registered nurse

licensed practical nurse

nursing assistant

physical therapist

occupational therapist

Communicare


Pros- if you can manage here you can manage anywhere. Great coworkers for the most part, supportive facility administration
Cons-raises capped at 1.5% and that’s if you meet productivity, nothing else matters
-overwhelming number of daily/weekly/monthly meetings, Zoom calls, and redundant reports
-unresponsive management
-High turnover at DOR Level

Without a doubt the worst company I’ve worked for in my 45-year work history
One star. This is not a knock against the building, but I’d give zero stars to the corporation if I could. The administration here is overworked, but we share a bunker mentality as corporate pushes more of its duties down to the facility level. 

Your list of daily, weekly, and monthly duties is extensive and confusing. The expectation is that you will spend 8+ hours per day in your building, attending facility meetings, corporate Zoom calls, and lastly treating patients for 3.25 hrs per day to maintain your own productivity. Whatever reports you cannot complete during the workday you must complete on your own time. Then you will be expected to check in on weekends for admissions and adjust the schedules accordingly. The expectation is 50-60 hours per week.  They will consistently add to your workload e.g. you'll be the one calling insurance companies for managed care approvals

Communicare touts a healthy work/life balance but requires its Directors of Rehab to check in and do reports in the evenings and on weekends. You are also the IT person responsible for laptops and network issues, the shipping& receiving person responsible for therapy department shipments, the HR person responsible for new hire processing and orientation, and then make sure the printer has toner, paper, and the shred box is emptied because Communicare will not hire a rehab tech. There is also ongoing corporate mandated compliance training which you must complete on your own time. Neither  the regional manager nor the director of HR was able to answer my question of how the DOR role encourages a healthy work/life balance. 

As a DOR, good luck getting time off. You must find your own coverage, which means you must ask another overworked manager to cover your building while you’re off and find a PRN therapist to cover your treatments.
If you must travel to mandatory trainings, you will not be reimbursed for mileage or paid for drive time, I’ve been employed for 45 years and this the first company I’ve worked for with such a cheapskate policy.
I took FMLA to get a break from work-related stress. When I returned, I was given a written warning and placed on a PIP (professional improvement program).  I had zero actions against me prior to taking FMLA; nothing verbal or written. I will never again work in another Communicare facilty.



Where to even begin.... understaffed isn’t even the correct term for aides and nurses. Call lights go hours without being attended due to not enough staff, although the nurses NEVER answer lights, 10 lights on at once and the nurses will sit on their phones while the aides run ragged.  The nurses won’t even step in and lend a hand to pass trays, by the time the food gets to each resident it’s cold.  The nurses station are a huge cluster unorganized and just a disaster, not enough chairs for the nurses to sit, the nurses/aides have to go find a table chair to drag to the station to sit and do any charting.  The facility is disgusting inside and out, the landscape is overgrown in the courtyard where the residents go to enjoy the outdoors. The inside is dirty, the rooms are outdated with crank beds, the wheelchairs are all stored in the halls, the halls are narrow and the wheelchairs sitting in the hall makes this even worse and is a huge fire hazard not to mention they are filthy, old food caked on the seats and arm rests, there’s no schedule for the chairs to ever be washed or sanitized. I’ve never seen the cleaning lady use anything antibacterial, she just sweeps around with a broom!!! The staff wear unsafe shoes and are all dressed in scrub bottoms and tee shirts. The break room for staff never has anything like plates, silverware, napkins for us to enjoy our lunch, instead we are scrambling to go find out this stuff so we can sit and eat and by the time we do that, our lunch is over. The kitchen staff is RUDE and if you ask for a second helping for a resident who requested it we’re told “it’s all gone” none of the residents have the opportunity to order something different than what’s served, it’s eat it or starve.  No menu is posted and the residents don’t even know what they’re having. They resident get no nutritional drink like Boost for those who don’t eat. The end of life setup they have is just sad, the resident will lay in their bed, no mouth swabs, no body pillows, no bed side table set up for the needs of hospice. Linen is always laying on the floors in the rooms and hallways. Snacks are NOT passed EVER! If the resident asks for a snack we offer a 2 pack saltine cracker.  When giving/receiving report to on shifts the aides talk badly about the residents right in the doorway of their rooms, within hearing of the resident. Report should be given in huddle, at the nurses station in privacy. The resident nail care is horrific, long and dirty nails on everyone. Gown supply is terrible, all gowns are XXL and entirely too big for many residents. Staff that come in to relive the shift, are always late. Staff should be on the floor and receiving report 5 minutes prior to the time they start, instead it’s 15 minutes late.  Bedsheets are dirty and stained that’s never been taken off and replaced with fresh linen. Staff never washed their hands, they really need to practice hand hygiene and all the hand sanitizer dispensers and empty.  This place is sad and needs new management.  

	Consulted with The Administrator to assess inquiries when necessary and responded to referrals within 15-20 minutes.
	Meet census goals by working with the facility’s interdisciplinary team and corporate entities to coordinate customer flow into and through the facility.
	Ensured immediate response to phone, fax and walk-in inquiries and referrals.
	Completed tour, application, and sales process with potential residents, families, and referrals.
	Ensured proper completion, signing and distribution of paperwork.
	Consulted with family and resident on day of admission and ensure appropriate preparation of room and introduction to nursing staff on unit.
	Communicated admission criteria to referral sources, residents, and families.
	Ensured comprehensive gathering and documentation of resident data which will enhance appropriate placement. 
	Maintained thorough knowledge of medical, social, and financial information relating to facility.
	Followed up on all inquiries which have not yet been converted to admissions.
	Worked with Administrator and appropriate staff to ensure consistent and effective admissions, discharges, and marketing activity.  Submit to corporate office on a timely basis.
	Nurtured referral relationship through an aggressive, customer-oriented admissions process.
	Worked to initiate, nurture and maintain contacts with physicians, social workers, and discharge planners as valued customers to maximize referrals and facilitate admissions.
	Stayed abreast of services available within the center through the corporation in order to serve as liaison with the center to referral sources and to assist in efficient use of facility and alternate care setting within the corporation.
	 Provided information to referral sources of residents’ progress as appropriate.
	Identified marketing opportunities for referring hospitals and physicians as they relate to individual facility and facility clusters. Works with administrator and regional marketing to follow-up.
	Assisted in the development and implementation of long-range and short-term marketing plans.
	Coordinated and participated in presentations about the facility or other appropriate healthcare topics to hospitals, physicians, and other potential referral sources.
	Consulted with The Administrator to ensure resident satisfaction from the perspective of potential residents, families, and referrals.
	Provided research results of satisfaction surveys.
	Ensured that residents and families receive the highest quality of service in a caring and compassionate atmosphere which recognizes them individuals’ needs and rights.


Working as a Registered Nurse for a CommuniCare facility, was a deeply challenging experience that taught me a great deal about advocating for patient care in a profit-driven environment. A typical day was incredibly fast-paced and overwhelming, requiring not only direct patient care, but also strict adherence to daily and weekly productivity quotas that had to be manually documented and submitted to on-site corporate leadership daily. Despite the high expectations, scheduling was often poorly managed, making it nearly impossible to meet quotas—such as situations where a patient would be scheduled for individual medical, therapy, and case management appointments in a way that directly conflicted with billing needs for group sessions or scheduled with all three entities at the same time. The company culture was marked by disorganization and burnout, with many staff members change-fatigued and performing duties outside of their roles, such as case managers functioning as receptionists or performing clinical duties like breathalyzers or urine drug screens. One of the most difficult aspects of the job was the lack of clinically-informed leadership. The on-site corporate leader openly admitted to having no clinical background, yet frequently questioned the decisions of the medical team. At one point, when I expressed that patient safety and satisfaction were my top priorities, I was told, “numbers make patient care,” which I found deeply troubling and fundamentally misaligned with my nursing values. Despite these systemic issues, the most rewarding part of my role was working directly with patients—providing compassionate care and supporting them in their healing journeys. That connection reminded me of why I became a nurse in the first place, even when the structure around me made it difficult to do the job the way it should be done.

Everyone does a pretty good job of working together as  team. Sure there are always a couple that you prefer to not work around but overall, everyone shows they care each and every day about all the residents and staff. We usually have at least some type of employee appreciation things going at least 1x a week.  Our ED buys everyone (residents & staff) catered food usually once a month just to say thank you & tells we are appreciated. We recently started getting bonuses for perfect attendance; we all LOVE this!

Our nursing care team is excellent & above average. We do not have residents that get bed sores and stuff like that. Our building does not look or smell like a nursing home which I think is a great thing. Our building is tight ship but it is because we do not cut corners or compromise care. We are a CMS rated, 5 Star Facility. This is not an easy thing to accomplish. It is because every department and management refuse to compromise our standards of care and expectations. We know that 5 Star Care is the Expectation & it is a non-negotiable. I love that leaders & management never say "not my job"; even our ED is always out on the floor helping or even driving residents to and from appointments. Everyone helps & everyone puts RESIDENTS FIRST!

Our residents are happy and stay engaged in real activities both inside and outside. We have a daily exercise club that they enjoy attending every morning. I think our facility does a great job of keeping our residents involved in community events and things like that. We took them through the parade last year and we have car shows, competitions and just lots of community things going on to keep our residents really active in the community. 

Our dietary department has come a long way in the past year or so. Our new Dietary Manager works hard at making sure the residents actually like the menu and she always checks with residents on things they may wants changed. The CM always offers special meals for celebrations too. 

I genuinely love all the people I work with and even on the tough days; it is the best nursing home I have worked in and I have done this work for over 12 years. 



Each day at Crestwood Care Center I have been able to learn and apply my Nursing Degree in various ways. I continue to learn more about the field in which I work as well as myself and my personal goals each day.
A typical day at work consists of rounding to each of the three units at Crestwood Care Center where I then provide assistance to each staff nurse as necessary. These tasks can range from: assessments, vital signs, admissions, transfers, discharges, physician referrals, therapy evaluations, PO and IV medication administration, lab draws, IV starts, PICC/Port care as well as personalized patient care.
I have learned that nursing is so much more than what I initially learned at Marion Technical College. It is not only knowing about multitudes of different drugs, procedures, disease processes, or types of insurances; it is a life style that one must embrace to fully be able to give all of themselves each and every day to provide excellent care to patients. I have also been able to advance in clinical skills through obtaining a Certified Dementia Practitioner certificate as well as through our Skilled/Rehab wing where I am proficient in PICC/Port drug administration, lab draws, maintenance and dressing changes, peripheral IV drug administration, catheter care, sterile dressings, focused assessments of those post-surgery as well as management and delegation to other staff members and reporting to superior staff members.
The management at Crestwood Care Center is wonderful. There is always an open door where one can communicate or also confide in other's nursing experience. This also is in reference to the many seasoned co-workers at Crestwood Care Center that are always eager to share their personal knowledge and experiences.
The hardest part of my job has been the transition from being a STNA to now a RN Supervisor. I have learned a lot about myself and my personal abilities to delegate and provide safe and essential care to all resident's under my care.
Each and every day I go to Crestwood I have the ability to touch someone’s life which I find an honor in itself, that is the main reason I have stayed with Commicare through this transition into a new nursing role.

There are no consequences for being a lazy employee nor are there any rewards for being a conscientious employee.  The company leads you to believe there is adequate staffing but consistently cuts staff far below what is acceptable to properly carry out the job.  This company wants to emulate the leader in the skilled nursing facility industry but fails miserably because they want results without having to pay for them.  Profit unfortunately overtakes care of the residents they serve.  The building has a horrible reputation and will hire employees who can help turn it around but will never achieve the end result because of how they treat those employees.  If you are a salaried employee with a strong work ethic, you will likely not last because the administration excessively abuses your time to the point you are not fairly compensated.  The administration concentrates more on bottom line and personal vendetta than learning from their mistakes to make the facility one of the best.  Administration is very cliquey and if you are in the clique, you do not have to work very hard compared to those who are not.  The facility is not making any strides and administration reacts to problems without gathering information to make the best choices on the handling of situations.  Communication is poor as Administration is largely unaccessible and the management team lacks cohesion.  The State is in the facility on complaint visits more than any other facility I've witnessed.  There is no loyalty despite the amount of energy one puts into the job and leadership is poor, including corporate positions.  They do not have a grasp on what is needed to successfully run a skilled nursing facility and have unrealistic expectations.  It's shocking that there has been no intervention by the company at large since there is a lack of proper leadership.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The residents were always the best part of the job. Building relationships with them and their families made the work meaningful. I also worked alongside some incredibly hardworking coworkers who genuinely cared about resident care and supported each other through difficult days.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part was the workload compared to the level of support provided. Expectations were high, priorities changed frequently, and communication was not always clear or consistent. Much of the stress seemed to stem from leadership practices and the overall management approach, which often contributed to tension within the work environment rather than helping resolve it. Over time, burnout was inevitable.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture often felt more reactive than supportive. Communication and expectations could change quickly, which made it difficult to feel stable in the role. Teamwork existed among coworkers, but overall morale was heavily influenced by management style and workplace dynamics. Employees were expected to handle a very demanding workload with limited support, which contributed to frequent stress and burnout.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Most days were fast-paced and unpredictable. The workload was heavy, priorities shifted constantly, and there was rarely enough time or support to fully keep up with the demands of the role. A large part of the day involved problem-solving, managing crises, handling unrealistic expectations, and trying to balance resident needs with ongoing administrative pressures.

My typical day were getting to work safely , being positive with positive attitude and making my early mornning rounds. Working at a Rehab Center such as Forestville you will either be efficient with your daily work task are become over whelming because, you didn't manage your time ,you let your time managed you. I really enjoyed being in management. Being in that position is not easy, but I learned over the years most jobs are only as difficult as you allow them to be. When doing documentation such as, care plan,mds,pps, progress notes, resident admission assesments,daily activities, monthly calendars,alzheimer's and dementia programs,community outings, department budget, audit,survey ready at all times and staying in the guidelines with state, local and federal codes. Thanks to my hard working staff that I had.Thanks to God I didn't have to micro-manage them , because we had monthly staff metting and everyone knew their responsibles. There no excuse for late daily activities or progress notes, they knew i audit charts often.The hardest part of my job was when i relocated to Monroe La. to take care of my special need daughter. However my baby girl died on March 04, 2012. My Husband and I are now in the progress of relocating back to Washington DC. I really would Love to return back to Forestville as an employee. I really enjoyed my job to the fullest, especially when I would see the smile on my resident faces in the mornings and during daily activities that just filled my heart with joy. When I had to move due to family reason i was truly sadden at that time. Forestville Health and Rehabilitation Center is a wonderful place to work.

The pay was good compared to other nursing homes in the area, but it wasn't enough to make up for the amount of stress and physically demanding tasks you were put through. As a 3rd shift aide I would be assigned 25 - 50 residents to take care of on my own. And I'm talking about people who not only needed very extensive care, but were demanding, rude, physically violent, and even psychotic. I would say I'm in decent physical shape, but by the end of my 12 hour shift (7:00pm to 7:00am) I was burned out and exhausted. And then people on dayshift would always call off, someone would get mandated and have no choice but to stay and work, regardless of whether they were scheduled to come back in 8 hours. It was hard enough to juggle work and sleep, let alone have time to take care of yourself and spend time with your family...However, management was the worst part about Chardon Healthcare. No one's hard work was ever appreciated. You are expected to work nonstop and if you slip up and make a single mistake, you'll be scrutinized for it by one of the big bosses that would never dare to lift a finger to help anyone out. They try to tempt you and make the benefits seem attractive, but they never even give you your earned paid time off. You don't get holiday pay, and if you're newbie on night shift get ready to give up spending time with your family in ALL of the major holidays (christmas, new years, thanksgiving). I felt for my fellow aides, but I mainly kept to myself because they always had something bad to say about one another. I wouldn't wish this place on any resident or employee. Your time and effort would be much better spent elsewhere.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 97 salaries reported	$36.92 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 104 salaries reported	$33.16 per hour
Nursing assistant 123 salaries reported	$20.37 per hour
Physical therapist 14 salaries reported	$41.94 per hour
Occupational therapist 8 salaries reported	$46.63 per hour

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