certified medication aide

licensed practical nurse

chef

personal care assistant

nurse

Benton House

Benton House seemed so promising. Great benefits, small facility, promises of opportunities for growth, lots of talk of "we are a family".....Unfortunately the truth came out. They pay at the bottom range for this field. They do not employ housekeepers or laundry staff, RAs are responsible for all of that. So on top of patient care, you are responsible for three deep room clean, and three sets of laundry, setting up/serving/cleaning up meals, keeping the facility clean, assisting with activities, etc. You do not get standard breaks. You sit for meals when residents sit for meals. Otherwise you are expected to be up, working.They consistently ask for "just a little more", don't compensate for it, and then tell the entire staff that they aren't doing enough. As far as growth opportunities, there's not much available...I saw people who had worked at the company for close to a decade who had not advanced at all. although it seems that tenure provides people with a lack of accountability for their work. If you've been there a long time, they will not hold you accountable for showing up on time or doing your job at the level they seem to require from new staff. Management speaks frequently of their open door policies but if you come to them with a concern about staff/residents/whatever......there is a big chance nothing will get done. They are also so concerned with census going up that they will pack anybody with a pulse into the building, even if they should technically be in memory care or a nursing home. I have seen resident care suffer because we do not have the means to provide the level of care they require. We are CONSTANTLY running out of supplies and told to "make due." 

The saddest part is, the residents are wonderful. That part of the job is so enjoyable. Unfortunately the company as a whole is not at all what they claim to be. Do yourself a favor and find somewhere that pays a livable wage and appreciates the work that you do.  

Residents are great. Management is terrible. No support and if you work night shift, you are left high and dry. No night shift difference. You are the cleaning crew, the nurse and if your dayshift, you are also kitchen staff. Worked here for 4 years and was making around $10.30, given small tiny raises every 90 days, only to be told new hires were making $12-$13 a hour. The best workers leave due to overwork with little reconition, or they work hard and lots of overtime, only for management to text them, talking down to them, or chew them out for every small mistake that they don't seem to care if certain others do the same thing on the daily. Corporate is also not great. Lot of complaints are filed about this place only for corporate to come, tell us congrats on surviving covid, give us a tiny plastic jewel for our name badge, and they are giving everyone "$100 bonus" (which they tax, so you don't get full amount that they excitedly tell you they are giving you) and then they left after 10 mins. Never addressing the complaints, concerns, or asking how everyone was that worked here. Also you don't really get a lunch break, you still have to answer all pages and assist to residents who come to you where your eatting so you never get to just sit and eat in peace for break.

My experience interviewing and working with Benton House has been exceptional.  My introduction developed through a previous co-worker, who encouraged me to interview because she felt very strongly that it would be a good fit for me.  I was initially interviewed off-site with the Operations Divisional and they shared everything I wanted to know.  My second interview was at a community and I was introduced to one of the local owners and the Marketing Divisional.  It was a professional and informative  meeting to discuss not only my experience and qualifications but a sharing of business goals and their vision for the future.  I had a final telephone interview with the home office the next day and we sealed the offer.  This all transpired over the course of just a few days.  I remember from my interview the comment that Benton House is guided by "doing the right thing".  This holds true for my entire work experience with Benton House.  

A lot of work for only 2 resident aids to get done in little time They are supposed to have 3 on the floor however they barley did because most employees would call out so you only have 2 RA's to 3 hallways you have to make all beds get all residents to the dining hall then take orders for breakfast put them in to the kitchen get all plates out of the kitchen serve the dining hall while making coffee and serving residents their drinks most of the time this is only 1 RA since the second RA would be a med tech and she would hand out meds druing the time you are left serving them alone afterwards you take the residents to apartments to toilet or they will do stretches after that you are supposed to be able to eat however you have these pagers on you and if they beep and they do constantly all day you have to get up and get them so you basically don't have a break at all in between getting pages you have to do laundry and clean 3-4 apartments dust vacuum clean toilets and bathroom floors take out garbage and then set dining hall for lunch and serve lunch and drinks!!! Its a crazy day and veryyy little pay!!

Working with elderly who are vulnerable and in need of dignified care takes a servant heart and authentic loving attitude. In my experience in this industry, no one else approaches the level of support that Benton House provides its front line workers with the resources to provide that care, even when times are tough - such as during Covid and this current staffing phenomenon when it is so hard to hire anyone to work. The existing team members have stepped up in phenomenal ways to take extra shifts and support our elders. The job isn't just about supporting the elders, it's also a lot of interaction with their family members who worry about them and their care. 

Pros:
The benefits far outweigh any other job I've ever had. Paid lunch, food is provided, Aetna insurance active after only 30 days, 96 hours of PTO a year, employee of the month gets a $500 bonus. Competitive wages for the area. Especially for those with no experience.

Most residents are kind and a lot of them have led very interesting lives.

Management doesn't micromanage.

Cons:
Not able to leave for your lunch break..
Some residents and some residents families are completely delusional about the difference between assisted living and skilled. This can cause friction with the care staff. 

The biggest con I hear from the care staff is having to wash dishes after meals. 

The biggest con for me is families showing up with no appointment and expecting us to drop everything we're doing to accommodate them. When did making an appointment for an executive director just go out the window??? Families complaining to me (in the business office) about things like laundry, meds, etc. As if I have any control over that. There is a residents service director for a reason!







While Benton House is certainly not a perfect organization, I was able to use my time there to benefit my career greatly. It isn't Benton House's standard practice to hire from within but if you have enough drive it is possible. That's what I did, and I am very thankful it worked out so well. I was able to get experience that would have been very difficult to come by otherwise and helped me launch my career. 

I would have stayed with Benton House even longer than I did if a few of their practices were different. Their main downfall is that the organization is very top heavy and those at the top do not spend enough time in their communities. This fails them in that they do not know the people they are selecting to manage their individual communities. 

I was with Benton House for 4 yeas and worked with 5 different Executive Directors in that time. Each was worse than the last. 

With better hiring practices, training, incentives, and benefits they may be able to turn it around and find the right ways to run their communities. 

I wish them the best.

Typical day at work, is usually fast paced making it a great spot to work without getting bored. Management is kind of all over the place with decision making, and things don’t operate in an organized or structured manner. If you’re a cook you have a lot of last minute requests about resident who either had a problem with the food, are not eating lunch or dinner, or just change their mind constantly and want special orders at the last minute. Training was like trying to mop a floor that kept being rained on, there is no set way of doing things around there, so everything is very unstructured and most time instructions are unclear during the training process. If considering this job these are the things you should consider before applying other than that the people are cool for the most part and the work environment is usually relaxed if you’re in the kitchen. In my opinion, I don’t think it’s worth the stress working there.

I worked at BH in 2019. I should have known on my first day when I was pulled aside for a briefing of individuals and their lack of contribution that this job did not appreciate their employees. I was cussed, threatened, lied about, and disrespected. Finally, when I went to Corporate about the matter I was let go. Of course they made themselves seem innocent when I involved Unemployment and I lost that too. Now that I need documentation supporting the separation Benton House refuses to even give a certificate(as required by law). These people will make you want to hurt them but their pay and benefits are ridiculous and now quite laughable ($13/hr), so all and all they're NOT WORTH IT!!! I would never suggest this place unless corporate fired all management and then themselves so the company could stand a chance.

My first day was TERRIBLE, I wanted to walk out. They don’t warn you about everything you have to do, staff is rude and unkind. I talked with another employee and they told me to RUN because it is just not a good place to be which I found out. Yes they provide you a meal and you get paid a full 8hrs BUT in the end it is not worth it. HIGH turn over rate. Everyone quit all at once, agency works in the building. You are required to do housekeeping AND your own job on top of dietary aide stuff because they REFUSE to pay to have people clean or help in the kitchen. Night shift does NOT change their people like they are supposed to. You have total assist patients and it’s an “assisted living” when they need SKILLED nursing. Patients are RUDE and yell at you as well as staff. I wish I would have done more research upon being hired. The beautiful building really got me. Most the staff you talk to have been there less than a year. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Certified medication aide 1 salary reported	$16.25 per hour
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Personal care assistant 18 salaries reported	$14.62 per hour
Nurse 6 salaries reported	$75,000 per year

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