Vestal Park Rehabilitation And Nursing Center sits near Choconut Creek and Middendorf Park in Vestal and provides both long-term care and short-term rehabilitation for older adults, and what sticks out right away is how the center offers skilled nursing around the clock, so there's always trained staff on site day and night. The facility handles medication management, help with activities like bathing and dressing, wound care, and services for those with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, and there's a memory care program for people needing that extra layer of attention. They also offer respite stays, medical adult day health services, and hospice care, along with physical, occupational, and speech therapy programs to improve function and quality of life, plus nutrition counseling and special therapeutic diets for those who need it.
Residents can choose between private or semiprivate rooms, which come with their own bathrooms, wardrobes, and dressers, and every room's got cable TV, phone lines, and air conditioning, with Wi-Fi available throughout, plus the staff encourages residents to make their own space by bringing things like photographs, a twin-sized comforter, favorite recliner if fire-safe, and familiar knick-knacks from home, since people usually like a room to feel comfortable and familiar. They ask residents to show up with at least a week's worth of sturdy clothes that can handle high heat washing, plus rubber-soled shoes, and any mobility gear they're used to using at home like wheelchairs or walkers. Private pay residents will need a check up front for the first month, and Vestal Park takes both Medicaid and Medicare.
Dining happens in a community dining room, or with meals delivered right to a resident's room, with restaurant-style options, specialized diets for those with allergies or diabetes, and even help from a professional chef. For daily life, you'll find personal laundry, regular housekeeping, housekeeping move-in support, and family support, plus a concierge for questions. There's an activities calendar with recreation therapy, arts and crafts, movie nights, game rooms, music, a library, and even outdoor walking paths to use when the weather's nice, and the place offers pet therapy sessions and regular spiritual services, so there's a routine but there's also flexibility, which some people like. Volunteers help with some events, and there's a resident and family council so folks can have a say and raise concerns about how the place runs.
For medical care, Vestal Park can get residents in to see specialists like podiatrists or eye doctors, and handles things like x-rays as needed. They keep a thorough clinical review process going on admission day and go out of their way to introduce a new resident to all the staff members of their care team, though there's a fair bit of paperwork to complete with business office staff and the social worker. They've got an emergency alert system and private bathrooms for safety, as well as fitness and wellness rooms to encourage people to keep active.
The center operates as a large, for-profit limited liability company with 180 certified beds and usually about 156 people living there each day, and it's part of the Upstate Services Group with management led by Efraim Steif since 2017. Nurse staffing hours are higher than the state average, so most shifts have good coverage, though the nurse turnover rate is higher than average. Inspection reports show 31 total deficiencies, including infection control and resident rights issues such as not always informing families about situations right away or failing to treat residents in line with their wishes or doctor's orders, and there are three standard inspection reports plus a handful of complaint reports on file, with at least one infection-related deficiency cited. Overall, Vestal Park Rehabilitation And Nursing Center covers a wide range of services with some unique amenities and community involvement, but like many large nursing homes, it's important to keep an eye on inspection history and talk with staff to get questions answered before making any decisions.
