Berkshire Health Systems

My loved one was sent here for rehab. The rehab itself was fine. We chose it without seeing it, because it had a higher rating on Medicare than Charlene Manor at the time (where we ended up going - in Greenfield, MA). We later found out that the rating was a "blip" for Charlene Manor, but I have no idea how Hillcrest managed their rating. We walked in to an odor of urine, and then went up to the crowded nurse station in the rehab area. The common room is right in front of the nursing station, and the atmosphere is like a third world hospital. An alarm went off next to my loved one's room continually. None of the nurses could figure out why, nor did they care. They also called Maintenance (which never came) because nobody could figure out how to work the phone by the bed. The staff seemed frightened to be kind, some "sneaked" extra sugar packets to us, shaking in their boots. Most (not all) nurses were uncaring and never came to assist when we rang the bell. Some of the staff were frankly rude, and while we tried to transfer out immediately, they seemed to delight in putting up obstacles for us. My loved one was sent here for rehab. The rehab itself was fine. We chose it without seeing it, because it had a higher rating on Medicare than Charlene Manor at the time (where we ended up going - in Greenfield, MA). We later found out that the rating was a "blip" for Charlene Manor, but I have no idea how Hillcrest managed their rating. We walked in to an odor of urine, and then went up to the crowded nurse station in the rehab area. The common room is right in front of the nursing station, and the atmosphere is like a third world hospital. An alarm went off next to my loved one's room continually. None of the nurses could figure out why, nor did they care. They also called Maintenance (which never came) because nobody could figure out how to work the phone by the bed. The staff seemed frightened to be kind, some "sneaked" extra sugar packets to us, shaking in their boots. Most (not all) nurses were uncaring and never came to assist when we rang the bell. Some of the staff were frankly rude, and while we tried to transfer out immediately, they seemed to delight in putting up obstacles for us. At one point, my loved one's ostomy bag leaked and for three hours he pressed his call button while lying in a cold pool of liquid. When asked if they responded promptly to call button alarms, the nurse said "Fairly promptly." and emphasized how busy they were. The Social Worker said they could only staff to the minimum levels required. Please do not choose this center for your loved one.