The Hearth at Franklin

Brenda Hopkins

My mom lived here for 4 years. I can't say enough good things about The Hearth. They have the kindest, most caring employees that I have ever seen. Mom was treated like family from each employee. A special thanks to each one!

Sharon Haynes

We found the Hearth at just the right time. With health issues of my own, I couldn't see after the needs of my father without help from others. The responsibility of his care falling solely on my shoulders was overwhelming. The Hearth staff made him feel like a celebrity and I can't say thank you near enough.

Julian Moore

My name is Julian Moore. My mother was at the Hearth at Franklin from July 2020 until September 9 of 2021. I made the decision to move my mother to a different assisted-living/memory care facility due to the following experiences with memory care at the Hearth. It was apparent that the Hearth was chronically understaffed in the number of techs working. Because my mother was on hospice care, I was able to go into the facility to visit with her. Frequently on the memory care side, there would only be one tech working on that side of the facility especially in the evenings. This was a chronic situation. On one Saturday about a month and a half ago there was only one tech working for the whole facility, both assisted living and memory care, and one nurse. This was the last straw for me. I had repeatedly asked the management questions about adequate staffing and they always blamed Covid and difficulty hiring people. Where I moved my mother has adequate staffing. The emergency pendants not working was a chronic problem. Because I could also talk with my mother on the phone, I frequently learned that she had indeed pushed her emergency pendant and received no timely response or none at all. Short staffing, I believe, was a problem causing poor response times when the pendants were actually working. The pendants are supposed to set off an alert at the nurses station, which is often unoccupied in the evenings due to short staffing and is also supposed to send an alert to pagers worn by staff. After repeatedly talking with management about this over the course of months, it was found out that the pagers, which the emergency pendant sends an alert to, worn by techs, were not even working on the memory care side of the facility. This was corrected finally, but there seems to be no accountability as to ensuring that the system is actually maintained and working. When the system is working, without adequate staff, it is still difficult for them to respond in a timely manner. It was also necessary to remind the staff that my mother needed a bath. Although rent at the Hearth includes two scheduled bath days Per week, the short staffed techs initially tried to say that that is hospice’s job rather than theirs. This was a chronic problem. Cleanliness of the facility seemed to decline periodically during my mother stay there. The trash cans in her room, I was told by staff, were supposed to be emptied by techs daily, but often times it would be several days. The dining area also often stayed dirty many times. Two mornings towards the end of her stay there, they did not get my mother up for breakfast, although she had told me on the phone both of those days that she was waiting for someone to help get her up. I could mention more instances, but that should suffice. I repeatedly brought all of my concerns to staff and management (Mike the Director) and was repeatedly told that it was being worked on. Nothing ever improved from what I could tell, in fact it seemed to decline. I tried on three occasions to get in touch with the corporate office, however my calls were not returned. The facility where I moved my mother is slightly more expensive than the Hearth per month, but the care, attentiveness, and cleanliness is much better. I know that moving my mother was the right decision, because she deserved much better.

Bo Frank

You notice how happy all of the residents are every time you walk in the door. They have great activities and home cooked meals daily and the staff really cares for everyone that lives there. This is a place my mom can live and feel safe and get good care. There are lots of senior living buildings in the area, but this the only one I want my mom to live in. Thanks!