Foltsbrook Center for Senior Living

Pros

• The staff are amazing and easy to talk to; they are professional and personable.
• It was a great orientation experience.
• Angie and her staff are always accommodating and care very much for residents.
• The care provided was excellent, and the therapy team was exceptional.
• The staff were helpful and friendly to residents.
• The staff seemed to like their jobs and interacted with patients, making them laugh.
• Foltsbrook is warm and inviting, with welcoming and very friendly staff.
• The care and love from Allison, Ruby, and others on the 3rd floor is totally wonderful.
• The nursing staff are wonderful, informative, and go above and beyond to support care.
• The facility is welcoming and the staff are friendly, with a great atmosphere.

Cons

• They described Foltsbrook as filthy, with blood stains and food spills on walls and floors, and claimed the sheets and pillowcases were never cleaned.
• They alleged the staff were unprofessional and sometimes rude, and that front desk personnel were often on their cellphones.
• They stated the facility was severely short-staffed, resulting in missed or late medications and inadequate hygiene, including showers that only run at a trickle.
• They reported that personal belongings were lost or stolen, and that clothing labeled for return to family disappeared.
• They claimed residents were not allowed outside for fresh air unless escorted by a staff member, and that no one ever escorted them outside during the stay.
• They asserted serious lapses in care, including bedsores and lack of bathing, and that rehabilitation services (PT/OT/SLP) were never provided despite admission for subacute rehab.

Review

A wide range of experiences spills from the walls of Foltsbrook Rehab Center and its associated facilities, painting a picture of a place that can feel like two different worlds at once. On the one hand, there are many voices praising the warmth of the staff, the openness of communication, and the effectiveness of therapy and daily care. On the other hand, there are serious, sometimes graphic, accounts of neglect, mismanagement, and hygiene failures that have left families deeply unsettled. Taken together, the reviews reveal a community with dedicated caregivers and a patient population that can also encounter significant gaps in safety, cleanliness, and coordination.

Several reviewers center their impressions on the positive energy of the staff and the ease of interaction. The staffing is repeatedly described as amazing and easy to talk to, with praise for professional behavior that still feels human and compassionate. Families recount friendly, accommodating teams who treat residents with respect and kindness, noting that visits feel less like a drill and more like a supportive collaboration with people who genuinely care. In particular, therapy teams receive notable recognition for their expertise and responsiveness. One account highlights a "great therapy department," while others credit therapists, nurses, and aides with going above and beyond to help loved ones regain function and return home. People describe entering the facility through a smooth check-in process and appreciating a visitor system that is touch-free and efficient. On the whole, these threads emphasize a welcoming atmosphere on many floors and an enclave of staff members who are attentive, knowledgeable, and reliable.

Beyond the general tone, several residents and families share deeply positive memories of specific staff members who made a meaningful difference. The 3rd-floor care team is singled out repeatedly as "totally wonderful," with Allison, Ruby, and others receiving particular thanks for their daily kindness and professional care. Families of patients in the assisted living side also offer acknowledgments to staff who remain on top of tasks and who respond promptly when needs arise. In one particularly strong sentiment, a patient's family member - a nurse with thirty years in the field - expresses palpable trust in the care their brother is receiving, noting the staff's attentiveness, knowledge, and genuine caring. Across these accounts, moments of warmth - our mom being treated with respect, staff checking in with residents about drinks, and caregivers maintaining a clean and calm environment - stand out as bright spots in a setting that can otherwise feel pressured.

Nevertheless, not all experiences align with those positives. A number of reviews describe serious concerns about cleanliness, safety, and basic care that raise questions about the facility's operations and oversight. One family recounts a stay in which the room was described as filthy, with blood stains and food spills still visible, unsanitary linens, and clothing mismanagement. They allege that staff were unprofessional and that patients did not receive the level of basic care expected, including dietary adequacy and assistance with daily needs. The narrative grows more alarming with claims that the patient's therapy services were not delivered as promised and that staff failed to ensure essential needs - like consistent bathing, timely bathroom help, and proper outside access - were met. The account also mentions a broader concern about the facility's viability, suggesting that the home was at risk of closure due to violations, and contrasting that with the beauty-and-function side of care described in other reviews.

Other reviewers escalate concerns about staffing shortages and their ripple effects on everyday care. They report that medications can be late or not delivered on time, which is particularly troubling for residents in pain or with complex medical regimens. Reports describe routine bottlenecks: televisions malfunctioning or going blank, showers delivering only a trickle of water, and some residents not being assisted to get out of bed due to staffing pressures. In several accounts, front-desk behavior is criticized - staff on cellphones rather than paying attention to who's entering, or a perceived lack of compassion when a family member is coping with a bereavement. These critiques present a picture of a facility that feels stretched thin, with some staff doing their best under pressure and others appearing distracted or overwhelmed.

Still other reviews point to more troubling, specific allegations about mismanagement and financial improprieties. One reviewer claims that an administrator on the second floor was dishonest and that funds were improperly withdrawn from a relative's bank account. The gravity of that claim stands in stark contrast to the numerous positive notes about individual caregivers and the quality of routine rehab and daily care, underscoring the complex reality many families face when evaluating a care facility: moments of outstanding, compassionate care can exist alongside accusations of negligence and misdirection in administrative functioning. It's a spectrum that makes independent verification important for anyone considering or currently navigating care at Foltsbrook.

The overall impression, then, is a facility that can deliver high-quality, person-centered care in many contexts - especially in therapy spaces, with engaged nurses, and in the assisted living and visiting experiences - while simultaneously contending with maintenance, cleanliness, staffing, and administrative challenges that can undermine trust and safety. Several reviews urge ongoing improvements, including more thorough cleaning throughout the building, better supervision to ensure consistent therapy access, and a more reliable daily routine for medication delivery, bathing, and personal care. Some families express gratitude for the care their loved ones receive, while others advise caution and advocate for thorough evaluation and dialogue with the staff and administration, particularly when concerns about hygiene, safety protocols, or financial handling arise. In short, Foltsbrook presents as a place of both genuine compassion and serious concerns, with the welfare of residents depending on consistent staffing, vigilant management, and transparent communication.

This part of Herkimer, New York offers a convenient and diverse range of amenities for senior living. With multiple hospitals nearby such as Faxton-St Luke's Healthcare and Little Falls Hospital, residents have access to quality healthcare services. There are also several restaurants, cafes, pharmacies, parks, places of worship, and transportation options in the area, providing ample opportunities for socialization, leisure activities, and convenience. Additionally, there are physicians' offices like Bassett Healthcare Network-Herkimer and Herkimer Eyecare Center for medical needs. Overall, this neighborhood provides a well-rounded environment for seniors looking to live comfortably with easy access to essential services and recreational opportunities.

Hospitals

• Faxton-St Luke's Healthcare (0.1 miles)
• Little Falls Hospital (7 miles)
• Masonic Care Health Facility (11.2 miles)
• Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center (13.8 miles)

Restaurants

• Arby's (0.1 miles)
• Crazy Otto's Empire Diner (0.1 miles)
• The Endzone Pub & Grub (0.1 miles)
• Fat Cats (0.2 miles)
• Burger King (0.2 miles)
• Ruggiero's Trattoria (0.2 miles)
• Greek Gyros Herkimer (0.2 miles)

Cafes

• The Java Shop by Cucina Berto (0.2 miles)
• That Little Place On Main (6.3 miles)
• Top of the Morning Cafe (13 miles)
• Bagg's Square Cafe (13.1 miles)
• Utica Coffee Roasting (13.4 miles)
• Joseph Putrello Coffee Barista Bar (13.7 miles)

Physicians

• Bassett Healthcare Network–Herkimer (0.2 miles)
• Herkimer Eyecare Center (0.2 miles)
• Dr. Donald Knapp (0.2 miles)
• Melo Larry J DDS (0.3 miles)
• Herkimer Family Nurse Practitioners (0.4 miles)
• Cooperative Magnetic Imaging (2.8 miles)
• Slocum-Dickson Medical Group (2.8 miles)

Pharmacies

• Hannaford Pharmacy (0.2 miles)
• Wlagreens (2.8 miles)
• Kinney Drugs (6.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (6.6 miles)
• Parkway Drugs (11.8 miles)
• Kinney Drugs (12 miles)
• Kinney Drugs (12 miles)

Parks

• Arc Park (0.5 miles)
• F.T. Proctor Park (11.6 miles)
• Recreation Department (12 miles)
• Burt's Turd Cutter (12.3 miles)
• Deerfield Wilderness Park (12.7 miles)

Places of Worship

• Trinity Lutheran Church (0.5 miles)
• Holy Trinity Monastery (7.3 miles)
• Russian Orthodox Church (7.7 miles)
• Jordanville Federated Church (8 miles)
• Church of Christ (11.3 miles)
• Grace Baptist Church (11.9 miles)
• Soul 2 Soul Temple (12 miles)

Transportation

• Frankfort-Highland Airport (6B4) (9.2 miles)
• Amtrak (13.2 miles)