Haywood Lodge & Retirement Ctr

Pros

• There are hard-working and caring caregivers and staff at Haywood Lodge.
• The staff are described as trying very hard despite being stretched thin.
• The facilities are nice, with a warm and caring atmosphere.
• It is described as a wonderful place with a warm, caring atmosphere.
• The place is clean with fantastic staff.
• The experience, including during Covid, was great and the staff were on their game.
• The staff are friendly, awesome, and caring, doing an excellent job.
• Haywood Lodge has met and exceeded needs, with an atmosphere of joy and genuine love from the staff.
• The caregivers are kind, respectful, and friendly to residents.

Cons

• Evening shift caregivers were below average and did minimal caregiving, making transfers and ambulation unsafe.
• Administration failed to address unsafe conditions and ignored issues that legally required reporting.
• Mouth hygiene was never performed by staff for residents who could not do so independently.
• Medication administration, though a paid service, was inconsistent and unreliable.
• The facility evicted a 93-year-old woman in the final stages of Alzheimer's, with no discussion of the change in level of care.
• The facility manager was uncooperative and borderline rude, with repeated failure to resolve problems.
• Residents were found naked and covered in feces on multiple occasions, with poor follow-up by staff.
• The phone system functioned poorly, acting more as advertising than a reliable means of communication.
• There were concerns that profit motive outweighed compassionate care, especially in handling memory-impaired residents.

Review

A number of reviews paint a complex and at times alarming portrait of Haywood Lodge, where glimpses of genuine warmth and care coexist with serious concerns about staffing, safety, administration, and the handling of residents' needs. On one hand, several accounts praise day shift workers for their dedication and note that the facility itself can be clean, welcoming, and comfortable. Families speak of moments when staff were compassionate, professional, and helpful during visits, and a few residents are described as receiving excellent care over extended periods. Yet these positive notes sit alongside repeated warnings about gaps in care, mismanagement, and disturbing incidents that left families unsettled and, in some cases, frightened.

Many reviewers draw a clear line between what happens during daytime shifts and what occurs in the evenings. The day staff are repeatedly described as superior and capable, delivering attentive care and making meaningful efforts within a staffing environment that is often short-handed. By contrast, the evening caregivers are criticized as below average, with reports that some evenings see only minimal caregiving and that routines can devolve into a social gathering in front of a television rather than a consistent, therapeutic care approach. This perceived imbalance contributes to concerns that residents needing assistance with ambulation, transfers, or other activities of daily living are at real risk during those shifts, and that staff training on safe transfer techniques may be lacking.

Safety concerns emerge as a recurring motif. Several reviewers recount personal observations of injuries and unexplained incidents, such as a chipped tooth, a bruise on the lip, and a wound on a resident's hand, with no clear explanation given for what happened. This theme ties into larger worries about how aggressively or consistently safety protocols are followed. Some families describe the environment as unsafe for residents who require assistance, noting that the facility's emphasis appears to be more on routine than on proactive, hands-on safety practices. The credibility of these concerns is amplified by the account of a resident being moved abruptly, without a clear discussion of a change in level of care, and by accusations that administrative decisions were motivated by profit rather than caregiving needs.

Oral hygiene and medication management are highlighted as specific problem areas. Several reviews claim mouth hygiene is neglected when residents cannot perform it independently, forcing families to intervene themselves to maintain basic care. Medication administration, described as a paid service in some cases, is said to be inconsistent - "hit or miss" - which raises questions about oversight and the continuity of medical care for residents with memory impairment or more significant care needs. The lack of reliable communication about a resident's condition or changes in care level is seen as a broader pattern that leaves families feeling uninformed and anxious.

Administration and accountability are frequent targets of criticism. Critics say issues related to safety and reporting are not adequately addressed and, in some instances, are allegedly swept under the rug. One particularly stark claim centers on an eviction decision: a Medicare bed resident, a 93-year-old woman in the final stages of Alzheimer's, was reportedly evicted as the facility's business circumstances shifted to accommodate higher-paying clients on a waiting list. The timeline, explanations, and communication around this eviction are described as inconsistent and disturbing, with some reviewers portraying the decision as driven by profit rather than compassionate care. Personal interactions with leadership are also recounted as difficult: the facility manager is described as uncooperative and borderline rude on several occasions, with legal wrangling seemingly becoming part of the conflict rather than resolution.

The mixed experiences extend beyond negative episodes. A subset of reviewers recounts wonderfully positive interactions: caring, friendly staff; clean facilities; and an atmosphere of warmth and joy that makes residents feel comfortable and appreciated. Some families describe encounters with staff members - name presenters like Janice and Kathy - who were professional, compassionate, and willing to assist with arrangements for future placements. There are also stories of long-term satisfaction, with some residents and families feeling that Haywood Lodge met or exceeded their needs for several years, praising the staff's kindness, respect, and the overall environment.

Another recurring thread is communication, or the lack thereof. Several reviews lament poor phone systems, promotional advertisements masquerading as routing, and delays in returning calls or emails from nursing staff, especially in urgent situations. The sense of being left in the dark during emergencies or at critical decision points - such as relocation requests or questions about a resident's well-being - appears to contribute significantly to families' distress. Yet even within these criticisms, there are moments of reassurance where staff responded promptly to specific inquiries or where visits and conversations with certain caregivers provided comfort and clarity.

Taken together, the stories at Haywood Lodge present a facility that can be a decent home when staffing is adequate and attention to safety and communication is consistent, but that can become a source of real anxiety when those conditions are not met. The most compelling message across the reviews is the necessity for meticulous due diligence: speak directly with leadership and caregivers, verify the level and consistency of care for a loved one's specific needs, ask pointed questions about transfer procedures, medication management, and daily hygiene, and scrutinize how changes in care level are communicated and implemented. For some families, Haywood Lodge remains a hopeful option with genuinely caring staff; for others, it represents a cautionary tale of how quickly good intentions can be undermined by gaps in staffing, governance, and accountability.

Parks

• Canton Park (8.6 miles)

Physicians

• Midway Medical Center (9.4 miles)
• Carolina Pediatric Therapy (22.1 miles)
• Frances Warde Family Health (22.1 miles)
• Brevard Orthopaedics (22.2 miles)
• Blue Mountain Medicine (22.3 miles)
• Pineiro Family Practice (22.4 miles)
• Allergy Partners of Western North Carolina (22.5 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church (18.6 miles)
• Grace Baptist Church (21.9 miles)
• Iglesia Oasis De Esperanza Church Of God (22.3 miles)
• New Hope Baptist Church (22.8 miles)
• Biltmore Baptist Church (23.6 miles)
• New French Broad Baptist Church (23.8 miles)
• Mt Moriah Calvert Baptist Church (24.5 miles)

Pharmacies

• Ingles (18.9 miles)
• Walgreens (19.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (20 miles)
• Walgreens (21.9 miles)
• Metcalf Pharmacy (22.2 miles)
• Gordon Family Pharmacy (22.6 miles)
• Brevard Drug Company (22.6 miles)

Restaurants

• Cracker Barrel (20.5 miles)
• Applebee's (20.5 miles)
• Arby's (22 miles)
• Zaxby's (22.1 miles)
• New China Restaurant (22.1 miles)
• Marco Trattoria (22.1 miles)
• Wendy's (22.1 miles)

Cafes

• Pisgah Coffee Roasters (21.6 miles)
• Starbucks (22.1 miles)
• Jordan Street Cafe (22.3 miles)
• Bill's Boiler House (22.4 miles)
• Cup & Saucer (22.4 miles)
• Starbucks (23.6 miles)
• BattleCat Coffee Bar (23.9 miles)

Hospitals

• Mission Childrens Hospital (22.1 miles)
• Transylvania Health System (22.3 miles)
• Highland Hospital (24.9 miles)