Westwood of Niles

Pros

• The staff are friendly and attentive to the residents.
• West Woods of Niles is described as a great place to work, with friendly, attentive staff and prompt management.
• The staff love their job and enjoy meeting new residents and employees.
• The CNAs are very helpful and the nurses are highly regarded for their care.
• The activities staff are wonderful and keep residents engaged with meaningful activities.
• There is a strong sense of community and a welcoming atmosphere.
• Families report great care and support from staff at all levels.
• The care is excellent, with kind and compassionate staff providing helpful information to families.
• The facility is clean, well maintained, and pleasant to visit.
• The staff are dedicated and caring, often going above and beyond.
• Individual staff members are highlighted for exceptional care and compassion (e.g., Sarah).

Cons

• The staff delivered the wrong food to a resident, did not perform the Heimlich maneuver, and none of the staff tried to save her.
• The staff failed to provide timely assistance and did not respond to call buttons, letting residents lie in pain.
• The facility is severely understaffed and has non-existent security.
• The care is described as absolutely terrible, with staff attitudes deemed unprofessional and cruel.
• They allege the facility takes advantage of the elderly to collect pension checks.
• A resident waited hours for bathroom assistance, and the food was horrible.
• The Clinical Coordinators are incompetent and lie to patients.

Review

Westwood of Niles is best suited for families seeking a warm, community-driven environment where daily life centers on connection, activity, and tangible personal attention from care teams. This facility tends to resonate with residents and families who value a homey, personable atmosphere, clear affection from nurses, CNAs, and activity staff, and a rehabilitation track that emphasizes meaningful engagement alongside medical care. It can feel like a place where staff know residents by name, celebrate small moments, and create a sense of belonging. Those who want a lively social calendar and a sense of "being among family" will likely find Westwood attractive.

However, those with residents who require very predictable, high-intensity medical oversight or who insist on rock-solid administration should proceed with caution. The reviews present a bifurcated picture: while many praise kindness, responsiveness, and long-tenured staff, others raise serious concerns about staffing levels, leadership stability, and safety. Critics describe long wait times for help, inconsistent supervision, and in some cases allegations of neglect or unprofessional conduct. The combination of strong personal warmth and occasional operational fragility means this community can deliver great days alongside very difficult ones, depending largely on frontline staffing and leadership at any given time.

On the positive side, the pros frequently cited include friendly, attentive staff who treat residents like family, a robust activity program, and a welcoming, clean environment. Residents and families repeatedly note that nurses and CNAs provide meaningful support, therapy teams deliver effective rehab experiences, and activities staff generate purpose-filled days - often extending care beyond the basics, such as helping with plants or providing small, meaningful rituals that uplift mood. Several accounts highlight long-term staff members who know residents well, contributing continuity of care and a familiar rhythm to daily life. For families, this translates into trust that a loved one is in a kind, engaged community that values dignity and personal preferences.

Yet the cons presented in the reviews are not negligible and, in aggregate, they temper the otherwise favorable impressions. A recurring thread centers on understaffing and incompatible leadership dynamics - instances where response times lag, or where residents and families feel their concerns do not gain timely or adequate attention. A handful of reviewers recount extreme lapses in safety and professionalism, including allegations of mismanaged medical events, unresponsive staff during emergencies, and accusations that some personnel lack the required accountability. Food quality is not universally praised, and some families describe the environment as lacking secure oversight or consistent administrative direction. Taken together, these red flags suggest that while the facility can be a loving home, it can also suffer from serious risk factors that families must weigh carefully.

When deciding, the decisive factor rests on a resident's medical complexity and the family's tolerance for variability in staffing and leadership. If a elder requires steady, highly responsive care and a facility with unwavering administrative consistency, Westwood of Niles may not reliably meet that standard every day, according to several reviews. For a resident who thrives on social engagement, enjoys a well-structured activity calendar, and benefits from a genuinely caring frontline team, this community can deliver meaningful quality of life and satisfactory rehab outcomes. The key is to visit with eyes wide open, test the pulse of frontline staff, and probe leadership stability before committing.

Practical next steps for families: conduct a candid tour focused on care delivery in real time - request to speak with the administrator, director of nursing, and a supervising clinician; observe call-button response times during peak hours; review current staffing levels and turnover; ask to see recent state inspection results and any plans for improvement. Talk to multiple residents and their families about daily routines, meal quality, and how emergencies were handled. If the goal is consistent medical oversight and predictable operations, compare Westwood of Niles with nearby options that emphasize rigorous staffing ratios and transparent leadership. If the goal is a warm, engaged community with strong personal connections, Westwood can be a strong fit - provided diligence during evaluation aligns expectations with the realities reflected in the mix of reviews.

Parks

• St Patrick's County Park (1.1 miles)
• Fulkerson Park (1.5 miles)
• Riverfront Park (4.8 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1.2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.2 miles)
• Walgreens (3.4 miles)
• Walgreens (4 miles)
• Beacon Home Care (4.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (4.5 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (4.7 miles)

Hospitals

• Clear Choice Adult Day (2.1 miles)
• Healthwin Specialized Care (2.3 miles)
• Allied Physicians Surgery Center (4.2 miles)
• Saint Joseph Reg Med Center (4.2 miles)
• Lakeland Hospital - Radiology (4.6 miles)
• Lakeland Hospital (4.6 miles)
• Lake Region Medical Center (4.7 miles)

Places of Worship

• Christ the King Catholic Church (2.1 miles)
• The Grotto (4.1 miles)
• Basilica of the Sacred Heart (4.1 miles)
• Islamic Society of Michiana (4.8 miles)
• Granger Community Church (4.8 miles)

Restaurants

• Wings Etc (2.2 miles)
• McDonald's (2.4 miles)
• Culver's (2.5 miles)
• McDonald's (3.3 miles)
• Bob Evans (3.3 miles)
• Culver's (3.4 miles)
• Taco Bell (3.5 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (2.7 miles)
• Martin's Side Door Deli (4.4 miles)

Physicians

• South Bend Clinic (2.9 miles)
• South Bend Clinic-Portage (2.9 miles)
• South Bend Clinic (2.9 miles)
• Indiana Eye Institute (3.2 miles)
• Portage Medical Group (3.3 miles)
• Northwest Family Medicine (3.5 miles)
• Michiana Gastroenterology (3.8 miles)