Briarwood Living Center in Simpsonville, SC

Pros

• The staff were friendly, polite, and professional.
• The facility is clean and well maintained.
• The staff are very nice and caring, creating a positive, loving environment.
• The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.
• The nurses, admins, and CNAs provided compassionate, attentive care that gave the patient security.
• The therapists were kind and encouraging, helping the patient progress.
• The administrative team handled a fast discharge process and ensured a smooth transition.
• The facility is bright, home-like, and welcoming, with staff who truly care about patients.

Cons

• The facility is described as terrible, dirty, and unsafe for residents.
• The staff are rude, uncaring, and fail to treat residents with dignity.
• There are allegations of staff physically abusing a patient and neglecting basic care.
• Medications are not administered as prescribed, endangering residents.
• Personal hygiene and housekeeping are neglected, with overflowing trash and unclean rooms.
• Communication with families about care plans is lacking.
• The facility appears to prioritize financial gain over resident well-being.
• Many staff members are unqualified or inadequately trained, risking harm to residents.
• Residents are left unattended or not serviced in a timely manner, including unanswered call bells.
• The food and meals are often described as poor or inedible, reflecting overall poor quality of care.

Review

Briarwood Living Center in Simpsonville is best suited for families seeking a rehab-centric path for a loved one who is recovering from surgery or injury and will benefit from consistent physical therapy and daily nursing support. The facility is described as clean, calm, and generally well maintained, with therapists and aides delivering hands-on guidance and encouragement. In practical terms, Briarwood shines as a transition hub where mobility goals, discharge planning, and a return to greater independence can be pursued in a setting that feels more like a home than a hospital. Those who can commit to regular involvement - attending care-plan meetings, checking progress, and ensuring meds stay on track - will find this environment workable and, at times, reassuring.

However, this community may not be right for every resident. Families should consider alternatives if a loved one requires near-constant medical supervision, has complex medication needs, or presents a higher safety risk. The reviews reveal a troubling split: there are credible reports of missed medications, hygiene lapses, and inadequate communication with families; there are explicit allegations of mistreatment and, in some cases, abuse. For residents with dementia, fragile health, or hospice goals, the risk calculus worsens when staffing is inconsistent or when oversight and accountability are uncertain. In short, Briarwood's strengths do not erase the red flags that surface in a substantial portion of the feedback.

On the upside, the best-reported pros center on cleanliness, a respectful, friendly front-line staff, and a capable therapy team that can make meaningful progress. The rehab-oriented staff and therapists have inspired confidence in many families, with notes about attentive nursing, quick discharge processes, and a steady focus on mobility and recovery. These positives matter because they translate into tangible gains: improved balance, walking, and a clearer plan for stepping down to assisted living. Yet these benefits are partly offset by serious concerns voiced by others: inconsistent care, delayed responses to call bells, and episodes that suggest a gap between policies and practice. The contrast between the two experiences is stark and should guide decision-making.

Further nuance appears in the anecdotal mix of experiences. Several families recount caregivers who were compassionate, patient, and highly responsive, praising specific nurses, therapists, and administrative staff for their dedication. Simultaneously, other families describe neglectful patterns - long waits for assistance, failure to maintain hygiene, miscommunications about care plans, and disjointed teamwork among nurses, aides, and therapy staff. Some accounts describe frightening incidents or hospital transfers that raise questions about safety and accountability. The wide dispersion in reviews indicates outcomes depend as much on day-to-day staffing and leadership as on formal policies, underscoring the importance of due diligence before admission, especially for vulnerable residents.

Decision-making should be concretely actioned. If Briarwood is selected, require a written care plan with scheduled family updates, insist on clear medication administration protocols, request visible name tags for staff on each shift, and set response-time expectations for call-bells. Visit during multiple shifts to observe how quickly help arrives, how meals and hygiene are handled, and whether housekeeping maintains a consistently clean environment. Engage the DON early, seek a trial period with defined milestones, and ensure there is a transparent escalation path for any concerns. Families should also verify who manages post-discharge follow-up and how therapy goals will be sustained after transfer to assisted living.

Bottom line: Briarwood Living Center can deliver solid rehab outcomes in a clean, supportive setting when staffing is reliable and oversight is strong, but the breadth of resident experiences in the reviews cannot be ignored. The best-fit choice hinges on tolerance for potential gaps in safety, communication, and day-to-day care versus the benefit of effective therapy and rapid discharge. For families able to commit to active involvement and rigorous monitoring, Briarwood may be workable and reassuring. For those seeking a consistently safe, high-touch environment with minimal risk flags, it may be prudent to explore other post-acute options with stronger, more uniform governance and accountability.

Located in Simpsonville, South Carolina, this area offers a convenient and accessible living environment for seniors. With a variety of amenities nearby, including theaters, pharmacies, restaurants, hospitals, cafes, physicians' offices, parks, and places of worship, seniors can enjoy a comfortable and fulfilling lifestyle. The close proximity of essential services such as healthcare facilities and pharmacies ensures peace of mind and easy access to medical care when needed. Additionally, the presence of entertainment options like theaters and restaurants provides opportunities for socialization and leisure activities. Overall, this part of Simpsonville offers a well-rounded community with everything seniors may need for a quality retirement living experience.

Theaters

• Regal Simpsonville & IMAX (0.6 miles)
• Regal Hollywood & RPX - Greenville (7.3 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (0.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (0.9 miles)
• Walgreens (1.2 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (1.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2 miles)
• Drug-Lo Pharmacy (3.4 miles)
• Best Rx Pharmacy (3.6 miles)

Restaurants

• Eggs Up Grill (0.8 miles)
• Arby's (1.5 miles)
• McDonald's (1.5 miles)
• El Tejano Mexican Restaurant (1.5 miles)
• Hardee's (1.7 miles)
• Cracker Barrel (1.8 miles)
• Sonic Drive-In (1.8 miles)

Hospitals

• St Francis Hospital (1.2 miles)
• Prisma Health Hillcrest Hospital (1.4 miles)
• Hillcrest Memorial Hospital (1.4 miles)
• Medical Group of the Carolinas - Family Medicine - Five Forks (5.6 miles)
• Greenville OB/GYN Associates (7.4 miles)
• Prisma Health Gynecology Specialists (8.4 miles)
• Greenville Hospital System Peds Obesity (8.8 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (1.6 miles)
• Starbucks (1.7 miles)
• Starbucks (5.6 miles)
• Starbucks (7 miles)
• Starbucks (8.6 miles)
• Starbucks (8.8 miles)
• Panera Bread (8.9 miles)

Physicians

• Women's Healthcare (1.7 miles)
• Bay Laurel Center For Psychiatry Simpsonville (1.8 miles)
• Cypress Internal Medicine Simpsonville (1.8 miles)
• Parkside Pediatrics - Harrison Bridge Location (2 miles)
• Upstate Vision Therapy (3.4 miles)
• Proaxis Therapy 5 Forks (5.3 miles)
• Peace Medical Center (5.3 miles)

Parks

• Heritage Park (2.1 miles)
• Gary L. Pittman Memorial Park (8.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church (5.6 miles)
• Pleasant Grove Baptist Church (7.7 miles)