Hearthstone Alzheimer's Care - Palisades

Pros

• The Esplanade at Palisades is described as a beautiful, warm, and welcoming place.
• Dasani explained the benefits of care and activities exceptionally well.
• Residents seemed comfortable and relaxed, and the facility was very clean.
• Shavon is considered a "G-d send" and highly valued for her care and leadership.
• The new director's leadership is attentive and compassionate, setting a positive tone.
• Staff were amazing, accommodating, and went above and beyond to help residents feel welcomed and settled.
• Dahian Caba is praised for going above and beyond and treating residents as family.
• The staff accommodated Hospice in the mother's apartment, allowing her to remain at home.

Cons

• The Esplanade claimed to be equipped to handle Lewy Body Dementia but allegedly was not.
• They advertised a memory care unit that seemed like false advertising.
• Staff videotaped, chastised, and laughed at a distressed resident instead of offering dignity and empathy.
• They allegedly claimed bed bugs, moved the resident to another room, and left him alone for hours, during which he fell, with no prompt family notification or accountability.
• The facility is not equipped for Lewy Body dementia or other extreme forms of dementia.
• Medications were mismanaged for the first two months; hygiene appointments were missed; meals were late.
• Aides were reportedly untrained and filmed themselves ridiculing residents.
• The director allegedly yelled at family members when questions were raised.
• Handling of the pandemic was negligent, with failure to notify families about illness and reports of staff hosting a party during the height of the pandemic.
• A grandmother died due to negligent care, with inadequate timely treatment and poor communication.
• Sales staff were described as not educated in healthcare and willing to accept residents with dementia without proper assessment.
• Medical coverage was implied to be insufficient (Dr on site only five days a week).

Review

The Esplanade at Palisades emerges in these accounts as a community that can feel wonderfully warm, welcoming, and well kept, especially to visitors who are considering it for a loved one. Several reviewers describe the environment as clean and comfortable, with staff who make an effort to explain the benefits, activities, and overall care landscape. One visitor recalls a very positive introductory experience led by a young lady named Dasani, who outlined the many amenities and care options, leaving the impression that residents are comfortable and that the facility is well maintained. For those seeking a homey, approachable atmosphere, the initial impressions left by this review group are reassuring and hopeful.

Beyond those first impressions, multiple reviews celebrate specific staff members and leadership as key factors in a positive day-to-day experience. Dahian Caba, referred to as the director of Home Health Aides, is repeatedly highlighted for going above and beyond. Family members describe her as incredibly attentive, compassionate, and central to creating a tone where residents feel welcome and respected. In one narrative, the presence of a strong, caring leadership figure helps families feel that their loved ones are not just cared for in a clinical sense, but treated with genuine kindness and humanity. The impression given is that her leadership sets a constructive tone that resonates through the entire staff, contributing to a sense of stability during transitions and everyday routines.

There are also deeply appreciative notes about long-term residents and the care they received over extended stays. One reviewer recounts a mother who was a resident for twelve years, noting that despite changes in ownership or management, the personal level of care never wavered right up to her final days. The claim is that the Esplanade provided a consistent, compassionate atmosphere that allowed the mother to inhabit a sense of home, with gratitude directed toward the caregivers who treated her with dignity and respect. Such testimonials emphasize continuity of care and a steady commitment to family-centered support, even as the facility experiences the typical churn that accompanies management transitions.

Individual staff members appear again in these stories as particularly meaningful to families. Shavon, described by a reviewer as "the whole package" and a "G-d send," is praised for her impact on the experience of caring for a loved one. The writer frames Shavon as a guardian angel in the process of moving a father into a new home, noting that other residents share the same sentiment. The sentiment is one of gratitude for a staff member who communicates clearly, remains approachable, and helps families feel confident that their loved one will be treated with respect and consideration within the Esplanade's walls. Even from a business perspective, the writer highlights Shavon's value, underscoring the overall sense that the facility benefits from her presence.

Yet, amid the positive notes, the reviews also present a stark cautionary counterpoint. A detailed warning centers on the facility's ability to care for loved ones with Lewy Body Dementia or other advanced forms of dementia. The reviewer claims that The Esplanade was not equipped to handle such conditions, despite assertions that a memory care unit was in development. The allegation is that these promises amounted to false advertising, and that the promised specialized care never materialized. The most troubling element cited is the reported behavior of staff during a distressing episode: the reviewer asserts that rather than offering dignified, compassionate support, staff videotaped, chastised, and laughed at a vulnerable elder in underwear. According to this account, the distressing incident was witnessed by the reviewer's family only via video, which the reviewer says proves the unprofessional and cruel nature of the treatment.

Further accusations describe a sequence in which bed bugs were allegedly claimed in the patient's room for relocation, yet the reviewer saw no concrete evidence of such pests. The patient was moved to another room and left unattended for hours, during which he reportedly fell. The reviewer states there was no prompt notification to the family or clear accountability afterward. The combination of claimed mismanagement, inadequate supervision, and a blurring of lines between care and public ridicule contributes to a strong warning to families who are considering this facility for anyone with complex dementia needs.

Additional accounts touch on broader concerns about care quality and management practices. In another narrative, the family asserts that medications, therapies (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychology), and hygiene services were inconsistently delivered or mismanaged in the early months of a loved one's stay. The reviewer claims the staff did not provide timely hygiene assistance, missed meal times, and did not show adequate planning or accountability, culminating in a serious injury that required hospitalization after a fall. The account also describes a troubling incident involving staff using personal phones to video and publicly ridicule a resident, raising questions about staff training and professionalism in sensitive moments.

The most emotionally charged portions of these reviews relate to experiences during the COVID era. One grandmother's story describes a cascading set of failures: contracting COVID after a staff-hosted party during the height of the pandemic, insufficient notification of families, delayed recognition and treatment, and a sense that communication and responsiveness deteriorated during a critical period. The reviewer recalls a contentious interaction with the facility's leadership, mentioning a director's heated response and a sense of regret that lingers long after the events. The overall takeaway is a sense of heartbreak and concern about how emergencies were handled and how families were kept informed when a loved one's health was at risk.

Nevertheless, some reviews acknowledge improvement and ongoing care quality in more recent times. The narrative about a new director and strengthened leadership suggests a shift toward better communication and added attentiveness. Other reviewers continue to point to the Esplanade as a place where residents can feel supported - where staff members are friendly, patient, and caring in their day-to-day interactions, and where families can find reassurance through consistent, compassionate engagement. For these supporters, the Esplanade remains a place where a loved one can be treated with respect and given a sense of belonging, even if the facility has not escaped criticism from others.

Taken together, these reviews paint a spectrum of experiences at The Esplanade at Palisades. For some families, it is a warm, clean, and caring environment where compassionate staff and thoughtful leadership foster a sense of home and belonging. For others, particularly those seeking dementia-specific care, it is a place where serious concerns about specialized care, safety, dignity, and accountability have been raised. The contrast underscores the importance for prospective families to conduct thorough due diligence, including direct conversations with care teams, explicit questions about dementia capable programming, medication management practices, incident reporting and accountability, infection control policies, and a clear plan for emergencies. In the end, the Esplanade appears to be a community of strong, dedicated individuals who can deliver exceptional warmth and support for some residents, while also facing challenges that have caused real distress and alarm for others.

Parks

• Tallman Mountain State Park (0.5 miles)
• Piermont Pier (1.9 miles)
• Uniontown Playground (3.4 miles)
• Hart's Brook Park & Preserve (6.1 miles)
• Nyack Beach State Park (7.4 miles)
• Rockefeller State Park Preserve (8.1 miles)
• Riverdale Park (8.2 miles)

Restaurants

• The 9W Market (0.5 miles)
• The Filling Station (0.5 miles)
• Hudson Social (2.3 miles)
• Harvest on Hudson (2.3 miles)
• Brrzaar (3.2 miles)
• Goosefeather (4.3 miles)
• Barley On The Hudson (5.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (4.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (4.7 miles)
• Walgreens (5.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.5 miles)

Transportation

• Metro North - Dobbs Ferry Train Station (2.3 miles)
• Metro North - Tarrytown Train Station (5.3 miles)
• Metro North - Hartsdale Train Station (6.6 miles)
• Metro North - Bronxville Train Station (6.9 miles)
• Metro North - Riverdale Station (7.6 miles)
• Bus Stop (8.3 miles)
• Metro North - Mt Vernon East Train Station (8.5 miles)

Physicians

• Northeast Orthopedics & Sports Medicine - Orangeburg (2.6 miles)
• Orangetown Pediatric Associates (2.7 miles)
• Babra Saeed (4 miles)
• Medical Arts Building (5 miles)
• Kayal Orthopedic - Westwood (5.2 miles)
• Park Medical Group PA (5.9 miles)
• ENT and Allergy Associates (6.1 miles)

Cafes

• Art Cafe Of Nyack (5.1 miles)
• Boxer Donut & Espresso Bar (5.4 miles)
• Coffee Labs Roasters (5.5 miles)
• Starbucks (5.5 miles)
• Starbucks (6.2 miles)
• Starbucks (6.4 miles)
• Starbucks (6.4 miles)

Hospitals

• Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center (5.2 miles)
• White Plains Hospital (8 miles)

Theaters

• Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers (5.6 miles)
• AMC Palisades 21 (6 miles)
• Nanuet STM 12 & RPX (7.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (6.1 miles)
• The Riverdale Minyan (8.5 miles)