HABERSHAM HOUSE

Pros

• The staff at The Oaks at Habersham treats residents like family.
• A resident's husband is extremely happy there, has made many friends, and enjoys the activities offered.
• Families feel confident in their decision, noting attentive, friendly staff and clear services.
• Residents are described as surrounded by joy, happy and healthy, with daily activities that keep them engaged.
• The Oaks are described as wonderful and safe, with staff who take great care of loved ones and help improve their quality of life.

Cons

• The Oaks on Habersham is infested with roaches and other bugs, and the elevator is filthy and never cleaned.
• A resident with dementia is not receiving adequate ADL assistance, including bathing and oral care.
• The aunt's room has not been cleaned in months, and housekeeping appears severely understaffed.
• Residents are overcharged for a higher level of care, and monthly bills are often wrong or not explained.
• There is no director of nursing or executive director for months, and family concerns go unanswered.
• Organized activities are virtually non-existent, and residents are not notified of events.
• Hearing aids frequently go missing or are not reintegrated, depriving residents of the ability to hear and participate.
• The facility shows cleanliness and maintenance issues (unwashed hair, dirty clothes, lingering odors) that indicate neglect.

Review

The Oaks at Habersham elicits a wide range of strong feelings from families who have confronted the difficult decision of placing a loved one in a senior living setting. For some, the facility feels like a family with caring, attentive staff who go the extra mile to support both residents and their families. One account centers on choosing the Oaks after comparing many options and discovering a warm, community-oriented atmosphere where the staff treat residents as if they were family. In that narrative, the staff's genuine concern and the variety of available activities helped ease the stress of a life-changing transition, and a husband who needed assisted living appeared to be not only safe but content, making friends and enjoying the social life the community offers.

Yet the experiences at the Oaks are not uniform. A different perspective describes the Oaks as a very pretty place that falls short on essential care in practice, particularly for someone with dementia. The reviewer highlights inadequate help with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing and oral care, and points to cleanliness issues - specifically, an unclean toilet - and questions whether residents are receiving the level of supervision and assistance they pay for. This account emphasizes a gap between what is promised and what is delivered, with concern that the care level may not match the resident's actual needs, especially in memory care where routines and reinforced monitoring are crucial.

Another long, detailed critique focuses on a family member in memory care where the living space and services visibly deteriorated over time. The writer reports not only ongoing cleanliness problems and pest infestations in the apartments but also a lack of timely response from the staff when concerns are raised. They describe the elevator as dirty, persistent staffing shortages, and a pattern of overcharging for higher levels of care without corresponding improvements in actual care or supervision. Med management is depicted as inconsistent, with the author personally handling medications and showers rather than relying on facility staff. Activities, which should offer stimulation and engagement, are criticized as sparse, with residents left to sit alone rather than participate in organized events, and only occasional special events like a single singing concert offering relief from the routine.

Amid these serious concerns, there are notes of partial improvement and fluctuations in the experience. A February 2024 entry acknowledges some positive changes - occasional proper showers and fresh attire for the resident - but underscores that housekeeping still needs more staff and more frequent cleaning. Hearing aids are repeatedly misplaced or not used as directed, and the author remains skeptical about whether the care levels align with the charges. This reviewer is candid about hoping for further, sustained progress toward a higher rating, suggesting that the situation can improve in pockets but is not yet stable or reliable enough overall.

The reports reflect a long-standing tension between affection for the staff and disappointment in operational realities. One older review laments the absence of leadership, specifically noting no director of nursing or executive director for months, and describes repeated attempts to reach management without satisfactory follow-up. This sentiment about communication gaps and unaddressed issues contrasts with a different voice that speaks highly of the staff and the residents who thrive there when the environment is well run. In some cases, families describe experiences of safe, happy, and well-cared-for beloved ones who benefit from daily activity programming and attentive, capable caregivers who help maintain safety and quality of life.

Two contrasting narratives sit side by side in these reviews: on one hand, praise for a supportive, family-like environment where staff demonstrate warmth, engagement, and genuine concern; on the other hand, a persistent, multi-faceted set of complaints about cleanliness, medication management, staffing shortages, inconsistent care, unresponsiveness of leadership, and disputed charges. A recurring theme across the more critical accounts is the fear that memory care residents are not receiving the basic care they need unless a family member is present to supervise and advocate. The sense of inconsistency - improvement at times, but frequent lapses at others - leaves prospective families with a difficult decision: whether the Oaks can reliably deliver the standard of care they expect, or if alternative facilities might better guarantee consistent staffing, transparency, and hands-on attention to both medical and daily living needs.

Despite the negatives, there is a continuing thread of positive testimony from some residents' families who describe the Oaks as a place where loved ones are safe, happy, and well cared for. For these families, the presence of caring staff, regular activities, and a sense of community provides tangible benefits that make the Oaks a viable option. In this view, if issues arise, they are addressed, and the staff's dedication yields noticeable improvements in the resident's well-being. The mixed landscape of experiences highlights how much depends on the particular unit, the level of care required, the staffing realities, and the responsiveness of leadership.

In the end, the stories paint a complex portrait of The Oaks at Habersham: a facility with evident strengths in warmth, community feel, and engaging activities, but also with serious struggles around cleanliness, consistent ADL support, memory care quality, staff availability, and transparent management practices. Families weighing a placement there are urged to consider both the emotionally supportive environment and the potential gaps in daily care and administration. For some residents, the Oaks can be a wonderful home with attentive caregivers and an active schedule; for others, the experience is marked by frustration and concern, prompting serious consideration of alternatives or careful, ongoing oversight and advocacy to ensure all needs are met.

Located in the vibrant city of Savannah, Georgia, this part of town offers a mix of dining options, parks, pharmacies, places of worship, transportation services, healthcare facilities, and hospitals within a short distance. Residents can enjoy delicious meals at local restaurants such as Cotton & Rye and Green Truck Pub, or relax at cafes like Sentient Bean and Savannah Coffee Roasters. Nearby parks like Wells Park and Ardsley Park provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and relaxation. Additionally, access to multiple pharmacies and healthcare providers ensures convenient medical care when needed. With its diverse amenities and convenient location near the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport and various medical facilities like Memorial University Medical Center, this area is ideal for seniors looking for a dynamic yet accessible neighborhood to call home.

Restaurants

• Cotton & Rye (0.1 miles)
• Tacos + Tequila (0.1 miles)
• Bull Street Taco (0.3 miles)
• Hop Atomica (0.3 miles)
• Foxy Loxy Print Gallery & Cafe (0.3 miles)
• The Vault Kitchen & Market (0.3 miles)
• Green Truck Pub (0.3 miles)

Cafes

• Sentient Bean (0.5 miles)
• Savannah Coffee Roasters (1.2 miles)
• Starbucks (1.5 miles)
• The Coffee Fox (1.5 miles)

Parks

• Wells Park (0.5 miles)
• Ardsley Park - Hedman Park (0.6 miles)
• Daffin Park (1.2 miles)
• Oglethorpe Square (1.4 miles)
• Washington Square (1.5 miles)

Pharmacies

• Kroger Pharmacy (0.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.4 miles)
• Walgreens (1.6 miles)
• Apollo Pharmacy (1.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.8 miles)
• Medical Center Pharmacy (1.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.9 miles)

Places of Worship

• Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church (0.8 miles)
• Cathedral of St John the Baptist (1.1 miles)
• Johnson Square (1.6 miles)

Transportation

• Savannah Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) (1.1 miles)

Physicians

• Avalon Health (1.3 miles)
• MD Wellness Solutions (1.6 miles)
• Chatham Orthopaedic Associates (1.6 miles)
• Chatham Medical Associates (1.7 miles)
• Nephrology Hypertension Medical Associates (1.7 miles)
• Pediatric Associates of Savannah (1.7 miles)
• The Center for Digestive & Liver Health and The Endoscopy Center (1.8 miles)

Hospitals

• Dva Renal Healthcare (1.4 miles)
• Memorial University Medical Center - Pediatric ICU (1.9 miles)
• Memorial Health University Medical Center Answerone/Nurseone/Switchboard (1.9 miles)
• Memorial Heart and Vascular (2 miles)
• Memorial Neuro ICU (2 miles)