Sunharbor Manor — Attraction in Town of North Hempstead

My family and I had sent my mother to rehab at Sun Harbor after a brief hospitalization. The hospital advised rehab and we sent her to Sun Harbor to be close to us. This was a huge mistake. On one visit, my 8 year-old daughter and I found my mother in sheets caked in feces, a mattress soaked with urine, a diaper obviously filled with feces, wearing a bib with a pool of milk and food crumbs in it, and stains all over her hospital gown. It was plainly obvious that she had been in this condition for at least a period of hours. The pooled milk on her bib had started to cake. To see my mother lose her dignity in this way was highly disturbing to my daughter and I. We told the nursing station about it, but no one came to clean her up so we took pictures to document the neglect / abuse.

The next day, I detailed these events in an email along with the pictures and sent to the Assistant Administrator , who I had spoken to previously about a prior incident at the facility. Despite several follow-ups via email and telephone, no one cared enough about the incident to even reply. Subsequently, I filed a complaint with NYS who described the situation as one of severe neglect. The fact that no one from Sun Harbor replied speaks volumes about the lack of care towards both the patients and their families.

The staff is belligerent, disrespectful, and unprofessional. Prior to the above event, I had participated in a very upsetting call with my father relating to my mother’s discharge. He had asked me to participate because he said that the other calls he had with them degraded to shouting matches. The call was disturbing. One of the participants seemed to have a history with my father . Her conduct was unprofessional and inappropriate. The call was contentious from the start and, again, degraded into a shouting match between this person and my father. It was shocking and surreal that someone would speak to my father this way and extremely upsetting to both of us. This seems to be part and parcel for the staff at this facility.

On other visits, there were smaller incidents. One time, my mother went missing and no one knew where she was until she mysteriously reappeared. Another time, a security with a bad attitude went on a "power trip" on us about visitation.

When my mother was discharged, they provided no transition services. Specifically, they did not give my father her medicine or tell him the medicines she was taking, they didn't coordinate with her home car or physician, they wouldn't help my father obtain a hospital bed, or even help make arrangements to get an ambulette home. Once that my father told them he wouldn't keep her there permanently, all services basically stopped.

All of these events made for about as bad of an experience that you could have at a medical facility next to death. My mother went into the facility being able to walk and go to the bathroom by herself. By the time she got out 2 or 3 weeks later, she could no longer walk or go to the bathroom by herself, which was the worst part of it. Instead of rehabbing, her condition got much worse here.

No one cares at this place, Each patient is nothing but a human dollar sign. The bad attitude starts at the top and filters down to everyone that works there. We were treated as bad as you can be treated and no one cared - that is the scary part. Hopefully, there will be some consequences from the complaint with NYS but I doubt it will change their bad attitude or hiring practices.

This place should be no stars. Please do not make the same mistake that we made and leave your family member here. You will regret it as we did. If NYS is truly doing their job supervising these facilities, it won't be open long we...

My father spent one year and four months at Sunharbor Manor for long-term care, and throughout that time, he was consistently treated with dignity, compassion, and professionalism. Every day and during days I visited, I observed he was well cared for, his medications were given in accordance with his treatment plan, and never once neglected. He was always clean, his room was maintained impeccably, and his laundry was always taken care of promptly. The recreation team provided meaningful activities, entertainment, and grooming resources that helped keep his spirits up. There were even options for haircuts, which I gladly paid for, and my dad always received his preferred buzz cut. They also shaved him regularly, making him feel fresh and confident. Over time, I observed how my Dad gradually acclimated to his new environment; it truly felt like a home away from home thanks to the warmth and dedication of the CNAs and nurses who cared for him. There was also a genuine sense of community among the residents, which helped my dad feel connected and supported, making the transition so much easier for all of us. His meals always arrived warm and on time, and the staff followed a strict regimen to ensure his individual needs were met. The wound care team was absolutely exceptional—given the complexity of his needs, their care was nothing short of perfection. My family and I spent many days together with my Dad in the family dining room or on the patio during warmer weather, making cherished memories. The overall culture among the staff is clearly one of teamwork and compassion. As a family member, I always felt supported, knowing there was a unified approach to my dad’s care. In his last days of life, he received comforting treatment, and my family and I will forever remember his time at Sunharbor Manor as supportive and caring. I am eternally grateful to everyone at Sunharbor Manor who played a role in my father’s care and comfort through to his passing. A very special thank you to Nurse Supervisor Trudy Blackwood for her unwavering attention to my dad’s care and for making my family feel supported at every interaction, especially during the toughest days. You are an extraordinary professional, and we will always hold you in our hearts. I’d also like to acknowledge Kim Geisler, social worker assigned to my dad’s care, for her responsiveness and support whenever needed. Your prompt attention and willingness to help truly made a difference for our family. Lastly, thank you to the receptionists who greeted us with a smile each visit, and to the administration for running such an outstanding facility. Any family whose loved one needs skilled nursing would be fortunate to have them cared for at Sunharbor Manor. From the bottom of my heart, thank you...

The Sunharbor staff was terribly uncommunicative regarding status updates. Nurse practitioner Melissa was virtually and literally unreachable: She reached out just before my dad was admitted and failed to answered her phone afterward. Whenever we called in the mornings, the operator said she wasn’t in the office. When we called later, she was at lunch. When we called in the afternoon, she was gone for the day. It was deeply frustrating and troubling.

Voicemail could not be left for either her, the physical therapist (whom I spoke to once), occupational therapist (whom I also spoke to once), doctor, or other staff. The phone always redirected to the main line, furthering my frustration. The one time my mom and I actually spoke to Dr. Sahansra, she seemed to know little to nothing about my father's case and wasn’t able to access any case notes.

The phones were always a problem. The line for his room never actually worked. Had we not bought and delivered a cell phone to my dad, I would never have spoken to him. I also would have never known how poorly most of the clearly overworked staff treated my dad. He often complained that the staff testing him often failed to identify themselves or explain what they were doing to/for him.

One night (Friday, February 18), my dad called complaining of arm pain. He had lost power to his arm and dropped his toothbrush. He told a nurse, who seemed to dismiss his complaint, so he called my mom and I for help. After trying to reach the nurse on duty and the unit nurse for 30 minutes, we were so concerned over neither of them being available that we called 911 and had the police check in on him. Only then did the staff respond and take him seriously.

After that, he began slipping into a depression. He stopped answering his phone and was despondent when we actually did get through to him. We called the social worker on Monday and asked her for a psychiatric evaluation. Then my mom and I realized he needed to be discharged, so my son called Kim, who referred us to Alyssa, who helped us get him discharged on Thursday, February 24.

Not everyone was a nightmare. I’d like to actually thank Cadet (nurse), Rob (occupational therapist, who appeared too overworked to keep us informed), Gina (physical therapist, though illness seemed to keep her from keeping us informed of my husband’s treatment), Kim (social worker, who had her own voicemail and actually returned calls), and Alyssa (discharge representative).

The facility came highly recommended by NYU and turned out to be a four-week nightmare for the entire family. Something definitely needs to be done about the unprofessional and toxic attitudes of the staff, so I’m writing this complaint. No one should have to experience the fear and trauma...