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Reviews of Notre Dame Health Care are sharply divided: several families praise the rehab and long-term care staff, especially CNAs, for warmth and attentive care, while one detailed review describes serious problems in the memory care and rehab units, including staffing shortages, overcrowding tied to a construction project, and communication breakdowns between departments. The community is a nonprofit guided by a religious mission and offers a range of services from assisted living through hospice.
AI-generated from reviews and community data.
Notre Dame Health Care is a senior living community in Worcester, Massachusetts offering Assisted Living, Memory Care and Skilled Nursing / Long Term Care. Amenities include Restaurant style Dining Room, Gathering / Activity Spaces and Social Activities. Families rate it 4.3 out of 5 across 28 reviews.
Notre Dame Long Term Care Center in Worcester, Massachusetts is a nonprofit senior living community guided by the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. The facility offers assisted living and memory care options, including specialized care for residents with Alzheimer's and other forms of memory loss.
The community is committed to combining high-quality care with respect, compassion, and a philosophy centered on how services are delivered rather than just what is offered. Staff, volunteers, and donors work together to support both residents on campus and the broader community.
Residents have access to a variety of activities and amenities designed to support vitality and active living. The community emphasizes the importance of outdoor activities and natural engagement for promoting health and well-being among older adults.
Notre Dame Health Care honors the personal dignity of all individuals without distinction of gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, or creed. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and welcomes residents and families seeking assisted living care with support for those navigating financial decisions, including assistance information for veterans.
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Help Me Choose4.3overall · 28 ratings combined
4.3★ on Google (28)
Samantha Garcia
Feb 2026
Your tech Ari Rodriguez is such a fresh breath of Air to see when you walk on the floor. She is exceptionally personable and always has a huge smile on her face ! The care I have seen while there is outstanding! I have personally seen her go above and beyond.
Callie M
Sep 2025
While my mother lived in the Notre Dame du Lac Harmony assisted living memory care, she had a hospitalization and needed to be discharged to rehab. The du Lac team recommended their own rehab, which ND calls the Long-Term Care building, and facilitated her discharge to there in May. Initially it seemed great, being right nextdoor, and was handy for things like picking up clothes. Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a construction project and incredibly overcrowded, apparently due to rooms being unusable while being renovated. Bizarrely, during the months my mother lived there, ND did not seem to slow down accepting new admissions, despite the renovations and the hallways and dining area being so crowded, wheelchairs blocked doorways and the place was like one giant fire code violation. Meals are so crowded and rushed that staff serve on paper plates with plastic utensils. In a skilled nursing rehab with a memory care, where folks have physical challenges and neurodegeneratative diseases like Parkinson's with tremors, plastic forks and spoons are far from ideal. My mother barely ate and lost a considerable amount of weight. In fact, with tremor and Parkinson's, weighted utensils with built-up bulky handles are what OTs recommend. Traditional silverware can be hard, but disposable plastic cutlery is cruel, and not what one expects at $500 a day. During the summer, all the groups seemed to take place outside in the courtyard no matter how hot it was. There never seemed to be an alternative indoor activity. Staffing shortages are the norm, causing things like my mother's shower day to be skipped repeatedly, and regularly incredibly long waits of 30 minutes or more when pressing the call button. We were told by the ND rehab she was ready to be discharged and that she could go back to the du Lac Harmony. We were even given a discharge date, then suddenly just a day or two before, in the middle of making plans and with my mother having been told she could go back to Harmony, the du Lac team told us they couldn't take her back. There is inexcusably poor communication between the ND LTC and du Lac programs. There is supposed to be a benefit to using the rehab on site, better communication and easier discharge planning, but we found the opposite. We thought based on what staff said that with more time in rehab, she would regain more mobility and independence and then be able to return to du Lac Harmony. Instead the ND LTC rehab discontinued all her therapy, PT/OT, without informing the family. It became apparent, despite nobody explicitly communicating it to the family, that they expected her to move to their skilled nursing memory care, even though it was not accepting new admissions due to the construction and we could get no date for when the construction would end. They wanted her to wait indefinitely in rehab, even though she was no longer receiving rehab. We ended up moving her. This 2 star review is really for the rehab because we weren't in the du Lac Harmony that long, but I have to say it was very different from what we were sold on the tour. They tout their dining room, and invite you for a meal and show off their menu, but in the Harmony there was no menu to choose from. At every meal they all got served the same thing, and when my mother tried to order off the menu a staff ripped it out of her hand and told her that the menu was only for traditional, not Harmony. Apparently Harmony residents are second class citizens even though they pay thousands more in rent. The laundry is a mess. For instance all my mother's hangers went missing one week, but other weeks her closet was overstuffed to bursting with other people's random empty hangers. The du Lac Harmony only offers "self-administered medication management," so if your loved one needs pills crushed in applesauce, eye drops, or any extra help taking their meds, they can't accommodate and you have to go to the skilled nursing building or change facilities. The staffing shortages were a big problem at the du Lac Harmony too.
Joseph “Bagzz” Bagnell
Apr 2024
Notre Dame is undoubtedly one of the best nursing homes in Worcester County. Their staff is caring, friendly, reliable, professional, and prioritizes the care and comfort of each resident. They truly understand the importance of showing utmost respect and dignity to your loved ones. The nursing staff, especially the C.N.A.'s, are the backbone of Notre Dame's exceptional rating. They take excellent care of each resident and treat them as if they were their own family. The staff engage with the residents and ensure that they feel loved and valued. The meal plan at Notre Dame is impressive, offering a great variety of food options for every meal, including a range of different ice creams. Unlike many nursing homes that offer only a few basic drinks, Notre Dame has a wide assortment of drinks to choose from. Their linen, towels, and face cloths are incredibly soft, unlike those in many other nursing homes. Their equipment is up-to-date, reliable, and not outdated. If you are searching for a nursing home to place your loved one in, look no further than Notre Dame. You won't be disappointed. I highly recommend it with a 5-star rating.
Mary Perez
Mar 2024
We have had family members going to rehab in 7 different facilities over the past 3 years. Notre Dame Rehab has been the best experience by far. They treat the whole person and the staff kindness and caring ways have made a difficult situation so much more manageable. God bless them all. The Halloran Family.
Karen Hogan
Oct 2022
I had the pleasure of visiting Notre Dame recently and was so impressed. A beautiful, peaceful campus and friendly, happy staff and residents. The recent renovation to their Assisted Living spaces are fantastic. Can’t say enough good things about this community.
5 inspection visits in the last three years, 25 citations on file. Inspections are conducted by state agencies on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Keep aisles, corridors, and exits free of obstruction in case of emergency.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Apr 1, 2025
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Apr 1, 2025
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Apr 1, 2025
Provide a written emergency evacuation plan.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Apr 1, 2025
Ensure that nurses and nurse aides have the appropriate competencies to care for every resident in a way that maximizes each resident's well being.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Mar 28, 2025
Provide properly sized and located linen or trash receptacles.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Apr 1, 2025
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Mar 28, 2025
Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Apr 1, 2025
Provide special eating equipment and utensils for residents who need them and appropriate assistance.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Mar 28, 2025
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedFound during a complaint inspectionCorrected Dec 31, 2024
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Feb 2, 2024
Implement emergency and standby power systems.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Feb 2, 2024
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Feb 2, 2024
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Severity E of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, patternCorrected Jan 28, 2024
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Severity E of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, patternCorrected Jan 28, 2024
Ensure each resident receives and the facility provides food prepared in a form designed to meet individual needs.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jan 28, 2024
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jan 28, 2024
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jan 28, 2024
Develop and implement policies and procedures for flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jan 28, 2024
Honor the resident's right to request, refuse, and/or discontinue treatment, to participate in or refuse to participate in experimental research, and to formulate an advance directive.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jan 28, 2024
Reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 18, 2022
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 18, 2022
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 18, 2022
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 18, 2022
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 18, 2022
Source: CMS Care Compare, public federal data covering certified nursing facilities, refreshed monthly. Citations range from A (least serious) to L (most serious) on the federal scope and severity scale. Most citations are corrected quickly; review the details and ask the community about anything that concerns you.
Notre Dame Health Care offers Assisted Living, Memory Care and Skilled Nursing / Long Term Care.
Notre Dame Health Care is located at 559 Plantation Street in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Reviews of Notre Dame Health Care are sharply divided: several families praise the rehab and long-term care staff, especially CNAs, for warmth and attentive care, while one detailed review describes serious problems in the memory care and rehab units, including staffing shortages, overcrowding tied to a construction project, and communication breakdowns between departments. The community is a nonprofit guided by a religious mission and offers a range of services from assisted living through hospice.
Notre Dame Health Care had 5 government inspection visits in the last three years, with 25 citations on file according to CMS Care Compare data. The full history, including what each citation was for and whether it was corrected, is in the inspection section on this page.
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