Overall sentiment for Autumn Care of Portsmouth is deeply mixed and often polarized: many reviewers praise the rehabilitation teams, certain caregivers, dietary staff, and activities, while a substantial and recurring set of complaints point to systemic issues in nursing care, cleanliness, communication, and safety. A clear pattern emerges where therapy/rehab services and some front-line staff achieve excellent outcomes and strong family appreciation, but nursing, housekeeping, and administrative follow-through are inconsistent and in some cases seriously deficient.
Care quality: The facility's physical therapy and rehab programs receive repeatedly high marks. Multiple reviewers describe top-notch PT/OT teams, measurable mobility improvements, and successful transitions home. Therapy staff are frequently singled out as professional, motivating, and effective. In contrast, nursing care is the most frequently criticized area. Numerous reports describe understaffing, slow or ignored call-bell responses, residents left in soiled clothing or urine, inadequate bathing and oral care, bed sores, medication issues, and delays in addressing falls or acute medical deterioration (examples include an oxygen reading of 80 and pneumonia that families said they were not informed about promptly). While some nurses and CNAs are described as compassionate and diligent (several staff members were named positively), the inconsistency across shifts and units is a dominant theme.
Staff behavior and culture: Many reviews praise individual employees and teams — CNAs, therapists, activity staff, and some administrators are repeatedly called caring, personable, and attentive. Several reviewers describe a family-like environment and staff who go above and beyond, including specific help with errands and paperwork. However, that positive picture is undercut by numerous accounts of rude, insensitive, or unprofessional staff. Complaints include nurses snapping at families, an alleged attempt to take a patient’s purse, poor sensitivity around a resident's death, and allegations of theft. These conflicting descriptions suggest variability in staff training, supervision, and culture between shifts or departments.
Facility condition and cleanliness: Opinions on cleanliness and facility condition are mixed but lean concerning. Multiple reviewers describe the building as outdated, institutional, or in need of investment. Serious hygiene issues appear in several accounts: pest sightings (roaches and flies), urine odors in hallways, dirty rooms, blood on sheets, and used gloves or soiled clothing left around. Other reviewers, however, report a clean facility and well-maintained rooms. This divergence suggests that cleanliness and maintenance may vary by unit, wing, or time — and that there are at least intermittent lapses significant enough to raise safety concerns.
Safety and clinical incidents: Several reviews recount critical safety events: falls with delayed or absent notification to family, discharge without needed medical equipment, delayed doctor orders or codes, and allegations of infections (UTI) and bed sores. Call-bell response delays and ignored alerts recurred as safety-related complaints. A few reviewers referenced slow emergency or 911 responses and federal investigations, indicating that some incidents have raised serious external scrutiny or familial alarm. These are not isolated comments and are frequent enough to constitute a pattern that prospective families should investigate further.
Communication, administration, and billing: Comments about administration and communication are inconsistent. Some families praise an organized office, clear updates, and full progress reports; others report lack of communication on admission or death, blocked emails from billing, unreturned calls, and confusing or incorrect billing practices (including an extra $400 monthly charge and misinformation about private rooms and Medicaid). Lost or mishandled personal belongings and poor discharge coordination (missing equipment, belongings not returned) further highlight administrative weaknesses. Positive administrative notes often reference specific staff who support families, but negative experiences with billing and follow-through are frequent and impactful.
Dining and activities: Food and activities are relative strengths. Many reviewers enjoy the meals (seafood buffets, soul food, greens) and praise the dietary staff for flavorful, well-prepared food. Activities programs (movies, bingo, music, parties, birthday celebrations, games) are regularly cited as engaging and improving quality of life. A recurring criticism is meal timing (examples include an excessively early dinner and a long gap until breakfast) and occasional cold or unappetizing meals, but overall dining and activities are among the more consistently positive areas.
Patterns and recommendations: Reviews present a bifurcated experience — outstanding therapy and compassionate staff in some cases, and serious safety, hygiene, and administrative failures in others. This indicates variability across units, shifts, or time periods; some reviewers explicitly note improved experiences under new management, while others describe episodes that warrant concern. Prospective residents and families should do targeted due diligence: tour the specific unit, observe staffing levels and cleanliness, ask about infection control and pest management, verify how falls and call-bell responses are handled, confirm billing and room assignment policies (including Medicaid/private-room charges), request the facility’s policy on belongings and discharge equipment, and ask for recent survey results or incident reports. If possible, seek references from recent families whose loved ones completed rehab or long-term stays in the same unit.
Bottom line: Autumn Care of Portsmouth demonstrates notable strengths — especially in rehab/PT, dietary services, activities, and several highly dedicated staff members — but the frequency and severity of complaints about nursing care, hygiene, safety incidents, communication failures, and billing/administrative problems are significant and recurrent. The experience appears highly dependent on which staff and shifts a resident encounters. Families should weigh the strong rehab outcomes and positive staff accounts against repeated reports of serious lapses in basic nursing care, safety, and facility maintenance before deciding on admission.
