ProMedica Mountainside

Pros

• The Mountainside Team is absolutely AMAZING, providing 1:1 care and exceptional communication.
• Mountainside Rehab Center is highly recommended for excellent support from the administrator, admissions staff, therapists, and nursing staff.
• Nurses Wendy and Maryfrans are praised for caring for patients with love.
• Mountainside SNF is described as an amazing facility where residents are treated with respect and dignity, with warm accommodations, courteous staff, and a restaurant-like dining area.
• Mountainside Skilled Nursing is lauded for heartfelt care, excellent rehab, delicious food, and a very clean facility.
• One reviewer called Mountainside one of the best facilities in Union County, noting a friendly, professional staff across roles.
• One reviewer described the care as great.

Cons

• The staff moved her to a private room while she could not be off oxygen, causing her to gasp for air.
• The aide pushing the wheelchair moved at a snail's pace, leaving her terrified.
• The staff stood in the hallway gawking instead of rushing to help.
• The reviewer felt totally unsafe during the stay.
• The facility's responses to negative reviews are perceived as dismissive and unresolved.
• The care was described as the absolute worst nursing care by at least one reviewer.
• Call lights were often unanswered at night.
• The food was absolutely terrible.
• The administration was described as unprofessional and lacking accountability.
• Residents were said to wander off or be unsafe due to inadequate supervision.

Review

Across the scattered reviews of Mountainside Skilled Nursing Rehab, a strikingly varied portrait emerges. Some families describe a facility that feels like a lifeline - caregivers who treat residents with warmth, dignity, and professional expertise, and therapists who help patients regain independence. Others recount frightening lapses in safety, unresponsiveness, and neglect that left loved ones panicked and, in at least one case, unable to breathe properly during a move to a private room. Taken together, the stories reveal a spectrum of experiences that shifts dramatically from one family to the next, and even within the same family over time.

The most painful and lasting memories come from a family whose loved one was actively dying. They describe a moment when the patient was being transferred to a private room and was not on oxygen, despite the patient's critical need for it. As the wheelchair rolled slowly down the hall, the patient gasped for air and became terrified. The family member who arrived at the scene pleaded for faster action, even attempting to push the wheelchair themselves, but the staff's pace remained lethargic. The moments of panic, fear, and pleading - "Someone please help!" - and a hallway full of staff who did not intervene are the core of this deeply traumatic account. Although the facility later acknowledged the mistake, the reviewer notes that the moment permanently altered the sense of safety and trust they had in Mountainside, leaving them with lifelong regret and an inability to recommend the facility to others.

In reaction to negative feedback, some reviewers report that Mountainside's responses have emphasized wording about "strongly worded and unverified statements" rather than addressing the day-to-day realities. This tension around criticism adds another layer to the experience: for families who felt unsafe or ignored, the public responses from the facility can seem dismissive or evasive, intensifying their sense that their loved ones' suffering was not fully acknowledged. For these readers, the expectation is not perfection but accountability and humane responsiveness, which they feel was lacking in their specific encounters.

Nevertheless, the facility is not uniformly criticized. A number of reviewers sing the praises of Mountainside, highlighting compassionate care, professional staff, and successful rehabilitation outcomes. They point to dedicated doctors, nurses, aides, and a range of clinicians who contributed to recovery goals and helped patients regain independence. Names of staff members - such as physicians, administrators, and therapy teams - are recalled with gratitude, and some reviewers describe Mountainside as a place where patients were treated with respect, where the environment felt clean and welcoming, and where therapy was thorough and effective. For these families, Mountainside represents a place of genuine support and expertise - "one of the best," with 1:1 care and strong communication.

Other reviewers present a more mixed picture, praising particular aspects while critiquing others. Some celebrate the facility's commitment to rehabilitation and the personal attention of therapists, noting the quality of rehabilitation programs and the warmth of certain staff members. Yet across the same set of reviews, there are complaints about administration and operational gaps: unresponsive management, poor call-light response, or inconsistent staffing. A recurring theme is the inconsistency of experience - moments of exemplary care contrasted with episodes of neglect or mismanagement, depending on who happened to be on shift or which unit the patient was in.

Safety and accessibility concerns recur as well. Several accounts describe patients who struggled to receive timely assistance, with call bells or call lights not being answered and instances where residents could not access showers or other essential services. Families recount alarming episodes - patients who wandered away or who could not be properly supervised due to perceived lapses in monitoring - and stories of social workers not returning calls in a timely manner. In one particularly stark example, a family describes a patient who could not be kept safe after an attempt to remove a safety bracelet, ultimately requiring emergency care or hospital transfer. These anecdotes underscore a sense that, while Mountainside may excel in some areas, structural and staffing gaps can create serious risk for residents.

A few reviews elevate Mountainside to a near-ideal status, making claims that the facility offers excellent dining, a comfortable atmosphere, and staff who treat residents with respect and kindness. Phrases such as "amazing facility," "courteous staff," and "delicious food" appear alongside references to strong leadership and a clear sense of community among residents and families. Others describe a home-like atmosphere where administrators, nurses, therapists, and aides work together to ensure comfort and safety. The divergence between these glowing reviews and the more critical ones is stark, but it reflects the same core reality: the experience at Mountainside is not monolithic.

In looking across all the accounts, a cautious conclusion emerges. Mountainside Skilled Nursing Rehab appears to be a place of real capability and genuine compassion in many units and moments, with staff who can deliver high-quality care and meaningful rehabilitation. At the same time, it is clear that other shifts, staff, or situations can fall short - leading to fear, distress, and, in the most extreme cases, lasting trauma for families. The intensity of emotion and the variability of outcomes suggest that prospective families should conduct thorough, specific due diligence: ask about oxygen support during transfers, verify call-light response times, inquire about safety protocols and fall prevention, and look for consistent staffing patterns across units. For those with loved ones who need significant care, the reviews collectively advocate a careful, individualized assessment of Mountainside, weighing stories of extraordinary care against accounts of neglect and risk.

This part of Mountainside, New Jersey offers convenient access to a variety of amenities that may be of interest to seniors looking for a comfortable and well-connected community. With several physicians, pharmacies, and hospitals within a few miles radius, residents can easily access healthcare services. Additionally, there are numerous parks in the area where seniors can enjoy outdoor activities and relaxation. The presence of cafes and restaurants provides opportunities for socializing and dining out, while nearby transportation options such as NJ Transit stations make it easy to travel around the area or beyond. Places of worship are also close by for those seeking spiritual fulfillment. Overall, this neighborhood offers a mix of convenience and community that may appeal to seniors looking for a vibrant yet accessible place to call home.

Physicians

• Kartan Saritha Summit Medical Group Westfield (0.8 miles)
• Kenilworth Primary Care (2.9 miles)
• Summit Medical Group (3.3 miles)
• Premier Urology Group (3.4 miles)
• Merck (3.7 miles)
• New Jersey Spine Center (4.4 miles)
• Summit Medical Group (6.6 miles)

Parks

• Mindowaskin Park (1.7 miles)
• Forest Road Park (3.2 miles)
• Ponderosa Farm Park (3.9 miles)
• Winfield Park (4.3 miles)
• Memorial Park (5.2 miles)
• Milton Lake Park (6 miles)
• Milo S. Borden Park (6.1 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (2.1 miles)
• Starbucks (3.9 miles)
• The Bread Stand (5.4 miles)
• True Salvage Cafe (6 miles)
• Starbucks (6.4 miles)
• Starbucks (8 miles)
• Starbucks (8.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (2.5 miles)
• Walgreens (2.6 miles)
• Walgreens (2.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.9 miles)
• ACME Markets Pharmacy (3.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.4 miles)

Transportation

• NJT - Summit Station (2.6 miles)
• NJT - Short Hills Station (3.4 miles)
• NJT - Millburn Station (3.8 miles)
• NJT - Maplewood Station (5.1 miles)
• NJT - Rahway Station (6.2 miles)
• New Jersey Transit - Metropark Station (7.8 miles)
• Newark Liberty International Airport Station (8.3 miles)

Restaurants

• Bagels 4 U of Short Hills (2.9 miles)
• Huck Finn Diner (3.4 miles)
• Scotchwood Diner (3.4 miles)
• Stage House Tavern (3.4 miles)
• Magic Fountain (3.5 miles)
• Millburn Delicatessen (3.7 miles)
• El Gordo (3.8 miles)

Places of Worship

• Morrow Memorial United Methodist Church (4.8 miles)
• Church of the Little Flower (4.9 miles)
• St Vincent De Paul Rc Church (7.8 miles)

Hospitals

• Saint Barnabas Medical Center (6.2 miles)