★★★★★
DO NOT TAKE YOUR LOVED ONES HERE. My mom not only wasn't taken care of properly and I had to call her an ambulance myself, but she was also assaulted by a male resident. The facility knew previously that the gentleman was an issue but left him unattended and able to enter my mom's room anyway. Constantly under staffed. No accountability. No remorse. No feedback from Embassy Healthcare. Every employee working at Crystal Care during my mom's stay, should be held accountable for their actions and/or lack of action. The Ohio Department of Health has investigated and Crystal Care has several deficiencies in many areas. Do your homework, you don't have to take my word for it.
Katie Johnson - Shocked, horrified and devastated daughter.
★★★★★
Choosing the right care facility for a loved one is never easy. With so many mixed reviews, it can be overwhelming to find a place you trust. Here is my honest experience with Crystal Care of Ashland.
The building, both inside and out, is outdated and in desperate need of repair. The moment you walk in, the smell hits you—while care facilities often have an odor, this one is particularly overpowering. To make matters worse, I walked into my mom’s room to find not one, but two mouse traps.
I didn’t have the opportunity to do a site visit before choosing this facility, and I would strongly advise against that. The nursing staff repeatedly insisted that their therapy team was the reason we should be confident in our choice. The therapy room itself was nothing special, but my mom did enjoy the sessions.
The food was typical for a nursing home, but there were many issues with communication about her dietary needs. After her meal plan was changed, it took a full week for the kitchen to get it right.
The nursing staff, unfortunately, appeared overwhelmed, tired, and generally unhappy. At times, their behavior came off as condescending. When you press the call button for help, be prepared to wait—sometimes up to 20 minutes. My mom even had to assist a neighboring resident on two occasions because the aides were taking too long, and the woman was screaming for help. The facility seemed short-staffed, with only one or two aides caring for 30+ residents. It's no surprise that the staff often seemed irritated when asked for assistance. One aide even yelled at my mom for requesting her brief changed.
On a positive note, Billie was fantastic. My mom talked about her fondly. The Crystal Care team will make you feel welcome on your first day, with all department heads introducing themselves. However, that’s the last time you’ll likely see most of them. If you try to reach anyone by phone, you’ll find that most lines go unanswered. There’s no voicemail setup, and after 5 p.m., good luck getting a response.
The social services director was sweet and helpful, but it was clear she was overwhelmed and in need of support. She took days to return calls, and communication as a whole was one of the most frustrating aspects of our experience.The administrator never introduced himself, and would avoid eye contact in the hallway.
On a brighter note, the activities director was a ray of positivity and energy. She truly stood out as someone who brought much-needed enthusiasm to the facility.
Finally, when my mom was discharged, we were told she would be sent home with a few days of medications and that a 30-day prescription would be called in. Instead, we were given only 1.5 days of medication and three prescriptions were never called in. I had to drive all the way back to the facility to pick one up. When I called to follow up, the nurse who discharged us was rude, but the director of nursing eventually apologized and promised the scripts would be called in immediately. They never were. As a result, my mom went two days without her medications—an unacceptable situation.
Based on my experience, I would never return to Crystal Care of Ashland and cannot recommend it to others.
★★★★★
I entered CC on June June 9th after spending almost a week at UH Cleveland for a brain bleed. My first week at CC I recall nothing and was just out of it. The next week the therapists starting working with me even tho I just wanted to stay in bed. I came home jUly 10th able to live on my own with some home health care~My take on CC is the food just sucked (I had a peg tube put in while in Cleveland). I depended depended heavily on that.
But my care was the best. Especially the therapists. Penny in particular was like my cheerleader. They got me up very early every day and got me going.
Did I have to wait sometimes longer than I thought I should for a nurse to come, of course. But their caseload is heavy and some patients require longer to take care of a person than others. I only had one nurse that I didn't care for. The rest were helpful and kind. In return I went out of my way to be nice to them.
I found the place clean and I really have to give the place 9 ot of 10 stars. The one star less is due to the industrial food but guessing you would find that in any nursing home.