Healthaven Nursing Home in Akron, OH

Pros

• Andrea is the most caring healthcare professional in the industry.
• The DON is amazing, and the staff is nice.
• Andrea is an exceptional caregiver who goes above and beyond.
• It is a wonderful facility with an unbelievable setting, and the staff is caring and considerate.
• They have a caring staff, a clean facility, and phenomenal communication with the family.
• Kailey, the unit manager, is fantastic and always a nice smile to see.
• The staff is knowledgeable and helpful; they truly care about all of their patients.
• The nurses and staff here are among the best around.
• The staff is amazing and the location is beautiful.
• Andrea Gooden is incredibly supportive, compassionate, and responsive from the beginning.
• The facility offers beautiful views, a warm atmosphere, and excellent care.
• The care and compassion shown by the staff make a difference in residents' lives.

Cons

• The facility is unsafe and neglectful, with residents left waiting for hours on call lights and some needing to call 911 for help.
• Bed sores are common and untreated due to a lack of staff support and direction.
• Management is disorganized and unprofessional, with several administrators during the stay.
• New ownership brought less care and chronic understaffing.
• The nursing staff are nasty and unpleasant to residents, and the food is horrible.
• Residents are left in soiled bedding and not promptly cared for, and medications are not always given on time.
• The facility runs out of essentials (such as briefs) and staff are told to wait for shipments, leading to humiliating situations.
• The 36 residents deserve dignity and safety, but they are not getting it.

Review

Healthaven Nursing Home in Akron is best suited for families that prize strong nursing leadership and a warm, home-like culture delivered against a tranquil lakeside backdrop. The standout attribute is the nursing leadership, especially the Director of Nursing, whose presence is repeatedly described as genuinely compassionate and highly professional. Families seeking reliable daily communication, a visible commitment to resident dignity, and a caregiving team that treats residents like people first will feel confident here. The setting itself reinforces a sense of calm and belonging, with clean common spaces and a view that reinforces comfort for residents and visiting loved ones alike. When leadership and consistent, caring staff are the priority, Healthaven delivers a cohesive, familiar environment that supports both routine needs and meaningful engagement.

Yet, there are clear cautions that families must weigh. Several reviews describe experiences rooted in safety concerns, inconsistent staffing, and management challenges that can undermine even the strongest care intentions. Incidents cited include delayed response to call lights, inadequate attention to basic needs, and claims of high turnover that disrupt continuity of care. Billing questions and administrative communication gaps also appear in the feedback, signaling that some families may encounter friction when coordinating medications, costs, or care plans. These red flags do not negate the positive, person-centered care that many residents receive, but they do indicate a real risk if operations slip or if staffing becomes unreliable.

The key strengths - names like Andrea the DON, a culture described as family-like, responsive communication with families, and a facility that feels clean and well-kept - often offset the more troubling concerns when present. The health-care leadership has shown a capacity to mobilize strong nursing attention, maintain quality interactions with relatives, and keep residents clean, safe, and engaged. In environments where the DON and unit managers are consistently attentive, residents benefit from coordinated care across nursing, therapy, and activities, which helps preserve dignity and independence for as long as possible. The positive experiences of staff who stay engaged and residents who respond to individualized attention further bolster confidence in choosing this community.

Engagement and rehabilitation resources also stand out as meaningful positives. The facility has worked to provide robust therapy services and programs that keep residents active and connected to interests they once enjoyed, from routine daily activities to light recreation and purposeful tasks. The aesthetic appeal of the setting - a well-kept campus with pleasant views - contributes to mood and social interaction, which in turn support appetite, participation, and overall well-being. Families often report that staff members go the extra mile to tailor care and maintain open lines of communication, and that residents appear to thrive emotionally when the care team is consistently present and attentive.

For families making a decision, practical due diligence matters. Request a straight-forward tour and observe nurse-to-resident ratios during peak hours. Meet the DON and several frontline staff to gauge consistency and responsiveness. Review recent care plans and ask how changes are communicated to families. Inquire about medication management, billing practices, and any history of administrative turnover to understand how current operations are truly functioning. Talk to current residents and families about call-light response times, meal quality, and the consistency of aides. These conversations will reveal whether the facility's strengths are sustained day-to-day or clouded by ongoing staffing and governance concerns.

In the end, Healthaven Nursing Home is a solid option for families who can prioritize and verify strong nursing leadership, transparent family communication, and a supportive, orderly environment. For those whose primary requirements include ironclad staffing consistency, rapid response, and trouble-free billing and administration, a closer comparison with alternatives is prudent. The reality is that a standout DON and a caring, cohesive staff can deliver excellent daily care, but the risk of understaffing or administrative friction remains a meaningful consideration. A deliberate, informed visit accompanied by candid questions will determine whether Healthaven's advantages align with each resident's specific needs and family expectations.

Restaurants

• Guiseppe's Pizza (0.9 miles)
• Dietz's Landing (1.2 miles)
• Lala's In The Lakes (1.6 miles)
• Pav's Creamery (2.4 miles)
• Biggins' Big Dip (2.7 miles)
• The Basement Spor (3 miles)
• McDonald's (3 miles)

Physicians

• Womens Health Group (2.9 miles)
• Akron General Family Medicine, South Central (3 miles)
• Obstetrics & Gynecology of the Reserve (3.1 miles)
• Comprehensive Pain Management Specialists (4 miles)
• Children's Hospital Physicians Associates (4.1 miles)
• Akron Children's Hospital Pediatrics - Green (4.2 miles)
• Roholt Vision Institute (7.3 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (3.3 miles)
• Starbucks (7.9 miles)
• Starbucks (8.9 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (4.2 miles)
• Acme Fresh Market (4.2 miles)
• Marc's Stores (4.7 miles)
• Rite Aid (4.7 miles)
• Walgreens (4.7 miles)
• Walgreens (5.1 miles)

Parks

• Southgate Park (5.3 miles)
• Ariss Park (5.6 miles)
• Summit Lake Park (6.5 miles)
• Silver Creek Park (7.6 miles)
• North Park (7.7 miles)

Transportation

• Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) (6.6 miles)

Places of Worship

• Faith Family Church (7.6 miles)

Hospitals

• Akron Children's Hospital (8 miles)
• Summa Akron City Hospital (8.3 miles)
• Jackson Mercy Statcare (8.8 miles)

Theaters

• Tinseltown (8.6 miles)
• Cinemark (9 miles)