Norfolk Health Care Ctr in Norfolk, VA

Pros

• The staff is very helpful and always willing to help, making the facility feel like a wonderful place.
• The facility is well-maintained, clean, and pleasant both inside and outside.
• The caregivers are friendly, attentive, and treat residents with kindness and respect.
• The recreational therapy program is superb and engages residents with meaningful activities.
• Therapists provide clear explanations and compassionate, patient-centered care.
• The nursing and support teams often go above and beyond to keep residents comfortable and well cared for.

Cons

• The facility is dirty from the foyer onward, with floors not swept or cleaned and refuse left on the floor.
• The floors in the rooms are not cleaned for days, leaving dropped needle caps, IV hookups, and food on the floor.
• The call button is often left unanswered for hours, and patient needs are not met when it is answered.
• They are severely understaffed, and services like OT/PT frequently begin an hour late or more.
• The bed, tray table, and closet are all broken.
• Meals and medications are not given on time or at all.
• The place is described as dirty and unsafe, with strong odors and roaches reported by multiple reviews.
• The staff are rude, unprofessional, and unresponsive, with patients often left in their own waste and without proper care.

Review

Norfolk Health Care Center is best suited for families evaluating rehab-focused care where an active therapy program and structured activities are central to the plan of care. This community can work for residents who benefit from intensive rehabilitation, social engagement, and a visible routine, provided there is aggressive family involvement to supervise care and hold staff accountable. For seniors who prioritize spotless cleanliness, consistently timely medications, and rapid, reliable responses to calls, this facility is unlikely to meet those expectations. In short, it serves a niche: solid therapy and engagement‑oriented rehab, with the caveat that true reliability and hygiene depend heavily on staffing consistency and management oversight.

The strongest arguments in its favor center on therapy and activity offerings. When therapy teams are present and attentive, residents can make meaningful progress, with praise for both physical and occupational therapy in several patients’ experiences. The recreational side is repeatedly highlighted as a real asset: activities are designed to engage residents across ability levels, and the recreation staff is described as creative, caring, and capable of sustaining meaningful programs, even in a challenging environment. On days when nursing leadership aligns with front-line staff, visitors and residents report a positive atmosphere, clean common areas, and staff who greet families with warmth. These elements provide genuine value for families seeking a rehabilitative path rather than a purely custodial stay.

Yet the cons that recur across reviews are hard to overlook and consistently pointed enough to influence decisions. A pervasive sense of neglect and mismanagement appears in numerous accounts: floors and rooms unclean, odors noticeable, and essential caregiving tasks like bathing, meals, and timely medication frequently delayed or omitted. The staffing picture is described as severely stretched, with call buttons often unanswered for long stretches and therapy or nursing care starting late or not at all. The building has structural reliability issues too, elevators fail, sometimes for extended periods, and these operational hiccups compound everyday safety and access concerns for residents and visitors. The most troubling narratives do not hinge on isolated incidents but depict a pattern of inconsistent care that raises legitimate concerns about dignity, safety, and medical stability.

When assessing whether the positives offset the negatives, the answer varies by what families can tolerate and demand. For a resident who can thrive with robust therapy and a lively activity calendar, the positives offer real upside, especially if family members stay nearby to advocate, coordinate care, and monitor day-to-day conditions. However, the ongoing reliability gaps, missed meals and medications, unaddressed call lights, unclean rooms, and the risk of dehydration or infection in some cases, seriously undermine confidence in a steady, predictable caregiving environment. In practice, the best-case scenario is a well-staffed shift with a coherent care plan and engaged therapists; the worst-case scenario is a facility where care gaps become routine and safety risks escalate as a result of staffing churn and turnover.

Given the volatility reflected in the reviews, prospective families should consider alternatives if their top priorities are predictable, consistently high standards of cleanliness and safety, and rock-solid medication management. Those with complex medical needs that require constant monitoring or who cannot commit to vigilant family advocacy may find the landscape especially challenging here. Families that must rely on reliable, transparent communication from administration, and timely, thorough responses to urgent needs, will likely want to benchmark other options first. It is prudent to weigh whether the rehab-and-activities upside can ever fully counterbalance recurring hygiene concerns and service delays.

For anyone proceeding with Norfolk Health Care Center, several practical steps sharpen the decision. Schedule multiple visits at different times to observe routine care in action and to meet both front-line staff and supervisors. Specifically ask about nurse-to-patient and aide-to-patient ratios, average wait times for call lights, and the process for medication administration and kitchen special-diet adherence. Inspect living spaces for cleanliness, check the status of elevators, and request a visible, current maintenance and infection-control plan. Speak with therapists about discharge planning and the pace of rehabilitation progress, and request contact with families who have recently navigated the transition to another setting. Demanding a concrete improvement plan, and documenting commitments from management, helps ensure care expectations align with reality.

Ultimately, Norfolk Health Care Center presents a clear trade-off: substantive rehabilitation and engaging activities on one side, and troubling consistency and cleanliness issues on the other. For families willing to stay actively involved, escalate concerns, and monitor care closely, this facility can still serve as a viable rehab option. For those prioritizing reliable, predictable daily care and spotless, responsive environment, it may be wise to explore alternatives first or use this community as a last-resort choice while implementing a strict monitoring framework and clear exit criteria. The decision should hinge on the depth of family involvement possible, the resident’s rehab goals, and the capacity to demand and sustain a higher standard of daily care.

This part of Norfolk, Virginia, offers a variety of amenities and services that may be appealing to seniors looking for a vibrant community. With numerous restaurants offering diverse cuisines within close proximity, residents have plenty of options for dining out. Additionally, the proximity to several hospitals and medical facilities ensures easy access to healthcare services when needed. In terms of transportation, the area is well-connected with access to The Tide light rail system and nearby airports for travel convenience. Residents can also enjoy leisurely walks in the nearby parks or visit places of worship for spiritual fulfillment. Overall, this neighborhood provides a mix of convenience, healthcare accessibility, and recreational opportunities for seniors looking to settle in Norfolk.

Restaurants

• Chen Garden Chinese Restaurant (0.3 miles)
• Sanctuary (0.7 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (0.8 miles)
• Brick Anchor Brew House (1 miles)
• Grace O'Malley's Irish Pub & Restaurant (1.1 miles)
• Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint (1.2 miles)
• Waterside District (1.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Chkd (0.9 miles)
• Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (1.9 miles)
• Portsmouth General Hospital (2.1 miles)
• Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center (4.3 miles)
• Maryview Medical Ambulatory Surgery Recovery (4.3 miles)

Physicians

• Willis, Erica Pediatric Associates (0.9 miles)
• Tidewater Pediatric Consultants PC (1 miles)
• Galan-Dejesus Mariam Np (1.2 miles)
• Ivor Barry Kaplan (1.2 miles)
• Dr Robert F. Castle, MD (1.6 miles)
• Collins Jay N MD-Eastern VA Medical School Department (1.6 miles)
• Duncan Yoder M.D. (1.7 miles)

Pharmacies

• Mac Arthur Pharmacy (1 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.3 miles)
• Walgreens (1.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.2 miles)
• Walgreens (3.5 miles)
• Grifols (3.5 miles)

Transportation

• The Tide MacArthur Square Station (1.1 miles)
• The Tide-Newtown Road Station (3.6 miles)
• Norfolk Airport USO (4.8 miles)
• American Airlines Ticket Counter (4.8 miles)
• Norfolk International Airport (ORF) (4.8 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (1.1 miles)
• Coalescence Coffee (1.2 miles)
• Starbucks (1.3 miles)
• Cafe Stella (1.3 miles)
• Panera Bread (1.5 miles)
• Panera Bread (2.3 miles)
• Panera Bread (3.7 miles)

Parks

• The Pagoda & Oriental Garden (1.2 miles)
• Portsmouth City Park (6.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• Twine Memorial Holy Temple (2.8 miles)
• Tabernacle Church Of Norfolk (3.3 miles)
• Third Presbyterian Church (4.8 miles)
• Westhaven Baptist Church (4.8 miles)