Melissa Hanson
Jul 2026
My mother lived at Barber Station Assisted Living for approximately 2½ years. I truly hoped this review would be positive, but our experience was marked by poor communication, inconsistent and questionable care, and repeated failures that ultimately led us to move her.<br><br>From day one, communication was the biggest issue. Getting her medications transferred and managed correctly was frustrating, and the Care Director was often difficult to reach. Early on, my mother's cardiologist ordered two weeks of blood pressure readings while she wore a heart monitor. Despite multiple requests, the readings were never completed until I escalated the issue to management and had the physician fax the orders again. Unfortunately, this became a pattern throughout her stay.<br><br>The facility also delayed submitting required paperwork for her long-term care insurance, delaying her benefits for weeks. It quickly became apparent there was no organized move-in process to help families navigate important medical and administrative tasks.<br><br>There was constant turnover in nursing leadership, and communication between departments seemed consistently poor. Nearly every request required multiple follow-ups before anything happened.<br><br>The food was another disappointment. My mother frequently complained about inconsistent quality, small portions, and frequent chef turnover. Just as disappointing was the lack of community. Although the building is clean and attractive, residents often stayed in their apartments, and activities were limited. Aside from routine grocery trips, there were few outings or enrichment opportunities. My mother regularly told us she was bored and lonely.<br><br>Our biggest concerns involved her medical care.<br><br>After she had previously been hospitalized with sepsis caused by a UTI, we became very proactive whenever symptoms appeared. On one occasion, it took more than two days for the facility to provide a urine collection kit after we requested one. On another, we were told to wait several days for the visiting physician, so we took her to urgent care ourselves, where she was diagnosed with another UTI before it became more serious.<br><br>More recently, she returned from the emergency room with diverticulitis and prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication. She did not receive either medication for four days after returning to the facility, leaving her in unnecessary pain and increasing the risk of complications.<br><br>The final straw came when her provider prescribed medication to help manage anxiety related to her dementia. The facility received the order in early June but did not begin administering the medication until nearly three weeks later. Even more concerning, no one informed her provider of the delay. The provider believed they were monitoring a medication my mother had never actually been receiving until I called to let them know.<br><br>No assisted living facility is perfect, and I understand that caring for seniors is challenging. However, our experience over 2½ years revealed a consistent pattern of poor communication, delayed follow-through, medication management failures, and a lack of accountability. While the building itself is beautiful, our family's experience was that the quality of care did not match the appearance. I hope Barber Station uses feedback like this to make meaningful improvements, because residents and their families deserve better.
