Overall impression: The reviews present a highly mixed and sometimes contradictory picture of Friendship Health & Rehab Center North. Many reviewers praise the facility for its strong rehabilitation services, caring and friendly staff, clean grounds, ample activities, and good amenities. At the same time, there are multiple, serious reports of neglect, clinical errors, safety lapses, and operational failures that suggest systemic inconsistencies in care and management. The facility appears capable of delivering very good care in some units or shifts, while at other times the same facility demonstrates dangerous gaps in basic resident care and safety.
Care quality and clinical concerns: A central theme in the negative reviews is inconsistent and at times substandard clinical care. Reported problems include missed baths for weeks, residents not being changed for hours, residents left naked in urine, failure to feed residents, long delays in clinical responses (e.g., ice-pack changes, help after falls), and allegations of bed sores and bruising that suggest neglect or possible abuse. There are also accounts of clinical mismanagement — misdiagnosis, the wrong antibiotic being given, delayed hospital transport that required intervention by a power of attorney, and claims that COVID-positive residents were sent home without testing or oxygen delivery. Conversely, other reviewers highlight strong rehabilitation outcomes, attentive nursing on weekends or during holidays, and compassionate individual caregivers. This variability points to uneven performance across staff, shifts, or units rather than uniformly high or low clinical quality.
Staffing, communication, and operations: Staffing shortages and high caregiver stress are repeatedly cited and appear to underlie many problems. Several reviews connect understaffing to missed personal care, delayed responses, and inconsistent presence of sitters or transport coordination. Families report poor communication about incidents, transport problems (incorrect bus timing, coordination errors), lost or missing belongings, and privacy/HIPAA breaches. Some reviewers note that weekday staffing is worse than weekends, and night shift issues are mentioned. Positive comments about staff emphasize helpfulness, friendliness, and accessibility; negative comments point to curt or rude nurses, detached interactions, and uneven performance across employees. Taken together, the operational picture is inconsistent — the facility has staff and protocols that work well at times, but also exhibits coordination and training gaps that create serious risk.
Safety, security, and infection control: Several reviews raise alarm about safety and security. Specific concerns include call buttons not working, inadequate security practices (housekeeping performing security duties, untrained security), theft or disappearing clothes, and extreme allegations such as shootings or severe incidents that left relatives feeling their family members were unsafe. Infection control and isolation practices were also questioned in some reports, including concerns about dehydration, infection, and poor handling of contagious illnesses. The presence of both a locked memory care unit with experienced staff and simultaneous reports of security lapses suggests that safety performance may vary widely by unit or shift and merits close scrutiny.
Facilities, cleanliness, and amenities: Many reviewers praise the facility’s physical plant: attractive grounds, courtyard, spa, pool, large rooms or apartment-style units, on-site shops (barber/beauty), and generally clean conditions. Several reports confirm daily room cleaning and prompt maintenance. However, contradictory comments describe unsanitary conditions in some rooms or areas (spider webs, trash, foul odors masked by air fresheners). Dining opinions are mixed too — some residents and families find the meals satisfactory and praise restaurant-style food and good holiday meal service; others describe bland, overcooked fare and a decline in food quality over time.
Activities and quality of life: Activity programming is a consistent strength in many reviews. Bingo, artwork, music, Scrabble, church services, holiday events, concerts, and scheduled outings/trips are all mentioned positively. An engaged activities director and an active calendar are highlighted as important benefits for resident engagement and social life. Multiple reviewers express appreciation for the social programming and the supportive community in certain parts of the facility.
Patterns and notable contradictions: The reviews show clear patterns of variability. Strengths (therapy, activities, some compassionate caregivers, clean grounds) are balanced by serious weaknesses (neglect, clinical errors, security issues). Many positive reviews stress that the facility provided a good experience for specific residents, while many negative reviews describe harmful events or ongoing neglect. This suggests localized pockets of good practice alongside areas with systemic problems. Weekends and holidays are often described as better staffed, implying uneven staffing allocation; likewise, praise for memory care and rehab programs implies some units are better resourced or managed than others.
Recommendations and considerations for prospective families: Prospective residents and family members should approach this facility with a mixture of optimism about its amenities and rehabilitation strengths and caution about variability in day-to-day care. When touring, ask specific questions about current staffing ratios (day/night/weekend), how call buttons and emergency response times are audited, infection control and transfer protocols, policies on personal belongings and privacy, medication management and error reporting, and training for security personnel. Request recent incident/complaint data if available, ask to speak with unit managers about night/weekend coverage, and inquire about how the facility addresses allegations of neglect or abuse. If a particular unit (e.g., rehab, memory care, assisted living) receives consistently positive feedback, focus on that unit; conversely, probe areas where multiple reviewers cite problems.
Bottom line: Reviews are polarized. The facility demonstrates many capabilities—robust therapy, good programming, attractive amenities, and many dedicated staff members—but also has recurring, serious negative reports involving neglect, safety lapses, medical errors, and operational failures. Those considering this facility should verify current staffing and safety practices, tour the specific unit their loved one would occupy, and maintain close communication early on to detect and address any warning signs quickly.
