1 / 5CMS Care Compare
Reviews of Riverbend of South Natick are sharply divided: several families describe attentive, caring staff, good food, and an owner who is personally accessible, while one detailed account describes serious lapses in diabetic meal and medication management that led to hospitalization. The facility is a small, family-owned skilled nursing and rehab center that has operated in the community for decades.
AI-generated from reviews and community data.
Riverbend Of South Natick is a senior living community in S Natick, Massachusetts offering Skilled Nursing / Long Term Care. Amenities include Restaurant style Dining Room, Gathering / Activity Spaces and Social Activities. Families rate it 3.1 out of 5 across 13 reviews.
Riverbend of South Natick is a family-owned skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation facility located in South Natick, Massachusetts. The community has provided care for over 50 years and accommodates up to 55 residents, allowing caregivers to develop personal relationships with each resident and understand their individual strengths and needs.
The facility offers short-term rehabilitation care for individuals recovering from illness or injury, as well as long-term rehabilitation care. Riverbend's healthcare team works with residents and their families to design individualized plans of care that address both current and future health care needs while maintaining dignity and quality of life. The community also provides hospice and palliative care services focused on quality of life.
Nestled in a quiet neighborhood, Riverbend of South Natick provides a home-like setting and comfortable environment designed to feel welcoming to residents during their stay.
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Help Me Choose3.1overall · 13 ratings combined
3.1★ on Google (13)
John Frascotti
Apr 2026
My Dad has been at Riverbend twice this year, for stays of about 10-12 days each time. The care had been excellent. The staff is attentive and caring, and the food is terrific. Every time I made a request (which wasn't often), his needs were promptly met. The nurses, the Social Worker, the PT/OT's and even ownership were all a pleasure to deal with.
Marie Ann
Nov 2025
If I could give this place a 10 star I would.. My mom’s been here a while she has the best treatment they are all so kind & caring ! When I call as I live across the country all my questions are answered they do not rush me off the phone they explain everything that’s going on with her ! They are calming with her anxieties Mom needed a new mattress they had it with in 20 min! I feel like River bend is a private treatment center with all the excellent care she gets . She looks forward to home once she’s well I’m so glad This place was recommended to my family. I don’t understand the few negative reviews? My brother & his wife are there daily they too are so happy Moms in such a great place! Ty River bend and to all the staff you help turn a stressful situation into one of peace of mind !
jen ryan
May 2025
My mom is being discharged this Saturday. The staff has been amazing and so caring to my mom. I was hesitant when looking at these reviews. In my experience there has been nothing to support the bad reviews. The facility is older but clean. The most important thing was the care in which I have been very pleased. These decisions are not easy and they made me feel very comfortable!
Barry's Auto Body
Feb 2025
Riverbend of South Natick is the third nursing home my mother has been of which the first 2 were horrible institution like nursing homes with horrible care. After my mom’s experience with the other 2 nursing homes I researched and visited alot of nursing homes before I made the decision in her best interest to move her to Riverbend of South Natick. She has been here for 9 years and for good reason she has stayed here. Unlike other places, you can actually speak with the owner if you have questions and he is very diligent, kind and considerate of your needs. The nurses and staff are all kind and attentative and make sure she is neat and clean and the food is very good. It is like home here to my mom not only because of the very homelike atmosphere because it is actually a very large home renovated into a nursing home but because of the care and attention she gets and the other residents here are so nice that she is friends with. The activities director is the best! He does alot of variety in his activities and engages everyone. All positive things to say about Riverbend of South Natick. I highly recommend you come check it out when you are making a decision for a nirsing home for yoir loved one.
JZippy
Oct 2024
This place is a nightmare. Believe all the bad reviews. My mom was a resident less than 2 weeks at Riverbend before we moved out. Technically, she lived there 2 nights as the rest of the time she was in the hospital. My mom, a type 1 brittle diabetic w/ dementia, was served 6 (out of 6 total) non diabetic meals at Riverbend during her brief tenure. It was understood that my mother requires special meals, blood sugar monitoring & insulin administration & daily medications dispensed timely according to her medical plan. The first 24 hours, mom was given a non diabetic meal for dinner & breakfast which triggered a diabetic reaction causing her blood sugar to spike to 400 & then 500. Waiting for her sugar to regulate, I asked the NP why mom was given 2 non diabetic meals & she giggled, shrugged & said "First day". Then a nurse asks mom (WHO HAS SOME DEMENTIA), "Have you had your morning medications yet?" As she stands with pills in her hand. I asked, "Why are you asking her if she has had her morning meds? How do you not know this?" Then she checks the computer to see if mom had her meds. She hadn't. It was now 11:00 am and mom's meds were to be administered at 8:00 am per her medical needs. The nurse drops the pills on the floor & says, "five second rule" & puts them in mom's mouth. When I ask the NP why my mom's meds are dispensed 3 hours late, she giggles & replies, "First day". Meanwhile, mom is deteriorating to the point where I ask for someone to call 911 & they wait & wait & wait & finally, they call. Mom went to Hospital who then transferred her to Brigham & Women's to their cardio unit where she stayed for 11 days. According to the cardiologist treating mom, the stress of the move coupled with the blood sugar spikes from the non diabetic meals caused mom to have a mild heart attack but also set off a cascade of events resulting in difficult to control blood sugars & Diabetic Ketoacidosis which can be fatal. Mom’s sugar fluctuated from 67 to 622 during the course of this correction. Numbers that can lead to coma or worse. As Mom was being wheeled out on a stretcher, a nurse & the Social Services Director were laughing hysterically at the nurses station telling funny stories. My mother wasn't even out the door yet to the ambulance. After 11 days in hospital, mom was released & we mistakenly returned to Riverbend where she was promptly served a non diabetic meal. The next day I went to visit mom & saw she was given a non diabetic meal for breakfast. I asked, “WHY IS SHE BEING SERVED NON DIABETIC MEALS?" to which they replied "I'll go tell the kitchen". I visited again before lunch & learned she was never given her insulin for her diabetes within the time needed to consume food & was only given HALF THE DOSE required! As a result, my mothers blood sugar dropped to 53 - a number that can be coma inducing or fatal. My sister called & spoke to awesome nurse Justin who corrected in the system that mom is a diabetic & to receive diabetic meals & addressed the timing of her insulin distribution. Later than evening, I stopped by again to see mom & found her eating for dinner ANOTHER non diabetic meal. I packed up my mom & moved her out. The next morning, mom’s sugar reading was over 400 & she was unresponsive. I called 911 who registered mom's blood sugar to be 500. They admitted her to Newton Wellesley hospital. I emailed the owner who expressed his horror & I requested a refund as we paid $600 a day & mom was only there for 2 nights out of the 14. He then ghosted me. I CAN confirm this bad review w/ receipts, photos, recorded history on her diabetic monitor showing the spikes & falls that correspond with the metabolism of the food served, the medical discharge papers from the hospital that outline what transpired & the impact on mom, witnesses to an employee's admission that she was repeatedly served non diabetic meals & to the rude, unprofessional & completely dismissive staff behavior. DO NOT MOVE ANYONE IN HERE. *SNF in the discharge papers below is Skilled Nursing Facility. Which Riverbend clearly is not.
3 inspection visits in the last three years, 30 citations on file. Inspections are conducted by state agencies on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Use approved construction type or materials.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Aug 19, 2025
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 Aug 19, 2025
Provide at least two remote exits on each floor or fire section of the building.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Aug 19, 2025
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Severity E of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, patternCorrected Sep 5, 2025
Post nurse staffing information every day.
Severity B of L: potential for minimal harm, patternCorrected Aug 8, 2025
Use approved construction type or materials.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Jun 17, 2024
Provide at least two remote exits on each floor or fire section of the building.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Jun 17, 2024
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 Jun 17, 2024
Ensure medication error rates are not 5 percent or greater.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 15, 2024
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 15, 2024
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 15, 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 Jul 15, 2024
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 15, 2024
PASARR screening for Mental disorders or Intellectual Disabilities
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 2, 2024
Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 2, 2024
Provide enough food/fluids to maintain a resident's health.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 2, 2024
Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 15, 2024
Ensure that each resident is free from the use of physical restraints, unless needed for medical treatment.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jul 2, 2024
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
Severity B of L: potential for minimal harm, patternCorrected Jul 15, 2024
Ensure that corridors are separated from use areas by walls constructed to limit the passage of smoke.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Feb 19, 2023
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Jan 30, 2023
Use approved construction type or materials.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Feb 19, 2023
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 Feb 19, 2023
Provide at least two remote exits on each floor or fire section of the building.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Feb 19, 2023
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
Severity F of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, widespreadCorrected Feb 19, 2023
Ensure medication error rates are not 5 percent or greater.
Severity E of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, patternCorrected Jan 30, 2023
Provide or obtain dental services for each resident.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jan 30, 2023
Implement gradual dose reductions(GDR) and non-pharmacological interventions, unless contraindicated, prior to initiating or instead of continuing psychotropic medication; and PRN orders for psychotropic medications are only used when the medication is necessary and PRN use is limited.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jan 30, 2023
Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Severity D of L: no actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm, isolatedCorrected Jan 30, 2023
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 30, 2023
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.
Riverbend Of South Natick offers Skilled Nursing / Long Term Care.
Riverbend Of South Natick is located at 34 South Lincoln Street in S Natick, Massachusetts.
Reviews of Riverbend of South Natick are sharply divided: several families describe attentive, caring staff, good food, and an owner who is personally accessible, while one detailed account describes serious lapses in diabetic meal and medication management that led to hospitalization. The facility is a small, family-owned skilled nursing and rehab center that has operated in the community for decades.
Riverbend Of South Natick had 3 government inspection visits in the last three years, with 30 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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