Overall impression: Reviews of Friendship Haven Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center are sharply polarized. A substantial portion of reviewers describe outstanding, compassionate, and professional care — highlighting skilled therapists, dedicated nurses and CNAs, effective wound care, and a welcoming physical environment. Conversely, many reviews detail serious, recurring problems: understaffing, cleanliness and pest infestations, missing belongings, unsafe nursing practices, poor management, and inadequate communication with families. The pattern is one of uneven performance where pockets of excellent care exist alongside systemic failures that have caused harm and distress for multiple residents and families.
Care quality and staffing: The most consistent theme is variability in care quality. Numerous reviewers praise individual nurses, CNAs, therapists, and named leaders for going above and beyond; physical and occupational therapy teams and wound-care specialists are frequently singled out for producing very positive outcomes. At the same time, many accounts describe chronic understaffing, high turnover, and heavy reliance on agency staff. These staffing problems are linked to long waits for assistance, residents left soiled, delayed medication administration, missed or mishandled treatments, and even situations requiring hospitalization. Several reviews report severe clinical consequences — dehydration, untreated wounds, uncontrolled blood sugar, falls, and in extreme cases death or sepsis — attributed by families to delayed or inadequate care.
Safety, abuse, and serious incident reports: Multiple reviews include alarming safety concerns: falls with delayed response, broken equipment (beds, toilets), improper handling of emergencies (doctor on call not responding), and allegations of abuse and harassment by staff — including a named nurse accused of physical assault and racial discouragement to press charges. There are also reports of theft of personal items, missing clothing, and general security lapses. Several reviewers cited COVID-related mismanagement and deaths, poor handling of death logistics, and complaints filed with state authorities. These serious allegations suggest systemic lapses in oversight and incident response in some shifts or units.
Cleanliness, pests, and maintenance: Reviews repeatedly note cleanliness extremes: where some families report immaculate, well-kept rooms and grounds, a large number describe dirty conditions, rodent or insect presence (roaches, ants, gnats), urine or mildew odors, stained linens, and overall poor housekeeping on specific units. Maintenance issues — such as unresolved AC problems, leaks, broken call bells or lights — are cited alongside reports that basic supplies (towels, clean linens) were unavailable at times. The coexistence of positive and negative cleanliness reports reinforces the inconsistency theme; certain halls or shifts appear well-managed while others are neglected.
Communication, administration, and management: Communication problems are a central complaint. Families report not being notified about hospital transfers, premature discharges, changes in condition, or COVID status. Front-desk and phone support are described as rude or unhelpful by some and praised by others, indicating inconsistent customer service. Administrators are alternately praised (responsive DONs, helpful admissions staff and social workers) and criticized (uncaring leadership, blame-shifting, dishonest practices). Frequent mentions of agency nurses, leadership turnover, and unresponsive management point to organizational instability that affects continuity of care.
Dining and activities: Meal quality is another mixed area. While some reviewers found food acceptable or appetizing, many describe bland, late, or inappropriate meals (including poor diabetic options) and even incidents of bugs in or around food. Activity programming earns both praise (engaging leaders, games, movies, special events) and criticism (unengaging or infrequent activities, minimal therapy for some residents). For families prioritizing rehabilitation and engagement, therapy is often a strong positive; for those needing reliable personal care and nutrition, dining and activity shortcomings are notable negatives.
Facility design and amenities: Many reviewers like the building’s physical features — large rooms, big bathrooms, attractive entrance and grounds, and a well-equipped therapy gym. Others emphasize that the facility feels dated in places, with older rooms and visible leak damage in halls. These mixed observations indicate that physical amenities can be a strength, but their condition varies by unit and requires consistent maintenance.
Notable positive clusters: Despite the many complaints, a clear cluster of reviews describes excellent, family-focused care: compassionate nurses and aides, effective therapy leading to recovery, supportive social work and discharge planning, and a clean, welcoming atmosphere. Named individuals (nurses, therapists, administrators) are repeatedly commended, which suggests that strong leadership or high-performing teams exist and can provide high-quality experiences.
Recommendations and risk assessment: The reviews point to a facility capable of providing excellent rehabilitative and nursing care in certain circumstances, but with significant variability that creates risk for some residents. Families considering Friendship Haven should (a) tour multiple units at different times to assess consistency, (b) ask specifically about staffing ratios, turnover, and agency use, (c) inquire about pest-control and housekeeping protocols, (d) check policies on medication/pharmacy handling and incident reporting, and (e) get names of consistent primary caregivers and managers for communication. For current residents, families should monitor care closely, label and inventory belongings, document incidents, and escalate promptly to administration or state authorities if safety or neglect is suspected.
Bottom line: Reviews collectively describe a facility with real strengths — notably therapy, some expert nursing and wound care, and warm, dedicated staff in many roles — but also persistent, serious weaknesses related to staffing, cleanliness, communication, security, and management. Those strengths may make Friendship Haven an excellent option for some residents when the right staff and teams are assigned; however, the frequency and severity of the negative reports (including pest infestations, theft, neglect, and allegations of abuse) mean that families should exercise careful due diligence and ongoing oversight before and during placement.
