Ashlee
Jun 2026
Our family placed our trust in Marywood Nursing Care Center after my 86-year-old aunt underwent major heart valve replacement surgery. We expected compassionate, attentive care during one of the most vulnerable times of her life. Unfortunately, our experience was incredibly disappointing. Within the first day, concerns began. During one visit, my aunt used her call light because she needed help getting to the restroom. When the nurse entered the room, her first words were simply, “What?” There was no greeting, no eye contact, and no compassion. My aunt explained she needed the restroom and was feeling nauseous and shaky. Instead of assisting her, she was told to get herself into her wheelchair and wheel herself into the bathroom. As someone who had just undergone major heart surgery, this was shocking. I did not feel comfortable transferring her myself because I am not a healthcare professional. As the days went on, my aunt repeatedly told us she no longer wanted to ask for help because she felt like she was bothering the staff. No patient should ever feel that way. Another incident left us even more concerned. My mother was on the phone with my aunt while she repeatedly pressed her call light for approximately 20 minutes without receiving a response. During that call, my aunt reported that her arm was numb and turning purple. We became so concerned that we contacted an employee directly to ask someone to check on her. When staff arrived, the focus appeared to be on explaining documentation rather than addressing the symptoms she was actively reporting. Throughout this entire process, I repeatedly reached out privately to leadership through emails before ever considering writing a public review. I requested a different nurse, requested a private room, and attempted to address every concern professionally. Unfortunately, things only worsened. My aunt continued telling us she did not feel well. She repeatedly described burning across her chest, dizziness, weakness, and said something wasn’t right. She wanted to go to the hospital. We asked staff to call 911 and waited well over an hour, only to be told they needed approval first. We ultimately transported her to the emergency department ourselves because we no longer felt comfortable waiting. The hospital admitted her rather than sending her home. Since then, she has required multiple blood transfusions, continued hospitalization and more. My aunt consistently communicated that she did not feel well, and our family consistently advocated for her concerns to be taken seriously. I do want to recognize one exception. We met a nurse named Terri who was kind, compassionate, attentive, and treated my aunt with dignity and respect. She was wonderful. Unfortunately, our overall experience with the facility did not reflect that same level of care. Before posting this review, I made every effort to address these concerns privately with facility leadership and have retained documentation of those communications. My hope is that this review leads to meaningful improvements so that no other family has to wonder whether their loved one’s concerns are truly being heard during such a vulnerable time.
