Mystic Meadows

Pros

• The staff is excellent and very friendly.
• The nurses and admins take great care and treat residents like family from day one.
• The facility is wonderful, friendly, and compassionate for loved ones.
• The staff go above and beyond and truly care about their patients.
• The kitchen staff and administration provide outstanding service and a sense of community.
• The facility is beautiful and cozy, with attentive management willing to go the extra mile.
• The nursing and CNA staff are amazing and supportive in therapies.
• Families report that residents are well cared for and questions are answered promptly.
• Specific staff members (e.g., Tess, Stephanie, Libby, Joan, Donna, Billy Joe, Sarah) are praised for their care and kindness.

Cons

• Staff are not attentive and avoid answering questions, giving the impression that care is not genuinely provided.
• The resident side smells of urine and feces, suggesting inadequate cleanliness and upkeep.
• There are year-round flies near the facility due to garbage outside the doors.
• A resident tried to leave at night and was moved to a locked unit amid loud disagreements with psychiatric residents.
• Belongings go missing or are misidentified; clothes and glasses are lost or swapped between residents.
• Some staff yell at patients and family, with reviewers feeling mistreated or disrespected.
• Food quality is poor and highly repetitive (e.g., multiple chicken meals); dietary restrictions are not consistently followed; utensils are often plastic.
• Communication between departments is poor; meals and medications are not delivered on time, and care steps (like trach suction) are delayed.
• Administrative contact information changes frequently, making it difficult to reach managers or address concerns.

Review

The collection of impressions about Mystic Meadows Rehabilitation reveals a strikingly wide range of experiences, from heartfelt praise to serious warnings. Several reviewers describe a facility with real strengths: a warm sense of hospitality, attentive staff, and a belief that loved ones are well cared for. One person expressed being "very impressed with their excellent work and very friendly all staff," while another described the atmosphere as a "warm friendly safe enviorment" where a great-grandmother could receive care close to home. In a few cases, families credited particular nurses, aides, or therapists by name for going "above and beyond" and for making residents feel at home and treated like family from day one. A recurring theme in these positive accounts is gratitude for kindness, listening ears, and a visible commitment to patient comfort and recovery.

Alongside these glowing testimonials, a substantial segment of reviewers offered a grimmer, more cautionary picture. Several people stated they would not recommend Mystic Meadows, with one describing it as a place where "nurses are not attentive," where those in charge "talk your ear off pretending to give the ?best care,'" and where the lobby can look presentable while the resident side "smells of pee and poop." In these voices, the facility's outward appearance contrasts with what families see behind closed doors. Some recounted experiences of staff seeming distracted or overwhelmed, and even suggested that administrators and social workers were more focused on appeasing families than addressing real, urgent needs.

Other reviews highlight serious problems with safety, privacy, and accountability. There are accounts of residents wandering into unsafe areas or attempting to leave at night, a situation that led to a locked unit and raised concerns about how psychiatric residents were managed within the same facility. There are stories of belongings going missing, including patients' clothes and glasses, and even a new pair of sneakers disappearing after Christmas. In one especially troubling narrative, a family described an ongoing struggle to get timely assistance with essential needs - diapers changed after hours, trache suction delayed by hours, and a sense that some days were defined more by delays and miscommunications than by compassionate care. The tone of these reviews conveys fear and frustration, with caregivers sometimes blamed for not meeting expectations or for failing to coordinate across departments.

The color of the experience often seems to depend on the day and the unit. Some reviewers speak positively about short-term rehab outcomes and the continuity of care they witnessed when the facility was staffed more robustly. There are notes of improvement when more staff were present; one aunt's caregivers were described as becoming more attentive and better able to address concerns after residents were newly supported by the team. Others celebrate individual caregivers - like Libby, Joan, Donna, Billy Joe, and Sarah - who were recognized for their nursing, social work, and therapy contributions, suggesting that the culture inside Mystic Meadows can be highly capable and compassionate when the right people are on duty. The same thread appears in praise for Teresa and Stephanie, or for the speech therapist Katie, who are singled out as particularly caring and responsive.

Beyond formal care, several reviews emphasize the role of community and engagement in the resident experience. A number of visitors point to activities that brighten days and help patients feel connected - such as Thanksgiving dinners prepared by kitchen staff, campus events with haircuts, bags of school supplies, cotton candy, and face painting. One review even highlighted a sense of spiritual or cultural significance, noting the value of "servant leadership" in the kitchen and administration and the broader meaning of gathering for residents and families. In these accounts, the facility becomes more than a place for medical care; it becomes a space where kindness, gratitude, and shared moments can matter deeply to those who live there.

The reviews also reflect ongoing tension between idealized expectations of care and the realities of managing a busy rehabilitation center. Some families acknowledge the difficulty of staffing, and a few describe periods where communication between departments was imperfect, leading to mix-ups about meals, medication timing, and the delivery of services during dialysis or other therapies. A recurring complaint is not simply about what happens to a patient, but about how information is shared, who answers questions, and how concerns are addressed when problems arise. In several cases, reviewers note that when concerns are raised, they are met with explanations that may feel evasive or insufficient, leaving families feeling unheard and anxious about their loved ones' welfare.

Taken together, these voices sketch a facility with real highs and real lows - where moments of warmth, competent clinical care, and dedicated staff coexist with reports of neglect, miscommunication, and safety concerns. For prospective families or residents, the pattern suggests a cautious approach: recognize that experiences can vary dramatically from shift to shift and from unit to unit, and prioritize direct observation, questions about staffing levels, nurse-to-patient ratios, and the specific team assigned to a given patient. It can be valuable to ask about recent changes in administration or leadership, to request a tour that includes both the lobby and the resident areas, and to seek out references from families who've recently completed stays. In short, Mystic Meadows appears capable of excellent care in the right circumstances, while also presenting risks that require careful, proactive engagement from loved ones.

Physicians

• AtlantiCare Surgery Center (0.2 miles)
• Southern Ocean Primary Care (1.1 miles)
• Family Medicine Center (2.8 miles)
• Ocean Medical MD PA (6.7 miles)
• Atlantic Medical Imaging (6.9 miles)
• Rothman Orthopaedics (6.9 miles)
• Reconstructive Orthopaedic Associates II, PC (7 miles)

Restaurants

• Kostas Grill (1 miles)
• Panini Bay (2.6 miles)
• Calloway's Restaurant & Bar (4.4 miles)
• Parker's Garage & Oyster Saloon (6.4 miles)
• Bird And Betty S (6.4 miles)
• Tuckers Tavern (6.4 miles)
• The Clam Bar (6.5 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walmart Pharmacy (1.3 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.3 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.8 miles)
• Walgreens (2.8 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (6.8 miles)
• Stafford Pharmacy (7.7 miles)

Cafes

• Johnny’s Offshore Cafe (6.5 miles)
• Coastal Coffee Company (6.7 miles)
• Side Door Donuts & Coffee (6.7 miles)
• Pearl Street Market (6.7 miles)
• Blue Water Cafe (7 miles)
• Jersey Girl (7 miles)

Parks

• Beach Haven Playground (6.5 miles)
• Beach Haven Playground (6.8 miles)

Hospitals

• Southern Regional Hospital (7.8 miles)
• Southern Ocean County Hospital (7.8 miles)
• Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center (7.8 miles)