Massapequa Center Rehabilitation & Nursing

Brian Wishin

On February 8, 2025, my mother, age 74, was found on the floor of her apartment suffering from a serious medical condition later diagnosed as COVID-19 and pneumonia. Emergency Medical Services transported her to Good Samaritan Hospital in Islip, New York, where she was evaluated in the emergency department. She was formally admitted to the hospital on February 10, 2025, and remained hospitalized until February 20, 2025. During her hospitalization, my mother was treated for COVID-19, pneumonia, and oropharyngeal muscle dysphagia, which impaired her ability to safely swallow. Due to this condition, she was initially fitted with a nasogastric (NG) feeding tube, followed by placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeding tube. Medical staff advised me that due to her dysphagia, she was at high risk for choking and aspiration and was to remain NPO (nothing by mouth). I was informed that upon stabilization following PEG tube placement, she would require transfer to a rehabilitation facility for continued medical oversight, dysphagia therapy, PEG tube education, and fall-risk management. After consultation with hospital social services, my sister and I selected Massapequa Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, as it represented itself as capable of meeting my mother’s medical and rehabilitative needs, including PEG tube care and dysphagia treatment. My mother was discharged from Good Samaritan Hospital on February 20, 2025, at approximately noon and was transported by ambulance to Massapequa Center. I arrived at the facility around 2:30 p.m. to assist with her admission. At that time, my mother appeared alert, stable, and in good spirits. Shortly after my arrival, a nurse entered my mother’s room and offered her water to drink. I immediately intervened and informed the nurse that my mother was not permitted oral intake due to her documented choking risk. This raised immediate concern, as this restriction should have been clearly documented in her transfer and admission records. On February 21, 2025, my sister visited my mother at approximately 11:00 a.m. and remained for several hours. During this time, staff conducted evaluations and discussed rehabilitation planning. My sister left the facility between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m. when my mother indicated she wished to rest. I arrived at Massapequa Center later that evening at approximately 7:00 p.m. While entering the hallway where my mother’s room was located, I passed the nurses’ station, which was approximately 10 feet from her room, and observed the nurse on duty engaged with her personal cell phone. Upon entering my mother’s room, I observed that she was lying on her side, a position in which she had not been placed during her prior 12-day hospitalization. Her robe was pulled up around her neck, leaving her body exposed. I attempted to speak to her and immediately recognized that she was unresponsive and showed no signs of life. I called out to my mother loudly in an attempt to elicit a response. Two aides, one male and one female, entered the room. The female aide stated that she had been in the room approximately 10 minutes earlier, during which time my mother was pulling at her diaper and clenching her dentures in her hand. The aide appeared irritated rather than concerned. I observed handprints on the bedding covered in feces and/or mucus, indicating that my mother had been actively struggling prior to my arrival. I asked the aides to assist my mother. She stated, “you are the family, if you think she needs help, you have to tell the nurse.” I immediately went to the nurses’ station and demanded assistance. Only at that point was a Code initiated. Staff repositioned my mother, and it was evident to me that she was deceased. Resuscitative efforts were attempted until the Amityville Fire Department EMS arrived approximately 15 minutes later. EMS intubated my mother and transported her back to Good Samaritan Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Following my mother’s death, I contacted Mark, a member of management at Massapequa Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, to request an explanation of the care provided and events occurring between approximately 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on February 21, 2025. It took several days for management to respond. When communication occurred, Mark appeared more concerned with who would be attending the in-person meeting I requested rather than addressing my mother’s death. An in-person meeting occurred on February 27, 2025, at Massapequa Center. The meeting was well documented. During this meeting, facility representatives denied responsibility for my mother’s death. They stated they were aware of her decline during the day and claimed some interventions were attempted. However, they acknowledged that the family was never notified, and EMS was not contacted despite her deterioration. At no point was I or any family member informed that my mother’s condition had worsened. Based on my observations and statements made by staff, aides were aware that my mother was in distress and failed to initiate timely medical intervention, notify supervisory staff, or contact emergency services. My mother was admitted to the Massapequa Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing to assist with her recovery and to help her regain the ability to care for herself. She was in the facility for a total of approximately 30 hours, during which she received virtually no meaningful care when her medical condition deteriorated. I understand that the facility may not have been capable of providing the level of medical intervention my mother ultimately required between the hours of 2:00 and 7:00 p.m., when I tragically found her deceased. However, there is absolutely no excuse for the staff’s failure to call EMS or notify our family when her condition began to decline. I strongly urge others to avoid the Massapequa Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing at all costs. Please spread the word in any way possible. My only hope in sharing this experience is that it may prevent another family from enduring the horrific mistreatment and suffering that my mother experienced at the hands of this facility’s staff -Brian Wishin

Stephanie

My mom was at Massapequa Center Rehabilitation and Nursing for rehab. They offered PT, OT, medical and nursing services. Each staff member was very kind and seemed to be fairly efficient. However, as a whole, it was very incohesive. No one knows what the other person is doing, and no one knows whose responsibility each thing is. Some nursing staff were better than others and so some things seem to slip by the wayside. They don't have very good communication skills as a whole. They have way too many patients, and the doctors and the PAs are not responsive in a timely fashion. While PT and OT did a very good job when my mom was in PT and OT, they were certainly not enough. My mom was there for PT and OT for maybe 45 minutes five days a week, so I don't think that's enough activity. The facility is beautiful. The building is lovely. They have an outdoor space where you can go and bring your loved ones out, and it is beautiful. All of that is good, but as far as the maintenance staff, I would give them a two out of five for cleaning the rooms, washing the floors, and wiping down the cabinets and the trays and all that. The food was terrible. I don't think that the meals were very nutritious, and I don't think giving somebody macaroni and cheese that tastes like rotten feet for dinner is a good thing. The food was horrible, and a lot of it was not edible.

ccsjoe

Do not take your family member to this facility. They do not give family any info in details and my family member left in worst shape and is not back in the hospital because they did no rehab or consider the fact that the person we entrusted to their care was not eating and now was so weak when she left is has caused the family to have her taken by ambulance to a hospital today. I can say more but all I want to do is let people know they do not take care of their patients. I can't speak for their rehab because I was told my family member would stay until she was rehabbed and they basically discharged her with no real plans for getting her well. They said they did all they could but it my families opinion not enough to get her well and back on her feet and sent her home to die.

Karen Ron

our father was in this rehab. while the PT was excellent, the rest wasn't great. Dad was left in the hall all day. His dehydration and weight loss was not proactively managed and when he was released, they would not provide a list of firms that perform the 2 week rehab he needed. if you don't care about your family member, this is the place for you

Emily Sue

I spent 3 weeks in the rehabilitation part of this facility. My only complaint was the food. The staff worked with me to make sure I was safe nand that I would not fall after I had 2 surgeries, one on each foot. The staff was excellent and very caring. Cathy and Santos, both nurses aids were the best. The administrative staff is amazing. As is the physical therapy department. If you chose this facility for your orthopedic rehab you will come out stronger than when you went in.

Freda's 5

My mother was a resident of broadlawn manor for 18 months and had wonderful care there. If there were any problems they were taken care of asap. Any nursing home is short handed, and they do the best they can...we cannot thank the nursing staff, aides, cleaning crew, etc. for all they did for my mom..we knew she was well taken care of until she passed away.