Sunnyside Care Ctr in East Syracuse, NY

Pros

• The staff are very friendly and extremely accommodating.
• The physical and occupational therapists helped tremendously.
• The people who work there are friendly and conscientious, and they take good care of residents.
• The caregivers provide wonderful care for family members.
• The professionalism, warmth, and superior loving care are evident in how residents are treated with respect and dignity.
• The staff are excellent, and the private room is spacious with a beautiful view.
• The therapists are top of the line.
• The physical therapy staff are wonderful, helpful, and nice to work with.

Cons

• The facility is dirty and outdated, with unkempt rooms.
• Beds are not changed unless they are soiled, indicating poor hygiene.
• There is a severe staffing shortage, leaving residents without timely care.
• Residents have fallen multiple times, sometimes requiring ambulance transport.
• Personal items, including clothing, are frequently lost.
• The food quality is poor, described as not fit for a dog.
• The administration is ineffective, and staff appear unhappy with management.
• There are frequent outbreaks of illnesses, signaling weak infection control.
• The activities director is lazy and stops activities for residents.

Review

Sunnyside Care Center in East Syracuse is best suited for families seeking short-term rehabilitation where the resident can tolerate an older, smaller facility and still benefit from strong therapy services. The rehab team is repeatedly praised for its effectiveness, with physical and occupational therapists delivering tangible help and a few residents noting real mobility gains. For families who prioritize personal warmth and meaningful interactions with certain staff members, Sunnyside can feel approachable and personable during a brief stay, especially when privacy is valued and a resident can enjoy a private room with a view.

However, serious caveats push many families to consider alternatives. The reviews repeatedly flag staffing as the linchpin risk - understaffing, high turnover, and limited weekend coverage. Instances of delayed responses, aides sitting with phones rather than attending to residents, and difficulty finding the right person to discuss needs point to a care model where reliability and predictability cannot be taken for granted. Add to this the sense that the facility is aging, with design elements that feel outdated, and it becomes clear why some families opt to look elsewhere for either longer-term care or more consistent daily support.

The strongest offsetting factor is the rehab program itself. When a resident can access dedicated physical and occupational therapy, Sunnyside delivers results that many facilities struggle to match. Several patients and families credit therapists with meaningful progress and a compassionate, collaborative approach. This positive therapy experience can translate into shorter hospital stays, better discharge outcomes, and a smoother transition back home, which matters a great deal for short-term stays and post-acute needs. In those moments, staff warmth at the bedside - or at least the most involved members of the team - can transform the perception of the facility.

Yet the downsides are entrenched enough to overshadow the potential gains for many. Cleanliness and maintenance are recurring concerns, with descriptions of dirty rooms, outdated interiors, and even equipment or clothing losses. The building's aged exterior and interior contribute to a sense of neglect, and several comments imply that renovation activity disrupts operations rather than improving them. Safety concerns surface in multiple accounts: residents falling, being left on the floor, or not receiving timely help. When these issues intersect with inconsistent staffing, the risk calculus shifts decisively away from Sunnyside for families seeking stable, reliable daily care.

From a practical decision-making standpoint, these realities translate into a clear framework. If the primary objective is aggressive rehab and a staff member who consistently helps a resident regain function, Sunnyside can be a reasonable choice - provided the family accepts the likelihood of variability in daily care, uneven response times, and ongoing facility upkeep challenges. Prospective residents should demand transparent demonstrations of staffing coverage, request a tour during a typical shift to observe aides and nurses in action, and verify how lost items and laundry issues are handled. If the answer on those fronts feels uncertain, a different community will likely offer greater peace of mind.

In short, Sunnyside presents a paradox: strong rehabilitation potential and warmly engaged therapists amid an environment that can feel under-resourced and sporadically managed. For families prioritizing therapy outcomes and personal connections over pristine facilities, the upside can be meaningful. For those who equate quality care with consistent staffing, immediate responsiveness, and a modern, well-kept setting, alternatives deserve serious consideration. The decision should hinge on whether short-term rehab goals justify navigating the recurring concerns of cleanliness, safety, and administration, or whether a more robustly resourced, up-to-date residence offers greater confidence for longer-term care.

Physicians

• Hematology Oncology Associates (0.9 miles)
• Upstate Bone And Joint Center (1.6 miles)
• Daryll Dykes MD PhD JD (1.6 miles)
• University Hill Gastroenterology (2.3 miles)
• Women's Health Horizons (2.6 miles)
• dB Audiology Associates, PC (3.1 miles)
• Eastside Pediatrics (3.8 miles)

Pharmacies

• Pro Act (2.6 miles)
• Kinney Drugs (3.1 miles)
• Wegmans (3.7 miles)
• Bristol-Myers Squibb (3.9 miles)
• Kinney Pharmacy (4.5 miles)
• Kinney Drugs (4.6 miles)
• Walgreens (4.7 miles)

Restaurants

• Denny's (3 miles)
• Taco Bell (3.1 miles)
• Knights Delights (3.2 miles)
• Olive Garden (4.1 miles)
• Taco Bell (4.2 miles)
• Applebee's (4.2 miles)
• Sonic Drive-In (4.2 miles)

Transportation

• U-Haul Moving & Storage (3.3 miles)
• Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) (3.4 miles)
• Airport Operations Office (3.7 miles)
• Baggage Claim (3.7 miles)

Cafes

• Cafe Kubal (4 miles)
• DiBella's Subs (4.2 miles)
• Starbucks (4.6 miles)
• Tous Les Jours (4.7 miles)
• Starbucks (5.3 miles)
• Panera Bread (5.4 miles)
• Starbucks (5.6 miles)

Parks

• Green Lakes State Park (4.9 miles)
• Heritage Park (5.6 miles)
• Coulter Park (5.6 miles)
• Hamlin Marsh (5.9 miles)
• Old Erie Canal State Historic Park - Kirkville (6.2 miles)

Hospitals

• St Joseph's Hospital Health Center (5 miles)

Places of Worship

• May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society (5.2 miles)
• Holy Cross Church (5.3 miles)