Due West Retirement Ctr

Pros

• The lunch was delicious, and the staff and residents were appreciative of visitors.
• The facility has friendly staff and residents, and is quiet and comfortable.
• The Renaissance is a great place with friendly people and experienced cooks.
• The environment has real southern charm and a friendly atmosphere.
• The Renaissance truly cares about its residents, with quick, compassionate, professional staff.
• Residents in Wylie Assisted Living appear well cared for and at home, with daily activities provided by staff and volunteers.
• The dining room staff go beyond expectations to honor residents' needs and preferences.
• The program that connects residents with Erskine students provides fellowship and a sense of being needed.

Cons

• The nurse would not deal with a resident throwing up, and staff claimed it's not their job.
• Do NOT order food delivered for loved ones; the staff will eat it.
• The care for the reviewer's sister is minimal at best - no bed, only a recliner, clothes dirty, and the room a mess; the unfriendly staff could not explain why she was sleeping in a chair.
• Residents are warehoused waiting to die.
• The husband with dementia experienced a disaster; he had not been bathed in a week and was reduced to a whimpering, miserable mess.
• None of the assisted-living staff were smiling; it was a nightmare.

Review

Across these accounts, The Renaissance in Due West and its related independent and assisted living offerings are portrayed as a place of quiet charm and daily humanity, where many residents and families feel welcomed and valued, even as a few hard-edged critiques remind readers that staffing, care consistency, and upkeep are not universal experiences.

Several visitors speak warmly of the atmosphere and daily life. On a recent Friday, a guest enjoyed a fish lunch that was described as delicious, and noted that the staff and residents were very appreciative of visitors. Across other remarks, the facility is repeatedly described as friendly, with residents and staff making visitors feel at home. The common thread is a comfortable, genteel mood - "real southern charm" and a generally relaxing environment where people seem content in the moment and at ease with one another. The surrounding grounds and interior spaces are called nice and clean, contributing to a calm, home-like setting that many reviewers want to return to.

Dining and caregiving are frequent touchstones for praise as well. Several reviewers highlight experienced cooks and well-prepared meals, with the dining room staff going beyond ordinary service to accommodate individual needs and preferences. In one extended reflection, the writer emphasizes that the Renaissance fosters opportunities for spiritual and social activities, and notes that transportation to appointments, shopping, and other events is readily available. There is admiration for the way staff and volunteers integrate residents into broader community life - visits from college students and participation in activities that give residents meaningful interaction and a sense of purpose.

The Renaissance framework also inspires vivid personal stories about life inside the assisted living and independent living areas. One couple talks about living for 16 months in a setting where the quarters are comfortable and attractive, and where the atmosphere is described as quiet and peaceful. They praise the responsiveness and professionalism of staff, the attentive housekeeping, and a team of administrators who appear genuinely invested in residents' well-being. Even more striking is the sense of community fostered by interaction with Erskine College students, including a program that makes residents feel like "adopted grandparents" to a student and creates occasions for mutual exchange and learning. For some, the facility is not only a residence but a connected, nurturing environment where daily life is enriched by routine activities, mobility support, and regular social contact.

Yet the reviews do not gloss over serious concerns raised by some who have entrusted loved ones to this setting. A more cautioned voice laments the cost, noting that for thousands of dollars monthly, residents expect more robust help than what was experienced, with a nurse who reportedly declined to handle a vomiting episode and a general impression that staff were overextended or reluctant to take on certain tasks. There are also pointed critiques from families of residents in assisted living: one sister describes minimal care, a room that failed to meet basic comfort standards (including a recliner instead of a bed and dirty clothes), and staff who were unfriendly or unable to provide satisfactory explanations for the condition of the room. The sentiment expressed is that people deserve better care in their final years, and that some residents seem warehoused rather than genuinely supported. These anecdotes underscore a real tension between the warm, inviting image of the community and the harsher, granular experiences some families faced in practice.

Additional warnings emphasize specific day-to-day service gaps. One review warns against ordering food deliveries for loved ones, alleging staff misconduct in consuming deliveries, which adds another dimension to concerns about operational discipline. A strikingly negative personal case recounts a husband with dementia who was admitted to assisted living and experienced severe neglect - no bathing for a week and limited physical activity, leaving him miserable and diminished until a move to another facility restored vitality and interaction. The absence of smiling faces among staff in that instance stands in sharp relief to the otherwise affectionate portrait of staff?resident relationships described elsewhere.

Taken together, the collection paints a nuanced portrait: The Renaissance and its Due West community can be a place of genuine warmth, reliable social engagement, responsive administration, and satisfying meals, contributing to a sense of home and belonging for many residents and their families. It is also a setting where serious concerns about staffing levels, consistent caregiving, hygiene, and accountability surface in individual experiences. For prospective residents and families, the message is clear and practical: the environment may offer significant strengths - friendliness, community integration, good food, and a peaceful, pleasant atmosphere - but it is important to conduct thorough, up-front conversations about staffing ratios, care expectations, and the specifics of what is promised versus what is delivered, so that a resident's needs and safety are fully understood and addressed.

Places of Worship

• Due West Baptist Church (0.1 miles)
• New Hope Baptist Church (0.5 miles)
• Due West Arp Church (0.6 miles)
• St Mary's Baptist Church (0.6 miles)
• Due West Arp Church Manse (0.8 miles)
• Mt Lebanon Ame Church (1.5 miles)
• Bethlehem Arp Church (2.6 miles)

Parks

• Erskine College-Due West Historic District (0.3 miles)
• Dogwood Park (7.9 miles)
• Greenwood County Parks Department (9.8 miles)
• Pitts Park (10.3 miles)

Restaurants

• The Dinky On Main (0.4 miles)
• El Quixote (0.4 miles)
• Subway (0.4 miles)
• Lou & Perry's II (4 miles)
• Mike & Rays (7.8 miles)
• Grits and Groceries (7.9 miles)
• Lou & Perry's (8.5 miles)

Physicians

• Due West Family Medicine (0.6 miles)
• Anmed Health Honea Path Family Medicine (7.9 miles)
• Ware Shoals Family Practice (9.9 miles)
• Carolina Health Center (9.9 miles)
• Ware Shoals Center For Family Medicine (10.3 miles)
• Abbeville Ent Center (11.3 miles)
• Abbeville Internal Medicine (11.5 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (8 miles)
• Fred's Pharmacy (8 miles)
• West End Drugs (9.7 miles)
• Savitz Drug Store (11.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (11.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (13.5 miles)
• Carolina Community Pharmacy NW (14.3 miles)

Cafes

• Little Biscuit Barn (8.4 miles)
• Starbucks (14.8 miles)

Transportation

• U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer (9.6 miles)

Hospitals

• Abbeville Area Medical Center (10.5 miles)
• DaVita Abbeville Dialysis (11.7 miles)
• Abbeville County Memorial Hospital (11.9 miles)
• Abbeville Area Medical Center (11.9 miles)
• Abbeville County Memorial Hospital (12 miles)
• Patrick B Harris Psychiatric Hospital (14.1 miles)

Theaters

• Abbeville Opera House (10.5 miles)