Ashbrook Care & Rehabilitation Center

    1610 Raritan Road, Scotch Plains, NJ, 07076
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousCurrent/former resident
    4.0

    Excellent care; clean; food disappointing

    I'm grateful for the caring, attentive nurses and rehab therapists - they helped real progress and the facility is kept very clean. The building is dated and needs updating, and meal quality is a frequent disappointment (cold, repetitive, sometimes inedible). Staff consistency and communication are mixed: many employees are wonderful, but some aides/night staff are indifferent and understaffing causes delays. Overall I'd recommend for strong clinical care and therapy, but bring expectations about the food, building condition, and the need to advocate for better communication.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    Healthcare services

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

    Healthcare staffing

    • 12-16 hour nursing
    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

    • Diabetes diet
    • Meal preparation and service
    • Restaurant-style dining
    • Special dietary restrictions

    Room

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

    Transportation

    • Community operated transportation
    • Transportation arrangement
    • Transportation arrangement (non-medical)

    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

    3.94 · 124 reviews

    Overall rating

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

      3.7
    • Staff

      3.8
    • Meals

      2.7
    • Amenities

      2.6
    • Value

      2.5

    Pros

    • Compassionate, friendly and caring nursing staff
    • Skilled and encouraging rehabilitation/therapy teams (PT/OT/speech)
    • Helpful and communicative social worker/case management at times
    • Staff often go above and beyond and remember resident preferences
    • Clean or freshly cleaned rooms and linens reported frequently
    • Well-kept grounds, gardens and pleasant exterior landscaping
    • Daily housekeeping reported in many reviews
    • Convenient parking and well‑lit lobby/entrance area
    • Front desk and reception staff praised in multiple reports
    • Good availability of nurses and director of nursing on some shifts
    • Fast resolution of some issues (e.g., TV fixed quickly)
    • Some residents report meaningful social engagement and activities
    • Some consistently positive supervisors and nursing leaders named
    • Proactive communication and daily reports in several accounts
    • Prompt and good wound/nursing follow-up cited in reviews
    • Transportation/arranged transport service described as good
    • Many reviewers would recommend the facility overall
    • Improvements and renovations in progress to modernize the facility

    Cons

    • Facility is dated, old, run-down or in need of major updates
    • Inconsistent cleanliness; reports range from spotless to dirty
    • Food quality frequently criticized (cold, repetitive, inedible)
    • Pureed meals and meal personalization problems
    • Frequent understaffing and short-staffed shifts
    • Inconsistent aide quality; some aides neglectful or unkind
    • Slow response to call bells and difficulty reaching nurses/station
    • Night staff less responsive or reported as rude
    • Laundry problems and missing or mixed-up clothing/possessions
    • Safety concerns reported (bruises, bedsores, urine on arrival)
    • Communication variability — some families not updated or hard to reach
    • Renovation disruption and construction-related issues
    • Bathroom and room accessibility problems (small rooms, awkward fixtures)
    • Temperature issues in rooms and dining areas (cold or too warm)
    • Food portions/timing issues (missed dinners, small breakfasts)
    • Administrative or billing complaints, high self-pay rates
    • Transport/appointment logistics issues (long waits, sent without aide)
    • Occasional odor in hallways or visitor restrooms
    • Inconsistent medication/timing delays
    • High personnel turnover and use of temporary staff

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment from the collected review summaries is mixed but leans positive with strong and recurring praise for the caregiving and therapy staff paired with consistent concerns about the facility’s physical state, dining, and staffing reliability. Across dozens of comments families and residents repeatedly single out nurses, therapists, certain aides, and administrative caseworkers for compassionate, professional, and sometimes exceptional service. Rehabilitation services (physical, occupational and speech therapy) receive frequent and specific praise for being effective, encouraging and respectful of limits. Many reviewers report meaningful improvements in mobility and function after therapy. Several staff members and supervisors are named positively and families mention proactive communication, daily updates, and swift resolutions to discrete problems as strengths.

    At the same time the facility’s infrastructure and operations show recurring weaknesses. A high volume of reviewers describe the building as dated, worn, or in need of renovation; hallways, tiles and some rooms were described as run-down or having holes and other disrepair. While many reviews note rooms and linens are kept clean, others report inconsistent cleanliness — issues ranging from dust and dirty floors to more serious incidents (urine on arrival, holes in walls, odors in hallways and visitor restrooms). Renovations are underway according to multiple reports; some families appreciate that improvements are being made, while others call out disruption or limited visible progress.

    Dining and nutrition are another persistent theme. Reviews are polarized: a number of residents say meals are tasty, hot and well presented, but a large and consistent cluster of reports complain that food is cold, repetitive, poorly prepared or not suited to cultural/dietary preferences (no Indian/Chinese options, vegetarian requests not always respected). Pureed diets are repeatedly criticized when they are unnecessary or poorly prepared (mushy, unappetizing). Meal timing and portion issues (missed dinners, small breakfasts, portions too small early in stay) and occasional forced requirement to bring dinner from outside were also mentioned. These dining issues are frequently tied to quality-of-life complaints — residents often rely on family to supplement meals or order out.

    Staffing and operational reliability show mixed but important patterns. Numerous reviewers praise individual nurses and key staff for going above and beyond; however, multiple accounts highlight understaffing, slow responses to call bells, difficulty reaching the nurses’ station (paging systems required), and uneven aide performance. Night shifts are especially called out as less responsive or less kind in several reports. Problems associated with staff shortages include missed care tasks (bed changes, feeding before appointments), long transport times, and lapses in basic attention. Personnel turnover and the use of temporary staff also surface as concerns affecting continuity of care and staff familiarity with residents’ needs.

    Safety, belongings and communication concerns are important negative patterns to note. Some reviewers report serious safety-related incidents or neglect: bruises, bedsores, being cold or soiled on arrival, and residents not being fed or treated properly. Laundry and clothing mix-ups — including missing items or clothes used on other residents — are mentioned frequently and aggravate families. Communication is reported as excellent by many families (regular calls, responsive social workers, informative nursing supervisors) but other families describe poor communication — not being informed about doctor visits, delayed or no updates, and difficult-to-reach staff. These inconsistencies suggest variable unit-level management and shift-to-shift differences in practice.

    Management and administration receive mixed reviews. Some families praise helpful managers, proactive social work and efficient Medicaid/billing assistance. Conversely, there are complaints about perceived heartless billing practices, high self-pay rates and unwillingness to negotiate. Front desk experiences are similarly mixed; some reviewers find reception warm and welcoming, others find it unfriendly or disorganized. Overall, leadership appears effective in some cases (clear communication, follow-through) but inconsistent across families and shifts.

    In summary, Ashbrook Care & Rehabilitation Center is frequently applauded for its clinical strengths: particularly nursing care and rehabilitation therapy. The staff’s compassion, willingness to explain care, and individualized attention are prominent positives. However, families should be aware of recurring operational and environmental shortcomings: an aging facility undergoing partial renovation, inconsistent cleanliness, variable aide quality, frequent complaints about food, and staffing shortages that sometimes translate into delayed responses and missed basic care tasks. Safety and personal belongings issues, while not universal, appear enough times to warrant concern, as do communication lapses for some families. Prospective residents or families considering Ashbrook may find it a strong option for rehabilitation and for residents who need engaged nursing and therapy staff, but they should monitor dining quality, advocate for clear communication, and confirm how the facility is addressing staffing, safety, and ongoing renovation impacts for long‑term stays.

    Location

    Map showing location of Ashbrook Care & Rehabilitation Center

    About Ashbrook Care & Rehabilitation Center

    Ashbrook Care & Rehabilitation Center sits tucked away in Scotch Plains, NJ, right near the Ash Brook Golf Course, where the building holds 114 certified beds and usually cares for about 89 residents each day, and you'll find they run 24 hours a day, every day of the week, which makes it easy for family to visit whenever needed or drop by, since the doors stay open. Owned directly by Hyman Jacobs and Livia Jacobs and affiliated with Windsor Healthcare, Ashbrook is managed by Autumn Lake Healthcare at Scotch Plains, where the staff offers skilled nursing care and rehabilitation in a homelike setting, and you can find both long-term living and short-term rehab programs here. The focus stays on providing specialized therapy, medical services, and individualized care, which means that each resident can get attention that fits personal needs or preferences, with things like a resident concierge program for added comfort, and while they say the atmosphere's warm and friendly, reviews average about 4.0 out of 5 stars from 118 people, which gives a balanced sense of satisfaction from others. The center is a designated skilled nursing care facility, offering sub-acute rehabilitation and advanced care programs for more complex medical conditions, all overseen by in-house, board-certified specialists, and this can include hands-on therapy seven days a week in a state-of-the-art gym, with attention from a team of therapists who know proven recovery techniques and use outcome-focused plans to help restore strength and mobility.

    The facility has a 30-bed private subacute wing where every room features private bathrooms, showers, flat screen TVs, and a private dining room, and the nearby specialized rehabilitation wing is designed for recovery after surgery or illness, so residents can heal in comfort with easy access to therapy in the big, well-equipped gym. Social and activity spaces, both indoors and outside in landscaped, secure courtyards, let residents stay active and connected, and the daily schedule offers a mix of activities to help keep life interesting, while the long-term living atmosphere stays focused on warmth and personal attention. Nursing staffing time at Ashbrook is reported at 3.23 hours per resident per day, a bit lower than the New Jersey state average of 3.9 hours, and there were a few deficiencies noted in services during the last check: some issues with arranging hospice care and transferring residents for hospice services, a lack of registered nurse coverage for at least 8 hours a day along with no full-time director of nurses, and the pharmacy service didn't always have a licensed pharmacist reviewing residents' drug regimens each month. For infection control, surveyors recorded three deficiencies in recent years, and these are important to consider. Ashbrook's care team works under Autumn Lake Healthcare, with a focus on superior nursing care in a friendly setting, but pricing information hasn't been published yet, so families will need to call for those details. The facility has a CMS 5-star community rating, which reflects a strong record on certain quality measures, and while the place offers many modern features like homelike accommodations, private recovery rooms, a resident concierge, and specialized therapy programs, families should weigh these offerings alongside the reported staffing levels and the areas where some deficiencies were found, always asking questions and visiting to see if it feels like the right fit.

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