Ganton's Countryside Retire

Pros

• They were impressed with their dad's care, noting the facility is clean, the food is good, and the staff seem to truly care.
• The staff were super polite, courteous, helpful, and compassionate, and the family was very happy with their experience there.
• Residents were not neglected and were treated with respect.
• The uncle's family described a great experience, with staff who were always courteous and kind.
• The Manor is a great place with great staff and a wonderful building manager.
• The facility was described as beautiful and very clean, and one mother was very happy there.
• Rehab staff were polite, courteous, and very helpful.
• For long-distance families, the staff were understanding and helpful.

Cons

• The facility doesn't care about its employees.
• The place is a joke and doesn't know how to perform proper COVID testing.
• It is a very disappointing experience.
• There is not enough staff most days.
• Residents are not allowed enough time outside.
• Smoking is prohibited on the property even outdoors.
• The food causes digestive upset.
• Residents are cooped up in their rooms for too long.
• A cousin was severely neglected, leading to hospitalization and sepsis.
• A nurse reportedly wouldn't even send her dog to the facility.
• The manor is very unprofessional due to poor training.
• There are only a couple of great staff on the first shift; the rest are lacking.
• Staff have yelled at dementia patients.
• Dentures disappeared and teeth were not cleaned daily.
• Promised activities are not provided; exercises are not considered activities.
• Billing was charged for half the month despite the resident living only eight hours.
• There was no communication from staff or upper management.
• The facility received no stars and is described as a poor care facility.
• Rehab care is prioritized for profit while other areas receive minimal care.

Review

The collection of experiences surrounding John Ganton's Countryside Retirement Community and its related properties paints a complex and often contradictory picture. Across multiple facilities and stories, residents' families describe moments of genuine care and kindness that stand in stark contrast to alarming reports of neglect, poor communication, and organizational shortcomings. The overall sense is not uniform; some families speak highly of the atmosphere, cleanliness, and attentive staff, while others recount distressing incidents that have left lasting worry about safety and quality of care.

On the more favorable side, several families highlight bright spots in the Countryside community. One reviewer praised the memory care unit for being clean, well-kept, and aesthetically pleasing, with staff who seemed to truly care about their residents. They emphasized how their father always looked well-cared-for, the food was satisfactory, and the staff's compassion stood out. In other accounts, relatives described positive experiences with loved ones who moved through rehab or memory care, noting courteous, helpful staff who treated residents with respect. A family member who relied on long-distance caregiving appreciated the staff's responsiveness, kindness, and the overall quality of the facility during their uncle's time there, even as the uncle faced decline. Another reviewer described a separate family experience in which a parent or relative received compassionate, patient-centered care during rehab and in later years, with staff showing courtesy and attentiveness.

But alongside these affirmations, there are equally forceful and troubling criticisms that cannot be ignored. A particularly severe account concerns a cousin placed in a Ganton facility who allegedly suffered extreme neglect, including a urinal with a hole, urine spilled on the bed, and being left lying in soiled conditions. The account goes further to report a hospitalization and sepsis, culminating in a nurse allegedly expressing strong disapproval of the facility's standards. Such vivid allegations have led this reviewer to advise others strongly against placing a loved one in these facilities, underscoring a fear that neglect and substandard care can occur and may be overlooked by staff at times.

The Manor, one of the Ganton properties, is described by some as a great place with exemplary staff and a capable building manager, suggesting a positive, well-run environment for certain residents. Yet other comments about The Manor and the broader Ganton network tell a different story: a lack of timely communication, unanswered calls, and a perception that rehab priorities trump ongoing care, with family members feeling left out of the loop. The sense of disconnect between families, residents, and management emerges repeatedly, highlighting how essential transparent communication and accountable leadership are to quality care in these settings.

Within the Brightside Assisted Memory Care branch, concerns center on day-to-day care and behavior from staff. A caregiver describes a decline from when the staff were reportedly caring to more troubling behavior, including blocking a resident from leaving a room, yelling at dementia patients, and a lack of consistent attentiveness beyond a few dedicated first-shift workers. There are also practical and logistical issues raised, such as dentures going missing, insufficient daily dental care, and limited or improvised activities amid budget constraints. Financial friction is noted, including a distressing claim about being charged for half of a month after a loved one had died, which compounds the emotional strain of caregiving with financial worries.

Across all accounts, certain recurring themes emerge: staffing levels and training gaps, inconsistent quality of care across different units or shifts, and the tension between the desire to provide compassionate, person-centered care and the realities of resource limitations and administrative constraints. Other frequent topics include cautious critiques of COVID testing practices, restrictive outdoor policies that limit residents' freedom, smoking restrictions, and dietary or medical issues that residents and families feel have not been adequately addressed. The perceived gaps in communication - between staff, management, and families - often appear as a bottleneck that can amplify concerns about safety and well-being.

Taken together, these testimonials present a nuanced portrait of John Ganton's network. Some families experience warm, respectful, and attentive care that leaves them grateful and reassured, while others encounter what they see as neglect, miscommunication, and administrative lapses that seriously shake their confidence in the facilities. The common thread is that outcomes seem to depend heavily on the specific unit, staff on duty, and perhaps the particular manager or care philosophy operating in a given location at a given time. For anyone considering placement, these accounts underscore the importance of thorough, on-site evaluation, direct conversations with frontline caregivers, and careful scrutiny of policies, oversight, and accountability measures to ensure alignment with a loved one's needs and expectations.

In the end, the memories shared here reflect a spectrum of experiences - moments of genuine care and dignity set beside episodes of perceived neglect and frustration. Many families are grateful for the kindness and cleanliness they encountered, while others warn that critical failures - whether in staffing, communication, or accountability - have had serious consequences. The takeaway is clear: while there can be meaningful, humane care within the Ganton family of facilities, potential residents and their families should approach with diligence, ask pointed questions about staffing and training, observe care practices firsthand, and verify that current policies and leadership align with the level of care their loved ones deserve.

Pharmacies

• Good Neighbor Pharmacy (0.1 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.5 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (1.9 miles)
• Brown's Pharmacy (2.1 miles)
• Red Cap Pharmacy (2.3 miles)
• Brown's Professional Services (2.3 miles)
• Welcome Pharmacies (2.4 miles)

Physicians

• Cardon Stephanie Cardon Sorrow Jackson (0.4 miles)
• Cascades Urology PC (0.5 miles)
• Walter Korytowsky MD (0.6 miles)
• Henry Ford Allegiance Plastic Surgery (0.6 miles)
• Dr Jones (0.6 miles)
• Springcrest Family Physicians, PC (0.9 miles)
• Dermatology & Skin Surgery Center (1.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Allegiance Family Health- Dr Ferguson (0.6 miles)
• Allegiance Health (1.4 miles)
• Allegiance Health (1.9 miles)
• W. A. Foote Memorial Hospital (2.2 miles)
• Allegiance Health (2.6 miles)

Parks

• Cascades Falls (1.5 miles)
• Ella Sharp Park Rotunda (2.7 miles)

Restaurants

• Cascades Ice Cream Company (1.5 miles)
• Ironbark Brewing Company (1.5 miles)
• Jimmy John's (1.5 miles)
• Subway (1.6 miles)
• Los Tres Amigos (1.6 miles)
• Mancino's of Jackson (1.6 miles)
• McDonald's (1.6 miles)

Places of Worship

• Cascades Baptist Church (1.8 miles)
• 1208 Greenwood Free Methodist Church (2.4 miles)
• Comunidad Agua Viva Free Methodist (2.4 miles)

Cafes

• Biggby Coffee (2.5 miles)
• Biggby Coffee (2.6 miles)