A SERIOUSLY DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE
My experience with Navion of Shelby and Executive Director Lesley Riley has been extremely disappointing. The level of professionalism, communication, accountability, and transparency I experienced was far below what I would expect from senior living leadership.
Concerns were not handled in a way that made me feel heard or respected, and I personally witnessed interactions that I found extremely unprofessional and concerning.
Residents and families deserve respect, compassion, transparency, and strong leadership. Unfortunately, that was not my experience.
I strongly encourage anyone considering Navion of Shelby to do their research, ask questions, and pay close attention to how concerns are handled before making a decision.
I am extremely disappointed with my experience with Navion of Shelby, particularly with the conduct of the Executive Director, Lesley Riley.
Families place an enormous amount of trust in an assisted living facility and its leadership. We expect our loved ones to be treated with dignity and respect, and we expect concerns to be handled professionally. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience.
During my interaction with Lesley, I was shocked by the way I was spoken to. She raised her voice, screamed, and used profanity toward me while I was attempting to address concerns involving my mother and her care. I have also personally had serious concerns about the manner in which my mother has been spoken to. Regardless of disagreements, I do not believe this is acceptable conduct from the Executive Director of a facility entrusted with elderly and vulnerable residents. Which I have checked with state board on their last visitation, which the records are public and it’s very concerning to read what has happened to residents under her care.
I am also deeply concerned about Lesley’s availability and presence at the facility. I am at Navion almost every day. When I am not there, my brother frequently is. Based on what we have personally observed, Lesley is very rarely there or available. There have been numerous occasions when I have attempted to address matters and have been told she is not there, out of the office, or on vacation.
This is particularly concerning to me because North Carolina law defines an assisted living administrator as the individual certified to operate, administer, manage, and supervise an assisted living residence. North Carolina regulations go even further: the administrator is responsible for the total operation and management of the facility and for ensuring that care and services are provided to maintain residents’ health, safety, and welfare. When the administrator is absent, the facility is required to designate a manager to carry out day-to-day operations, while the administrator remains ultimately responsible.
That raises a very serious question for me as the family member of a resident: If the Executive Director is routinely unavailable, who is serving as the designated manager during those absences, and who is actually providing the day-to-day oversight of this facility?
I have also been extremely concerned about other issues at the facility, including a strong sewage odor/leak that I repeatedly raised concerns about. I did not feel those concerns were treated with the seriousness they deserved. With Lesley saying it was not her responsibility or her problem. While there I also noticed her having a team meeting and treating her staff poorly. Talking down to them. Raising her voice instead of showing leadership.
Another major concern was discovering that my mother’s monthly charges had increased from one dollar amount to approximately several more thousands of dollars. My mother had not been notified of this increase. I learned about the higher charges only after I independently asked another employee for a copy and itemization of what she was being charged. If the ED knew her job she would know you cannot legally do this without a written 30 day notice and a meeting.
What disappoints me most is that families should be able to bring concerns to the Executive Director without being screamed at, cursed at, dismissed, or made to feel intimidated for asking questions. Leadership in senior care requires patience, professionalism, transparency, and compassion—especially when dealing with residents and families who are already going through extremely difficult circumstances.
I expected far better from the leadership at Navion of Shelby. Based on my personal experience, I have serious concerns about how complaints from residents and their families are handled, and I believe these concerns deserve attention.
