These reviews present a strongly polarized and inconsistent portrait of The Waters of Johnson City. A substantial portion of reviewers praise individual caregivers, therapists, and some aspects of the physical environment and programming: families frequently note compassionate nurses and CNAs, an engaged activities staff, an attentive social worker, on-site hair and dining amenities, and positive short-term rehabilitation outcomes. Multiple people described specific staff members by name and recounted attentive, family-like treatment, good meals, and successful therapy experiences. Several short-stay rehab cases and end-of-life care stories were highly positive, and some reviewers explicitly recommended the facility.
Conversely, a large number of reviews describe significant and systemic problems that directly affect resident safety and basic care. The most recurring themes are chronic understaffing, high turnover, and chaotic or poor management. These conditions are reported to lead to inconsistencies in care quality: while some nurses and aides are praised, others are accused of rudeness, neglect, or failing to perform basic tasks such as bathing, toileting assistance, feeding, and hydration. Serious clinical concerns are noted in multiple accounts—medication delays and errors (including a cited 19-hour delay), failure to assist bathroom use for fall-risk residents, skin breakdown, weight loss, and decline in bed-bound residents—sometimes culminating in hospice involvement. Several families reported items lost (hearing aids, walkers, dentures, clothing), poor communication, and instances they perceived as elder abuse or gross neglect.
Facility condition and maintenance emerged as another major area of conflict. Some reviewers described parts of the building as clean, well-decorated, and spotless, while others reported neglected property, odors, dirty bathrooms, roaches, and a lack of an effective maintenance team. This dichotomy suggests uneven upkeep—certain units or common areas may be well-maintained while other wings or infrastructure lag behind. Administrative and operational problems appear to exacerbate these issues: reviewers cite no clear chain of command, unprofessional HR practices, chaotic admissions/discharge processes, and a perception that management prioritizes ratings or revenue over resident care. Several reviewers also reported feeling pressured by staff not to post negative feedback, which raises concerns about transparency and family recourse.
Communication and family relations are frequently criticized. Reports include poor notification of clinical changes, dismissive or unfriendly staff interactions, and restricted visitation policies during COVID that increased family frustration. However, the presence of an engaged activities director, social worker, and some communicative nurses indicates pockets of effective family engagement. Therapy services, in particular, are consistently highlighted as a strength—contract therapists received many positive mentions—even though reviewers also claimed therapy plans were sometimes not adhered to by nursing staff.
Overall sentiment is highly mixed but leans toward caution. The facility appears capable of providing excellent, compassionate care in many cases—especially for short-term rehabilitation and when certain staff are on duty—but there are frequent, concrete reports of neglect, safety lapses, medication mishaps, property neglect, and managerial dysfunction that have serious implications for vulnerable residents. The pattern suggests inconsistent quality driven largely by staffing shortages, staff turnover, and leadership problems. Several reviewers explicitly warn others to avoid the facility, while others recommend it strongly, which indicates high variability tied to staffing at specific times and potentially to specific units or management periods.
For prospective families or residents considering The Waters of Johnson City, these reviews suggest it is important to verify current staffing levels, ask about turnover and the chain of command, observe cleanliness and maintenance across different parts of the building, review recent incident logs or state inspection reports, and seek references from recent families with similar care needs (short-term rehab vs long-term nursing). If management addresses staffing, maintenance, communication, and accountability consistently, reviewers indicate the facility has potential to be an excellent provider; until then, the reports show unpredictable and sometimes unsafe care experiences for residents.
