St. Thomas Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center

Pros

• The staff is friendly and easy to work with.
• The facility provides great care and has a strong therapy team.
• Sue, the facility director, is very responsive to requests.
• The staff demonstrates compassion and a willingness to address residents' needs.
• The facility shows tremendous progress under new ownership.
• The administrative and care teams help make transitions easy by answering questions and providing reassurance.
• The resident feels safe and well cared for, with good meals, medical supervision, and a clean room.
• The resident also enjoys the Spanish TV channel provided by St. Thomas.
• The Commonwealth Hospice Nurses who visit the facility are awesome.

Cons

• The reviewer would give the facility zero stars.
• They claim the facility is not trained for dementia care and advise others not to trust its dementia care claims.
• They describe the facility as one of the worst and express deep disappointment.
• They uncovered state citations for abuse and neglect tied to the facility.
• They observed staff did not know which family member was there upon arrival.
• They found the patient with two unopened juices beside the bed and no way to drink them.
• The call bell was hanging over the bed with no staff at the desk.
• They feel staff largely ignore hospice patients' family members and provide no updates, noting communication is limited to hospice nurses who visit only once a day.
• They note the cleaning staff only touched the bathroom trash can and half of the tray table.
• They were dissatisfied that there were few group/social activities for residents due to Covid, hoping for improvement.

Review

The experiences shared about this facility run a broad gamut, revealing a setting where moments of warmth and professional care exist side by side with serious gaps in dementia training, communication, and daily oversight. On the positive side, several reviewers describe staff as friendly, easy to work with, and genuinely caring. They highlight a capable therapy team and a facility director, Sue, who is noted for being responsive to requests. In these accounts, the team's attentiveness translates into tangible reassurance for families, especially during the demanding process of arranging care for a loved one. The sense that a dedicated, responsive staff is in place emerges as a common thread in these more favorable observations, with particular emphasis on the effort put forth by administrators, admission coordinators, social workers, dietary staff, activity directors, nurses, and other team members working to make transitions smoother and more reassuring.

Within the same broad conversation, another voice brings a starkly different portrayal. This reviewer would "give this facility zero stars" if possible and urges readers not to trust the site's claims of dementia care and specialized activity programs. They contend that the facility is not trained for dementia care and warn families against repeating their perceived mistake of placing a loved one there. They assert that state citations for abuse, neglect, and related issues exist and are accessible to the public, urging others to verify for themselves. This view paints a picture of a facility that may struggle with specialized care needs, particularly dementia care, and it serves as a cautionary counterpoint to the more hopeful narratives. The reviewer frames the situation as an urgent search for a nearby, properly equipped alternative, while acknowledging that senior care is difficult overall.

Amid the mixed sentiment, there's a vivid, hopeful account tied to a difficult but transformative period: the Covid lockdown. A family describes arriving with their mother on March 8, 2021, during a time of strict quarantine and limited visitations, and discovering a team that helped them navigate unprecedented challenges. They speak highly of the staff across roles - administrators, admission coordinators, social workers, dietary staff, activity directors, nurses, and other personnel - who offered answers, reassurance, and a sense that their mother would be cared for. The mother, who has diabetes and heart issues and who sometimes becomes confused, benefited from a team that addressed her needs and language barriers (the family's preferred language being Spanish). The outcome, at least so far in their account, is positive: the mother feels safe, meals, medications, medical supervision, communication with her doctor, and personal hygiene are well-managed, and even the small joy of a Spanish TV channel is mentioned as a meaningful comfort. While they celebrate this progress and express gratitude, they also note a wish for more group activities as social life regains momentum after Covid restrictions.

Another reviewer commends the admissions and business office teams while simultaneously recounting a troubling, more hands-on concern observed upon arrival. The family member, described as terminally ill, was found with two unopened juices by the bedside and no obvious means to drink them. The call bell was described as hanging over the side of the bed, and the desk area appeared devoid of staff. The reviewer notes that staff largely ignore hospice patients' family members and that communications have been inconsistent: hospice nurses from Commonwealth are said to visit and are described as "awesome," yet they only come onsite once a day, which creates a problematic gap in ongoing family updates. The implication is that while the healthcare professionals may be capable, the facility's day-to-day oversight and communication with families can fall short, particularly for patients under hospice care who rely on timely updates and proactive support.

The same review adds a grim footnote about the basic cleanliness and management of the room: the cleaning staff reportedly touched only the bathroom trash can and half of the tray table, signaling a level of neglect or inconsistent routines that can be all the more jarring when the resident is severely ill. Taken together with the earlier observations about unclear communication and inconsistent engagement with family members, this account underscores a persistent theme in these reviews: even when clinical care is competent, the environment and the channels for family involvement can suffer, sometimes undermining overall confidence in the facility.

Looking across all these voices, a complex portrait emerges: compassionate, capable staff and moments of meaningful progress sit alongside genuine concerns about dementia training, patient autonomy, consistent family communication, and the day-to-day realities of care. Positive remarks about a friendly, responsive team, the dedication of a facility director, and successful navigation of a challenging Covid period contrast with warnings about inadequate dementia preparation, publicly documented citations, and specific incidents where caregivers appeared to miss important cues or fail to keep families informed. The breadth of experiences suggests a facility that can deliver strong interpersonal care and effective management in some circumstances while still facing significant, potentially serious, shortcomings in others.

For families considering care at this facility, the takeaways are clear and practical. It is important to verify dementia-specific training and capabilities directly with the staff and administration, and to review current state inspection or citation records to understand any historical or ongoing concerns. Prospective residents and their families should seek out conversations with the activities director and caregivers about opportunities for group and social engagement, especially as times of external disruption - like a pandemic - ease and normal activities resume. Close attention to how the facility handles hospice communication, caregiver updates, and the responsiveness of the admissions and administrative teams can make a crucial difference in the ongoing experience of both the resident and their family. In short, the facility features a mix of compassionate care and communication gaps, a combination that demands careful, proactive engagement from families to ensure needs are met and expectations aligned.

Located in Berwick, Pennsylvania, this area offers a variety of amenities and services that cater to senior living. With several physicians, including specialists in vascular surgery and eye care, along with the nearby Berwick Hospital Center for medical needs, residents can access quality healthcare conveniently. Places of worship such as Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Holy Spirit Parish provide spiritual support, while restaurants like Amici Italian Grille and Bob's Subs offer dining options close by. Additionally, pharmacies like Weis Markets and Medicine Shoppe are easily accessible for medication needs. For leisure activities, there are parks such as Test Track Park and Ricketts Glen State Park nearby for outdoor enjoyment. Transportation options like U-Haul Moving & Storage and Bloomsburg Airport provide convenience for travel needs. The area also offers entertainment options with theaters like AMC Classic Bloomsburg 11 within a short drive. Overall, this part of Berwick provides a well-rounded community with essential services and recreational opportunities for seniors looking to settle down in the area.

Physicians

• Ayesha Usman, MD (0.2 miles)
• Richard Tomczyk, Jr, DO (0.2 miles)
• John Anthony Guerriero (0.2 miles)
• Comprehensive Vascular Surgery (0.2 miles)
• Berwick Hospital Center Professional Building (0.2 miles)
• Dr Giugliano's Office (0.7 miles)
• Eye Care Specialists (1.3 miles)

Hospitals

• Berwick Hospital Center (0.2 miles)
• Berwick Hospital (7 miles)
• Geisinger Health System (10.6 miles)
• Occupational Health (12.3 miles)
• Bloomsburg Hospital Greater Columbia Transport (12.4 miles)
• General Surgery At Bloomsburg Hospital (12.5 miles)

Places of Worship

• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (0.3 miles)
• Mount Zion Church (4 miles)
• Saint John's UCC (5.1 miles)
• Shepherding the Heart Ministries (5.7 miles)
• Holy Spirit Parish (6.6 miles)
• Town Hill United Methodist Church (6.9 miles)
• Lightstreet United Methodist Church (10.5 miles)

Restaurants

• Amici Italian Grille (0.7 miles)
• Forge Pub (1 miles)
• Subway (1.3 miles)
• Bob's Subs (1.3 miles)
• Harry's Texas Hot Dogs (1.6 miles)
• May's Family Restaurant (3.1 miles)
• Hog's Hollow Saloon (4.1 miles)

Pharmacies

• Weis Markets Colonial Bake Shop (0.7 miles)
• Weis Markets Pharmacy (0.8 miles)
• Medicine Shoppe (0.9 miles)
• Care First Pharmacy Services (1.2 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.7 miles)
• Rite Aid (10.5 miles)

Parks

• Test Track Park (2.6 miles)
• PPL Susquehanna Riverlands (5.1 miles)
• Espy Park (10.5 miles)
• Ricketts Glen State Park (11.9 miles)

Transportation

• East Coast Institute Taxidermy (9.1 miles)
• U-Haul Moving & Storage (10.8 miles)
• Bloomsburg Airport (12.3 miles)

Theaters

• AMC Classic Bloomsburg 11 (11.1 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (12.1 miles)
• Panera Bread (12.7 miles)