or followed up on, and at least one review alleges a major lifting/dropping incident. These clinical safety issues are serious red flags that indicate gaps in vigilance, staffing, and oversight in certain situations or units.

    Staffing, communication & leadership: A common theme is inconsistent staffing and responsiveness. Many reviewers explicitly call out understaffing on nights, weekends, and holidays, with consequent long delays for assistance and varying staff morale. Communication with families is highly variable: some reviewers praise a compassionate, helpful case manager (Heather is repeatedly named and complimented), and positive mentions of an engaged administrator (Jason) and certain DON/ADON presence occur. Other families experienced no notifications about significant events, poor explanations of injuries or incidents, unreturned calls, and defensiveness when raising concerns. There are numerous reports of administrative failures around discharge planning — missing notes, failure to arrange home health, and misrepresentation of agency options — which created stress and in some cases additional hospital transfers or readmissions.

    Facilities, cleanliness & amenities: Many reviewers describe the facility as new, attractive, and clean on arrival, with private suites, courtyard access, windows, kitchenettes, and a pleasant atmosphere. Activity programming and social offerings are appreciated. However, cleanliness and housekeeping appear inconsistent: several reviews describe rooms becoming dirty (sticky floors, overflowing trash), stained sheets, laundry lost or sent to an incorrect facility, and inadequate bathing. Maintenance issues such as nonfunctional room phones and windowless isolation rooms were also reported. The divergence between the facility’s appealing design and some accounts of lapses in daily care/housekeeping contributes to the polarized impressions.

    Dining & nutrition: Dining impressions are mixed. Some residents praised delicious meals and good dining service; others described food as horrendous, poor quality, or overcooked and noted limited meal choice. Given reports of weight loss, malnutrition and feeding challenges in a subset of residents, dining quality and nutrition support may be an area to probe further for residents with complex dietary or feeding needs.

    Infection control & policies: Several reviewers raised infection-control concerns, including cases where residents contracted pneumonia or COVID during stays and reports of staff refusing to wear masks. Families also reported restrictive visitation policies in certain situations (quarantine and confinement notices for unvaccinated visitors), which, combined with inconsistent communication, produced distress. These issues suggest variability in adherence to infection-prevention protocols and policy communication.

    Patterns of praise vs. concern & names repeatedly mentioned: Positive patterns: excellent rehabilitation outcomes with committed therapy teams, compassionate and skilled nurses/CNAs on many shifts, clean and modern facility features, and a frequently praised case manager (Heather) and some administrative staff (Jason, Deanna for equipment). Negative patterns: inconsistent nursing care, understaffing, slow call responses, medication and paperwork errors, hygiene and wound-care failures in some cases, and defensive or unresponsive leadership when serious issues are raised. Multiple reviews explicitly compare Princeton unfavorably to other local rehab options (Quillen Rehab cited by more than one reviewer), indicating that some families found better consistency elsewhere.

    Practical considerations and recommendations for families: - Expect variability: many positive rehab outcomes are reported, but families should plan for variability by asking specific questions about staffing ratios, RN coverage, weekend/night coverage, and recent quality metrics before admission. - Ask about wound care and nutrition protocols: given repeated reports of pressure ulcers, weight loss, and feeding escalation, families with medically complex or frail loved ones should verify wound-care expertise, feeding assistance policies, and monitoring procedures. - Confirm discharge and home-health plans in writing: reviewers reported missing discharge documentation and failures to arrange home health; insist on a clear written discharge plan and contact information for follow-up care. - Communicate expectations and escalation pathways: identify the case manager (Heather is frequently mentioned positively) and the administrator, document concerns immediately, and ask how complaints are escalated. - Visit and observe during multiple shifts if possible: because staff performance appears shift-dependent, a short daytime tour may not reflect the patient’s overnight experience.

    Bottom line: Princeton Transitional Care can provide high-quality, therapy-focused rehabilitation in many cases, supported by a modern facility and several standout staff members. However, the body of reviews also contains multiple, serious complaints about inconsistent nursing care, understaffing, communication failures, safety and hygiene lapses, and administrative breakdowns. Families should weigh the facility’s strong rehabilitation reputation against the reported variability in basic nursing and safety practices, and take proactive steps to verify staffing, care protocols, and discharge arrangements before and during a stay.

    Location

    Map showing location of Princeton Transitional Care

    About Princeton Transitional Care

    Princeton Transitional Care sits at 401 Princeton Road in Johnson City, Tennessee, and covers about 73,000 square feet, with both skilled nursing and assisted living services all in one place, which means people can move in and get the support they need whether they're recovering after a hospital stay, living with complex health issues, or just need help with everyday tasks. The building includes 47 private suites for skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation usually averaging 17 to 20 days, as well as 60 assisted living apartments, and there's all sorts of features throughout the place, like a therapy gym for rehab, a chapel with weekly devotionals, three secure outdoor courtyards with walking paths and a covered patio with an outdoor fireplace, a billiard parlor, a library and media center, a Blue Ridge market, coffee bar, ice cream and bistro, and an in-house salon, and residents get cable and Wi-Fi too, so they can stay connected or do puzzles and read, whatever fits them best. Each resident, whether they're there for skilled nursing care or assisted living, gets a personalized care plan with support from nursing staff, nurse practitioners, rehab teams, and therapists who handle physical, occupational, and speech-language needs, and families often like that folks can bring some furniture or comforts from home and decorate their private rooms with things like sweatpants, books, or puzzles to make it feel comfortable.

    Skilled nursing care means full-time nursing oversight, a 24-hour registered nurse on site, a 24-hour physician on call, and access to IV treatments, pain and wound care, respiratory and tracheostomy care, peritoneal dialysis, nutrition management, post-surgical care, and other serious needs, including help for people leaving the hospital but not ready to be back home. There's specialized therapy like orthopedic and joint replacement recovery, balance and strength training, cardiac and stroke care, neurological programs, swallowing treatment with VitalStim® equipment, diathermy, Kinesio Taping, and cognitive rehabilitation, all run by a clinical team who works with aging needs in mind, and the therapy sessions usually run five out of seven days a week to help folks recover. The transitional care unit focuses especially on helping patients bridge the gap between hospital and home, offering short stays for people who just need some support to get strong again, and short-term respite care is available as well.

    For those choosing assisted living, the community gives help with daily activities such as grooming, bathing, or meals, but encourages privacy and independence, with private apartments or suites that sometimes include kitchenettes and bedroom spaces, and trained staff provides support around the clock, ready to help but respectful of the residents' choices and desires. There are programs for palliative care, memory care, and respiratory therapy, meetings and events both onsite and offsite for social and mental wellness, intergenerational activities to keep up some variety, and an Eden Registered Home focus that tries to keep things as holistic and home-like as possible. Residents can take part in social, educational, and entertainment activities, go for walks on the grounds, attend movies in the facility's theatre, or join in spiritual services in the chapel if they want. There's always a focus on patient dignity, a comfortable and safe environment thanks to 24-hour security, and options to personalize care with thorough assessments and a hands-on approach, keeping residents' interests and needs at the center of things.

    Princeton Transitional Care has connections to Signature HealthCARE and Ballad Health to help keep care comprehensive, and they're active with the Tennessee Health Care Association and offer Certified Nursing Assistant training, all keeping staff prepared and residents well-supported. There's even a virtual tour option for prospective residents who want to take a look before visiting, and the care team works without a rigid daily schedule, ready to adjust routines when needed to match patient preferences. The main point is that Princeton Transitional Care provides different levels of care, whether someone needs short-term rehab, skilled nursing, palliative care, or assisted living, and does it in a setting with lots of useful amenities and friendly staff who understand what older folks need.

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