Dew's Rest Home Inc

Pros

• The facility is well established in the community with long-tenured staff.
• The staff speaks to residents in a respectful, helpful, and compassionate manner.
• Long-tenured staff provide stability, with residents cared for by people who truly know and understand them.
• The facility is newly renovated with dedicated staff and management working to provide outstanding senior care.
• The facility is fantastic, with knowledgeable staff delivering quality care and compassionate support.
• Care at Wilson House is described as awesome, with staff displaying smiling faces.
• The community has been updated with fresh paint, modern furniture, beautiful artwork, and offers very affordable rates.

Cons

• They allege the facility failed to inform them that their father tested positive for COVID.
• They state their father became severely dehydrated and malnourished, while staff claimed he was eating and drinking normally.
• They describe the memory care floor as understaffed, with only one med tech for the entire floor and insufficient aides.
• They report missing personal items after their father's death (quilt and glasses) and say none were returned despite repeated calls.
• They criticize management, noting the director rarely interacts with residents and staff and appears unresponsive.
• They claim ongoing theft and privacy breaches, with clothes and shoes stolen, belongings moved between rooms, and information shared with non-family members.
• They allege dirty conditions, roaches in the facility, and overall poor upkeep.

Review

The Wilson House in Wilson, NC presents a complex picture. On one hand, several reviewers describe an updated, well-established community with long-tenured staff and genuine, respectful interactions. A recent tour, led by a staff member named Amanda, showcased staff who spoke to residents with care, clarity, and courtesy. The sentiment here is that when care staff know the residents well - thanks to years of service and continuity - the residents benefit from a familiarity that translates into more attentive, compassionate daily routines. Multiple accounts highlight that stability in staffing can be a real asset, with residents being cared for by people who seemingly understand their needs and histories.

Alongside these positive notes, other reviewers have consistently praised aspects of the facility that reflect a strong commitment to improvement and resident well-being. Several reviews point to the facility's ongoing renovations and updates, including fresh paint, modern furniture, and artwork that brighten the environment. Testimonials speak to dedicated staff and management working hard to provide quality senior care, with several residents and families noting that the care feels knowledgeable and compassionate. For some families, the facility's location and perceived affordability are strong positives as well, with reviews touting competitive rates and an atmosphere that feels welcoming and approachable.

Yet beneath these favorable impressions lies a troubling and highly critical thread. A mother's and daughter's experience with a loved one in the memory unit paints a stark contrast to the more positive testimonials. They recount that their father, an 84-year-old with significant dementia, contracted COVID in October. They say they were never informed about his infection; the family only learned of it from a note posted on the front door. Over two weeks, they allege, there was a lack of transparency about his intake of fluids and food, despite the patient's advanced age and frailty. The family claims that, when he was eventually sent to the hospital, the staff's reporting of his condition - high blood pressure, "blown pupils," dehydration, malnutrition, and a rapid decline - was not aligned with what the family observed. The father ultimately died in hospice after a rapid deterioration that the family attributes to neglect, poor monitoring, and insufficient communication.

Further amplifying concerns about safety and care, the same reviewers allege systemic staffing issues on the memory unit. They describe having seen only one med tech assigned to an entire floor at times, with insufficient aides to monitor residents adequately. They also report missing personal items - like a quilt and glasses - that were not returned, despite repeated calls. The impression left is one of a facility struggling with communication gaps at the administrative level, especially around health events and daily care decisions. Donna, identified as the facility's director, is described as rarely leaving her office, with critics arguing that such detachment makes it difficult for families to feel heard or reassured during crises.

The concerns don't stop at medical emergencies or administrative distance. A broader atmosphere of safety and privacy worries is echoed by other reviewers. There are accounts of clothing and shoes being stolen, with a steady need to replace items weekly. Reviewers claim that residents' clothes appear in others' rooms, and that private rooms are sometimes accessed by other residents for clothing or personal items. Privacy and dignity appear to be inconsistent issues, with claims that residents walk into rooms or use bathrooms within private rooms, and that staff sometimes do not respond promptly to needs or requests. Some reviewers say meals are not brought to residents unless they actively go to the dining room, while others note that residents may receive only a few snacks and drinks daily, with some items going missing.

A cluster of reviews also focuses on management style and consistency. One review highlights a perception that the executive director, Stephanie, is difficult to reach and unresponsive, suggesting that unmet expectations and failed communications undermine trust. Another reviewer echoes the sentiment that "the adage: the anointing flows from the top" rings true: when leadership is perceived as cold or distant, it is difficult for the rest of the organization to consistently deliver warm, responsive care. There are also references to prior pest issues - roaches reported about a year ago - and concerns that those problems were not fully resolved, raising questions about cleanliness and infection control.

In addition to these harsher assessments, several reviewers still offer balanced or positive remarks about the facility's environment and staff. Some praise the newly renovated spaces, the sense of a caring community, and the presence of friendly, smiling staff members when observing care in action. A few reviewers describe the facility as having "outstanding senior care" and "compassionate support," and others reiterate that staff members are kind and dedicated, with residents appearing to be well cared for by those who know them well. The repeated contrast between praise for staff dedication and criticism of management or specific incidents creates a nuanced, if unsettled, overall impression.

What to take away from this mixed picture is that Wilson House has strengths worth recognizing: a long-standing, potentially stable caregiving environment, ongoing renovations and updates, and staff who are described as caring and respectful in day-to-day interactions. At the same time, the facility faces serious, deeply felt concerns about communication, transparency, safety, and accountability - issues that culminated in a particularly grave, unresolved family experience surrounding a loved one's decline and death in memory care. Prospective families or partners in care should weigh these elements carefully: request direct conversations with administrative leadership, inquire about staffing ratios and qualifications, seek clarity on infection prevention and hydration protocols, and ask for recent incident reports and patient-family communication policies. If opting to engage with Wilson House, it would be prudent to visit with questions in hand, tour memory care spaces, and speak with multiple families currently using the facility to form a balanced view that reflects both the commendable care seen on the floor and the serious concerns voiced by others.

This part of Wilson, North Carolina boasts reputable healthcare services for individuals of all ages, including Growing Child Pediatrics for pediatric care and nearby pharmacies such as Walgreens and Glaxosmithkline for convenient access to medications. The proximity to these medical facilities may provide peace of mind for older adults considering senior living in the area, ensuring that quality healthcare is easily accessible. Additionally, the presence of these healthcare providers suggests a focus on wellness and community health within the neighborhood.

Physicians

• Growing Child Pediatrics (24.3 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (24.5 miles)
• Glaxosmithkline (25 miles)