The Arbors Assisted Living Communities at Westbury

Reviews

• AK

  Amanda Krieger

  Oct 3, 2026
  1.0
  An Honest Review of the Arbors Assisted Living Our advice to other families is simple: visit more than once. Visit at different times of the day before choosing a facility. Visit during the evening. Visit on weekends. When permitted, visit without scheduling every visit in advance. Ask direct questions about staffing, supervision, cleanliness, communication, and how concerns are handled. Ask specifically about any medical or care-related restrictions that could affect your loved one. For example, we learned that the Islandia facility did not allow oxygen in its Safe Care units. Most importantly, get important information and promises in writing. Leadership and staff can change. What one person tells you when your loved one moves in may not necessarily be what another person follows later. Having important policies, promises, and care expectations documented in writing can be extremely important. Look beyond what you are shown during an official tour. Pay attention to how residents are spoken to and treated during ordinary moments, when no one is giving a presentation or trying to make an impression. A facility should not merely tell you that your loved one will be safe, respected, and cared for. You should be able to see it in the way your loved one is treated every day. For our family, The Arbors at Islandia ultimately showed us what that kind of care could look like. We will forever be grateful that our mother was able to experience that kindness and dignity, even if only for a little while. Near the end of her life, our mother was fortunate enough to be accepted into a hospice center in Northport, Long Island. The care she received there was exceptional. The facility was beautiful, and the people caring for her helped ensure that her final moments were peaceful. Our mother took her last breaths surrounded by comfort and love. After everything she had been through, knowing that she was treated with compassion and dignity at the end of her life meant more to our family than we can ever adequately express. We share this experience in our mother’s memory and in the hope that it helps another family ask the right questions, look a little closer, and make the most informed decision possible for someone they love. Family of Rosemarie
• DH

  Donna Haran

  Oct 3, 2026
  1.0
  Honest Review of Arbors Part 2 What was especially upsetting to our family was the initial response we received. Rather than first asking whether our mother was okay, the response focused on whether we had proof or video of what had happened. Our mother ultimately required hospitalization followed by approximately three months of rehabilitation. Our family felt that this long and difficult period also contributed to the progression of her dementia. During the approximately 99 days our mother was away from Westbury, we continued paying her monthly rent while receiving what we felt was very little communication from the facility. Then, as her rehabilitation stay was coming to an end, day 99, we were told that our mother would no longer be accepted back at Westbury. This put our family in an incredibly difficult position. With insurance coverage for rehabilitation ending at day 101, we essentially had one day to find a new place for our mother to live. It was overwhelming. Many facilities did not have space available on such short notice. We ultimately made the decision to move her to The Arbors at Islandia’s Safe Care Neighborhood. At the same time, we were required to clear our mother’s belongings out of her room at Westbury that same day. The difference, in our family’s experience, was like night and day. At Islandia, we found the facility clean and the care consistent. When we had concerns, they were addressed promptly. The staff members we encountered during the day, at night, in the evenings, on weekends, and on holidays treated our mother and our family with kindness, consideration, and compassion. Most importantly, we saw a change in our mother. After everything she had endured a stroke, the onset and progression of dementia, two fractures in her back, hospitalization, and months of rehabilitation we began seeing something we had not seen in a very long time. Our mother smiled. She laughed. Those moments meant everything to us. Sadly, our mother has since passed away. Losing her has made us reflect even more deeply on the care she received during the final chapter of her life. We cannot change what happened or the difficult experiences our family went through, but we will always be grateful that we ultimately found The Arbors at Islandia. Knowing that our mother spent that part of her life somewhere we felt she was treated with kindness, patience, compassion, and dignity gave our family tremendous comfort. The memories of visiting her and seeing her smile and laugh again are memories we now hold especially close. We remain deeply grateful to the staff and medical team at Islandia for the care and dignity they gave our mother. At the same time, we remain deeply disappointed by our family’s experience at Westbury. It was horrific! We are sharing our experience because choosing an assisted-living facility for someone you love is an incredibly difficult and important decision.
• JC

  Jackie Cahill

  Oct 3, 2026
  1.0
  Honest Review: Please Read all reviews related to honest review as it was too long and we had to put it in several review for the full story The Arbors Assisted Living Choosing an assisted living facility is a major decision. This honest review of The Arbors Assisted Living highlights key questions, warning signs, and must-know details that apply to any facility so families can make a confident, informed choice. Our family experienced two Arbors assisted-living communities, and the contrast between them could not have been more profound. After our mother suffered a stroke in 2022 and we could no longer safely care for her at home, we placed her at The Arbors at Westbury on Jericho Turnpike. We hoped she would receive the attentive and compassionate care she needed. Our experience there actually began positively. We were fortunate to have Colleen in a leadership role, and our family found her caring, attentive to residents’ needs, and genuinely passionate about the community and the residents that live there. Unfortunately things changed ! Following staffing and leadership changes, including Colleen’s departure, our confidence in the facility steadily declined. We repeatedly raised concerns and were given assurances that things would improve, but from our perspective, many of those promises did not result in meaningful change. Life for our mother at The Arbors at Westbury changed when she began needing a little more help. She was not asking for anything extraordinary just a little more assistance than she needed when she first moved in, and no more than the level of care we believed had originally been promised. We became especially concerned about the level of care during evenings and weekends. We personally experienced interactions with some staff members that we felt were rough, unkind, and at times disrespectful not only toward residents, but toward family members as well. Cleanliness also became a serious concern for us. We encountered roaches in our mother’s room and in other areas of the facility and raised the issue with management. Although our concerns were heard, we did not feel the problem was being adequately addressed. At the beginning of our mother’s stay, families had been encouraged to have cameras in their loved ones’ rooms. Having a camera gave us tremendous peace of mind because we could see when someone entered our mother’s room and check on how she was. As staffing changed and our concerns about evening and weekend care increased, we shared videos and photographs with management that we believed showed troubling interactions involving residents. Later, the Wi-Fi access that had previously allowed us to use the camera was no longer available in the room in the same way. To continue using the camera, we would have needed to obtain our own separate cellular internet service. This was particularly upsetting because cameras had previously not only been permitted, but encouraged by the prior leadership. One of the most painful events occurred when our mother began complaining about significant back pain. We had a doctor on the premises examine her, and she was given pain medication and pain patches for her back. Eventually, our mother needed to go to the hospital because of chest pain. While she was there, the hospital staff became concerned about the severity of her back pain. An MRI was performed, and we learned that she had two fractures in her back. We want to be very clear: we do not know how those fractures occurred, and we cannot prove that any staff member caused them. Our mother had not reported a fall to us. Before the fractures were discovered, however, she had complained to our family about what she described as rough treatment and unkindness from some evening staff members. Given those circumstances, we were extremely concerned and brought our concerns to management. Pease read all reviews marked honest review
• JS

  Jean Schmutzler

  Oct 1, 2026
  4.0
  We visited the Arbor in Westbury while in search of a place for my brother. Brad sat with us and explained how it all works and took us on a tour. He was very professional and very kind. He listened and addressed all of our concerns. I highly recommend this facility. The staff is wonderful.
• TP

  Tom P

  Sep 3, 2026
  5.0
  We have visited the Arbors several times to consider location for my father. Ultimatetly, the choise was his, and ended up at a different location. This is not to say it wasnt one of our first choices. Extremely convenient location, pricing is affordable, and no nonsense. For one price, all care, room, meals, and coordination of services is provided. From every person we encountered, we were exposed to kindness and sincerity. Brad Chafin was highly instrumental with efficiently coordinating everything, including our tour. But the individual who truly, and sincerely bent over backwards for us was Megnan Alvarez. She was a wealth of information in all aspects of the industry, as well as going out of her way to meet my father, and understand his needs. From all the people we have met along this "trip", my father justifiably liked her the most. She is a credit to this institution, and clearly takes pride in making Arbors the best it can be. If you want an affordable, assisted living facility where your mind can be at ease, with truly caring people, I think you should consider the Arbors..in Westbury.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Arbors Assisted Living Communities at Westbury