Our Lady-Consolation Nrsng Hm in West Islip, NY

Pros

• The staff is amazing.
• The facility is clean, warm, and inviting.
• Jene is fabulous and cares for residents like family.
• Megan the physical therapist and Rebecca the occupational therapist are great.
• Kathy the aide is wonderful and caring.
• The chef is praised for the food.
• The care team provides wonderful, family-like attention.

Cons

• The facility is horrible and disgusting.
• The staff are abusive and neglectful toward patients.
• They leave patients on the toilet for long periods, sometimes 30 minutes or more, crying for help.
• Call bells are ignored for hours, leaving residents waiting for assistance.
• There is a severe staffing shortage that prevents proper care and timely attention.
• Patients suffer infections and other complications (UTIs, sepsis) due to poor care.
• Medications are mishandled or substituted improperly, risking patient safety.
• A high-risk patient was found dead due to lack of supervision and monitoring.

Review

Our Lady-Consolation Nursing Home in West Islip is best suited for families who can actively supervise care and who prioritizes a strong rehabilitation focus delivered by committed therapists, with the understanding that bedside nursing quality will vary by shift and unit. It can work for those who want aggressive therapy and are prepared to advocate vigorously for their loved one, especially in the dementia and rehabilitation wings where some staff have earned praise. However, it is not a universal fit for all seniors or all health scenarios. Families seeking consistently compassionate, 24/7 bedside attention, predictable safety, and seamless communication across all units should consider stronger options elsewhere.

The strongest positives center on the rehab and therapy teams when they are working with the right colleagues. Several reviews highlight standout therapists who helped patients regain strength, plus attentive social workers and a front-desk staff that can be reliable in some visits. Cleanliness and general comfort can be present in portions of the campus, and in certain cases the care team exhibits genuine warmth and dedication that makes a real difference in progress. When rehab is the priority, and families are able to align with the staff members who are delivering hands-on services, meaningful gains are possible, and some residents leave with appreciable improvement.

Yet the cons are recurring and severe enough to overshadow the upsides for many families. The dominant theme across a large portion of reviews is understaffing and uneven nurse and aide responsiveness, with call bells that go unanswered for long stretches and delays that jeopardize dignity and safety. Reports of neglect, rough handling, and infections tied to lax monitoring punctuate the record, including heartbreaking incidents of serious harm and even death. A pattern emerges of staff tension, poor bedside manners in some shifts, and administration responses that appear slow or absent to families seeking clarity and accountability. Those factors make this facility a high-stakes choice for anyone with complex medical needs or dementia.

The challenge is assessing how the bright spots in rehab can offset these deep, persistent safety and staffing concerns. For a resident who arrives primarily needing physical or occupational therapy and who has an involved family ready to verify progress, coordinate with therapists, and push for timely care, the positives in therapy and certain caring staff can create a meaningful rehabilitation arc. But the risk profile remains extremely high: lapses in basic care, medication management, hygiene, and transfer safety have been documented with alarming frequency. In short, the potential for strong rehab outcomes exists, but it is not reliably paired with consistent, high-quality daily care across all units and all shifts.

Families must apply a stringent decision framework. Before selection, request unit-by-unit DOH inspection summaries, ask for current nurse-to-patient ratios, and probe how the facility assigns aides to minimize missed calls and delays. Demand transparent care plans, daily progress notes, and a named point person for concerns. Consider the resident's health trajectory: if rehabilitation is the current priority but long-term safety and dignified daily care are non-negotiables, this site may still require a safety margin that other facilities do not demand. If dementia, incontinence, or high-severity medical needs predominate, alternatives with stronger, more consistent staffing will likely deliver more reliable outcomes.

In the final calculus, this community is a high-risk, high-variance option. The best-case narrative centers on exceptional therapy, some incredibly caring staff, and credible progress in rehabilitation. The most common reality, however, is chronic understaffing, care delays, and serious safety concerns that can escalate quickly. For families unwilling to supervise closely every day and to challenge management regularly, the recommended path is to explore facilities with more uniform staffing, stronger patient safety records, and clearer communication channels. If the decision lands here, insist on a tightly structured plan: guaranteed call-bell coverage, a dedicated care coordinator, and explicit escalation pathways the moment any concern arises. The choice should not be taken lightly, and alternatives with steadier performance are worth pursuing without delay.

This part of West Islip, New York, offers a variety of amenities and services that may be appealing for senior living. With several physicians and pharmacies within a few miles, access to healthcare is easily accessible. There are also cafes nearby for socializing and enjoying a cup of coffee. The area is well-connected with transportation options, including train stations for convenient travel. For leisure activities, there are parks and theaters in close proximity. Additionally, there is a place of worship for spiritual fulfillment. Overall, this part of West Islip provides a mix of convenience, entertainment, and essential services that could cater well to seniors looking for a comfortable living environment.

Physicians

• Mariwalla Dermatology (0.5 miles)
• The Center for Eye Care and Optical (1.3 miles)
• Neuralphysiologic Associates (1.9 miles)
• Babylon Medical Practice (2.1 miles)
• Northwell Health Physician Partners Neurosciences At Bay Shore (3.7 miles)
• Advantage Care (3.7 miles)
• Ferguson Family Medicine (5.7 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.7 miles)
• Walgreens (3.1 miles)
• Shore Drug (3.3 miles)
• Rite Aid (3.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.8 miles)

Cafes

• Babylon Bean-Coffee Extreme (1.6 miles)
• Starbucks (2.5 miles)
• Starbucks (5.4 miles)
• Starbucks (7.4 miles)
• Starbucks (8.1 miles)
• Starbucks (10.3 miles)
• Starbucks (10.3 miles)

Transportation

• Lirr - Babylon Station (1.8 miles)
• Lirr - Lindenhurst Station (4 miles)
• Deer Park Station Lirr (5.5 miles)
• LIRR - Amityville Station (6.7 miles)
• Atlantic Aviation (6.8 miles)
• Lirr - Farmingdale Station (8.4 miles)
• Massapequa Train Station (9.3 miles)

Parks

• Argyle Lake Park (2.1 miles)
• Heckscher State Park (6.4 miles)
• Brentwood State Park (6.7 miles)
• Bayard Cutting Arboretum (7.5 miles)
• The College Woods Park (7.7 miles)
• Sunken Forest (8.2 miles)
• Bethpage State Park (9.3 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (2.2 miles)
• Captain Bill's (3.1 miles)
• McDonald's (3.2 miles)
• Whalers (3.2 miles)
• Grace Deli (3.3 miles)
• T J Finley's (3.3 miles)
• Nicky's On The Bay Gas (3.3 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Deer Park & IMAX (5.3 miles)
• Regal Ua Farmingdale (7.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• New Hope Institutional Baptist Church (6.6 miles)