Crystal T.Family member of a resident
Oct 2026
My sister spent about 2 to 3 weeks at The Highlands Health and Rehabilitation center for rehab. She reported that the rehab itself was excellent and she enjoyed that aspect. Unfortunately, her experience with the staff particularly the nurses and CNA's, was quite the opposite. On her first night, she requested help to get to the bathroom, as well as for a bed pad or a bedside toilet, which were not provided. Her CNA told her to just use the bed and that she would clean it up afterward. It took the CNA an hour and a half to return. This was reported the next morning!!! The same night my sister asked the nurse for her pain medication, instead of informing her that it had not been called in, the nurse offered her two [detail removed], which she declined because they wouldn’t alleviate her pain. After about two hours, my sister requested the [detail removed] again, and it took another two hours for the nurse to deliver it, waking her up around 3:45 a.m. to do so. While the meals started off decent, by the end of her stay, they had become unpalatable—cold pasta and only two vegetables for some meals. The overnight nurses and CNAs seemed incredibly lazy, and there was a significant lack of communication among the staff, including social services, nurses, and administration. Things escalated when my sister had to go to the ER, with the family being told she would be admitted to the hospital. We managed to get her belongings, but when we found out she wouldn't be admitted after all, the hospital staff called to confirm she hadn’t been discharged yet. Upon her return that night, the night nurse mistakenly informed her that she had been discharged and that someone else was in her room. Once it was clear she hadn’t been discharged, the nurse allowed her to stay in a room for that night but told my niece, who was unpacking her things, not to get too comfortable since she would be moved in the morning. The next morning, I contacted the nursing department early on to ensure my sister would stay in that room until her official discharge in a few days—yet she was still moved! At this point, we were just waiting for her discharge. She was supposed to be at the hospital by 1 p.m., and I was assured that would happen. Then, at 11:16 a.m., I received a call saying they couldn’t transport her, which posed an issue since my family lives 78 miles away. I had to reach out to the cancer clinic to see if her procedure could be rescheduled because The Highlands couldn’t transport her. Yet, I later got a call at 11:37 a.m. saying they would now be able to transport her. When I say there was no communication among the departments, I truly mean it! The only bright spot was the rehab itself. If you have a loved one in this facility, I urge you to check on them frequently!
