Briarwood Living Center

Pros

• The facility appeared clean, well maintained, and residents looked well cared for.
• The staff were friendly, polite, and professional.
• The staff were very nice, and the atmosphere was friendly.
• The facility was clean and the staff were very helpful.
• Ashley, the unit nurse, was impressive, and the CNA was sweet, kind, and helpful.
• The therapists were loving yet firm, encouraging progress with kindness and respect.
• The administrative team delivered a remarkable, fast discharge process and helped ensure a smooth transition.

Cons

• The facility has consistently failed to provide residents with proper care and dignity.
• There are allegations of staff physically abusing a patient, with the patient transferred to another unit rather than terminated.
• The facility lacks clear communication with families regarding residents' care plans.
• Resident health information is inconsistently or inaccurately reported between staff and families.
• Necessary medical appointments are not followed through or scheduled.
• There is a clear prioritization of financial gain over residents' well-being.
• Personal hygiene needs of residents are neglected.
• Housekeeping is poor, including overflowing trash cans, trash on floors, and uncollected meal trays.
• Some staff respond with "not my job," refusing to help with basic tasks.

Review

The collection of reviews paints a facility with a striking degree of duality. On one hand, there are repeated remarks about cleanliness, order, and positive interpersonal interactions. Several reviewers describe the environment as clean and well maintained, with staff who are friendly, polite, professional, and genuinely caring. One reviewer highlights a "nice staff" and a "very clean" unit, while others point to a bright atmosphere and a culture of warmth and positivity. In some cases, families and visitors express confidence in particular staff members, noting that specific nurses, CNAs, or therapists were kind, patient, and attentive. The sense that compassionate care can and does occur is a recurring thread, especially when praise is directed at individual caregivers, therapists, or administrative teams who handle tasks efficiently or with empathy.

Yet this favorable sentiment is interwoven with a substantial, and troubling, stream of direct criticisms. A number of reviewers describe a different reality - care that falls short of basic expectations or even endangers residents. They report failures to administer medications as prescribed, neglect of personal hygiene, and poor housekeeping, including overflowing trash, trash on floors, and uncollected meal trays. The intensity of these observations ranges from concerns about routine routines being missed to explicit descriptions of unhygienic conditions that could pose risks to residents' health. Some reviews suggest that problems are systemic, not isolated, and that these lapses occur despite assertions of a clean and well-kept facility.

There are particularly grave allegations that surface in several accounts. One reviewer cites alleged staff physical abuse of a patient, with the patient simply transferred to another unit rather than being terminated, and another recounts a black eye with little credible explanation from administration. Other reviewers recount serious health scares that were not promptly or adequately explained, including a resident who developed pneumonia and sepsis, necessitating ICU care, and a concern that a lift or assistive device was mishandled or inadequately supervised, resulting in discomfort or injury. The frequency and specificity of such incidents - ranging from meals and hygiene to safety equipment and escalating medical concerns - contribute to a perception that resident safety and dignity may not always be guaranteed.

Communication and transparency emerge as another critical theme. Several reviews complain of unclear or inconsistent communication with families regarding care plans and appointments. Some residents and families feel their grievances are ignored or not acted upon, even when raised through formal channels like a residents' council or state oversight bodies. The sense that concerns are brushed aside - encountered in phrases like "not my job," delayed responses to call bells, or an absence of timely notifications about changes in status - further compounds fears about the quality of care. There are calls for third-party audits of both billing practices and care services, reflecting a belief that financial considerations may be overshadowing resident well-being in some circumstances.

The reviews also touch on broader organizational and operational issues. A number of accounts describe a culture where problems are not promptly addressed, with allegations of inconsistent or inaccurate reporting of health information between staff and families, and a perception that caregivers may be more focused on throughput or discharge logistics than on long-term resident welfare. One reviewer lauds a particularly efficient discharge process, highlighting the other side of the coin: an environment that sometimes prioritizes speed over thoroughness. The tension between strong, compassionate care from some staff members and systemic lapses reported by others paints a complex portrait of a facility grappling with competing demands, training gaps, and accountability concerns.

Among the more vivid passages are anecdotes from families who felt compelled to document neglect, seek state intervention, or prepare for crisis. A reviewer describes being on video as their loved one was left unattended for an extended period, with eyewitness accounts of inadequate assistance and dismissive staff attitudes. The recurring motif in these stories is a sense of fear for residents' safety, a belief that certain staff may not be fully committed to compassionate, dignified care, and a worry that some situations could have been prevented with closer supervision, better staffing, or clearer protocols. In contrast, other reviewers celebrate the dedication of certain caregivers and the overall atmosphere of care, underscoring that positive experiences can and do occur within the same facility.

Taken together, the input depicts a facility where experiences vary dramatically from one resident or family to another. For some, the environment feels clean, welcoming, and staffed by people who make residents feel seen and valued. For others, serious concerns about hygiene, medication administration, safety, timeliness of medical care, and honest communication overshadow any positives. These divergent impressions suggest that while there are commendable efforts and moments of genuine care, there are also substantial, possibly systemic, challenges that warrant thorough investigation, oversight, and ongoing quality improvement. Families and prospective residents are encouraged to engage directly with the facility, verify current practices, and consider external reviews or audits to ensure that care standards align with expectations for safety, dignity, and consistent, compassionate treatment.

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)