Heartland Health Care Center -Kendall

Pros

• The nursing staff are exceptional, compassionate, and attentive to residents' needs.
• The entire team works professionally and with dedication to residents' wellbeing.
• The therapy and wound-care teams are top-notch, providing skilled, thorough, and supportive care.
• The Director of Nursing and administration are praised for compassionate leadership and improvements in care quality.
• Family members express gratitude for warm welcomes, kindness, and personal attention from staff.
• The facility is described as clean, well-maintained, and conducive to recovery.
• On-time medication administration and careful monitoring give families peace of mind.
• Individual staff members, such as wound-care specialists, are recognized for their expertise and caring approach.

Cons

• The Kendall NSPIRE facility is described as a dump with unsafe flooring and old, rusted furniture.
• The staff are portrayed as underqualified and careless, with long delays in responding to call lights.
• A reviewer alleges a patient was abandoned in bed and developed pneumonia due to staff negligence.
• Numerous accounts describe unsanitary conditions: strong urine odor, dirty rooms, mold, and roaches.
• There are reports of patients lacking bed rails and experiencing falls.
• The phone system is said to be a disaster, making it hard to reach nurses or obtain information.
• The food is described as terrible or spoiled.
• Language barriers are cited, with staff not speaking English and poor communication.
• Some reviews claim neglect or inadequate rehab, contributing to deteriorating health or death.
• The facility is accused of lacking integrity and should be shut down.

Review

This community is best suited for families that prioritize strong skilled-nursing care and proven rehab outcomes, especially after surgery, stroke, or a significant injury. The center consistently earns praise for its nursing leadership and the dedication of frontline staff, with particular admiration for the director of nursing and the team that administers medications on time. For short- and medium-term rehabilitation, residents often make solid progress under attentive therapists who understand how to push safely. The wound-care capability and rehab-focused routines are a clear strength. That said, the overall experience hinges on reliable staffing and clean, well-maintained environments; when those basics wobble, even excellent clinical care can feel undermined.

Those who value pristine cleanliness, modern amenities, and consistently smooth operations may want to consider alternatives. Across numerous accounts, cleanliness and maintenance are a recurring concern, with reports of odors, dated furnishings, and rooms that feel worn. Communication infrastructure also emerges as a weak point - lines of contact to nurses or doctors can be inconsistent, and call-bell responsiveness is not uniformly reliable. For families seeking a facility with flawless daily operations, minimal upkeep concerns, and unwavering accessibility to staff, the inconsistencies documented in several reviews argue for looking at other options where housekeeping, safety features, and administrative responsiveness are more reliably managed.

The key pros - compassionate nursing, timely medication administration, and robust rehab - often offset the main cons when staffing is stable and teamwork is strong. Families repeatedly highlight attentive nurses, responsive CNAs, and a therapy program that yields tangible mobility gains. When the DON and therapy teams are cohesive and discharge planning is proactive, residents experience meaningful improvements and families feel reassured by coordinated care. However, these advantages are not universal. In shifts or floors where staffing is stretched, the same strengths can deteriorate into delayed help, inconsistent rehab time, and gaps in basic patient comfort, making the environment feel less safe and less supportive overall.

Therapy quality and medical management frequently determine the stay's trajectory. Instances where therapists tailor plans, nurses administer meds punctually, and wound-care specialists work daily translate into quicker, more confident recoveries. The strongest testimonials come from stroke or post-operative recoveries where care teams communicate well and doctors visit regularly to adjust plans. Conversely, several negative narratives center on insufficient rehab time, missed rounds, and lapses in monitoring that can lead to avoidable setbacks. The contrast underscores that rehab excellence exists here, but only where staffing levels and day-to-day routines meet patient needs consistently.

Environment and logistics present a mixed picture. Some families report clean, well-organized, rehab-friendly spaces and a calm atmosphere that supports recovery. Others recount odors, mold, rust, and furniture that looks decades old, with guardrails or safety features inadequately addressed. The dining and room environments vary as well, with occasional praise for meals and other times critiques of quality and ambiance. Communication remains a recurring thread - sometimes responsive, other times frustratingly slow or unreliable. Management changes have produced improvements in some cases, suggesting that leadership commitment can uplift the experience, but not uniformly across all units or shifts.

In deciding, families should anchor their choice in how they balance clinical excellence with day-to-day reliability. If rehabilitation success, compassionate bedside care, and timely med administration are non-negotiables, NSPIRE Kendall can deliver strong outcomes - provided the staffing level is sufficient and daily operations are consistently executed. Prospective residents should actively verify current rehab hours, nurse-to-patient ratios, and the cadence of physician rounds. If cleanliness, updated facilities, and predictable administrative performance are essential, broaden the search to centers with demonstrated strengths in those areas. A meticulous on-site tour during typical activity periods, direct conversations with the DON, and candid references from current families will illuminate whether this community truly fits the long-term care or rehab needs at hand.

This part of Kendall, Florida, offers a variety of amenities that may appeal to seniors considering this area for living. With multiple cafes such as Panera Bread and Moulin Rose Cake & Bakery Shop, there are plenty of options for dining and socializing. Nearby restaurants like El Rinconcito Latino and Flanigan's Seafood Bar & Grill provide convenient dining options. There are also several pharmacies in close proximity, making it easy to access necessary medications. The area boasts several parks including Hammocks Park and Westwind Lakes Park, providing opportunities for outdoor recreation and relaxation. Places of worship such as King Jesus Ministry and St Louis Catholic Church offer spiritual support for residents. For medical needs, there are physicians at UM Sylvester/Physicians at Kendall and Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute nearby, as well as hospitals like Jackson South Medical Center within a short distance. Overall, this part of Kendall provides a mix of conveniences and services that can enhance the quality of life for seniors looking to settle in the area.

Cafes

• Panera Bread (0.4 miles)
• Moulin Rose Cake & Bakery Shop (4.3 miles)
• Panera Bread (5.8 miles)
• Nespresso Boutique at Macy's (6.4 miles)
• Panera Bread (6.5 miles)

Restaurants

• El Rinconcito Latino (0.4 miles)
• Flanigan's Seafood Bar & Grill (1 miles)
• IHOP (1.1 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (1.6 miles)
• Sergio's London Square (1.6 miles)
• Burger King (1.9 miles)
• La Carreta (2 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (0.4 miles)
• Navarro Discount Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.9 miles)
• Walgreens (2.6 miles)
• Walgreens (2.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.7 miles)

Parks

• Hammocks Park (1.3 miles)
• Kendall Hammocks Park (1.5 miles)
• Westwind Lakes Park (2.2 miles)
• Millers Pond Park (2.9 miles)
• Kendall Indian Hammocks County Park (3 miles)
• Chuck Pezoldt Park (3.9 miles)
• Southern Estates Park (4.5 miles)

Places of Worship

• King Jesus Ministry (3.1 miles)
• Bible Truth Chapel (4.4 miles)
• Christ Fellowship Church (6.6 miles)
• St Louis Catholic Church (6.7 miles)
• St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (6.8 miles)

Physicians

• UM Sylvester/Physicians at Kendall (4.1 miles)
• Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute (4.8 miles)
• Valdes Rafael DDS (5.3 miles)

Hospitals

• Jackson South Medical Center (5.6 miles)
• Jackson South Community Hospital (5.6 miles)