The Bristal Assisted Living at East Northport

I visited this facility

This assisted nursing facility has been visited by me. A compound which is full of life and activity is one of the best facilities available in this area. Lot many old people were busy in gossiping, very happy and fresh. The facility offers lot many services which are suppose to be a necessity. On my visit, the staff on duty had lot to offer. The system of looking after the patients and old people is really heartening to see. An atmosphere of a true home clearly reflected the love amongst the residents. After seeing the facility, I was more than satisfied and admitted my father to enjoy peace. The quality of diet offered is really nice and cheap. Nursing team is available inside the complex to look after the sick people. Laundry, bathrooms and other related services are exceptional. I would thank the management for providing such a nice place for our beloved ones. I would recommend it to all.

I am a friend or relative of resident

We are grateful we are for all the help and guidance the Bristal has given our family since my parents moved into the Bristal at Massapequa first for 4 years and now at East Northport for the past 8 months. It is wonderful knowing that my parents are so well cared for in the Bristal. We have valued your expertise working with seniors as well as the way in which you maintained the building and managed your staff.

I cared for a resident of the Reflections Unit. I witnessed caregivers who were neglectful, unprofessional and not interested in caring for the folks. This is a unit where they taut they are qualified to take care of people with dementia. The "REFLECTIONS" unit. This calls for patience Many incidents but,there was one incident where one resident was taken to the bathroom to "check him" (why, he was sitting quiet and it could wait until his show was over, hell he sat there all day, but new shift came on and it had to be done at that second) and all you could hear was loud banging noises and screaming. It was painful to hear and it upset me as well as ALL the other residents. Even upset one of the employees. They said it was his head against the wall and he tends to do this when upset. Their solution seems to be to "ship them out". They said my lady was aggressive and won't go to the bathroom etc. Funny, we made a game of it, took a little time, but no problem. Isn't this how you handle this type of illness?? The staff then said they weren't " qualified" to take care of patients like this. Excuse me??? Isn't that why they are there?? The staffs main responsibility seems to be doing dishes and folding napkins and the residents are left to wander the halls alone. Another problem I found is they wake them up very early. Around 6am. Wake most up out of a sound sleep. Do their "AM or daily morning " care and then they are placed at the dining room table to wait for 8am breakfast. Most are sleeping with heads on table. WHen I asked the rationale, I was told OH the families LIKE them to get up early. Really, not that they want the night shift to do some work instead of the day shift??!!! Many of us in the health field know that is probably the real reason. Family members WANT their loved ones to be woken up out of a sound sleep to get into the shower.??. And these people get aggitated .. Well, I wonder why?? Wouldnt you??? This is not the place for your parent if you are looking for hands on care or a place where WHEN YOU ARE NOT AROUND, are not being treated with the respect, kindness and care you are so paying for. State came in to check the place out.. OH OH was that the two days unexpected "outings" were suddenly taken to "go see the water"?? Never saw the staff move so quickly to round up the patients and get them in that bus! Thus, no patients around.. I found that to be at the very least INTERESTING! Shame on the State. The place is beautiful, the staff, much to be desired with the exeception of nurse Called Steve. He is a true Caregiver. RECONSIDER, do your RESEARCH and if you do have a family member there, spent a little more time with them other than a Sunday visit.. One full day with them would open your eyes, or send a non family member to just observe!!

I am a friend or relative of resident

My mom has lived here since it opened. There has been a huge turnover of staff and management. We have had multiple medication errors and problems with lack of supervision, especially on the overnight shift where the staff was caught sleeping instead of caring for residents. There are a few kind caregivers but they all complain of being over worked and underpaid. I would seriously consider placing your parent here unless you ate very viligant.

Provider Response

Patty-

As always, we appreciate and value the feedback you provide to us daily. At The Bristal, we investigate all observations and those we find that are valid we use as teachable moments for our staff and organization. This helps us reinforce what is working well and address any areas not satisfying our demanding standards of excellence. While it is true we experienced some staffing challenges early on at The Bristal at East Northport following its grand opening of March 2011, rest assured these isolated issues have been swiftly and definitively corrected. As far as the medication errors you mention, the Department of Health did respond to your complaints and found them to be unsubstantiated. Year after year — following rigorous reviews by the New York State Department of Health — all seven of our communities proudly remain violation-free.

Regards, Bristal Management