registered nurse

executive director

director of dining services

assisted living coordinator

cook

Bonaventure Senior Living

I loved this company, the residents and the management team, they were always motivating. However they did not  thoroughly train me. I started my training with a women who had been working there for two years. The next following day I was trained by a women who had only been working there for two weeks, on my third day I was trained by a women who quit the next following weekend. I had also spent my first week at this job when the place was under quarantine, so my training was a bit unorthodox and not aligned with everyday protocol. After a week of quarantine I was thrown into a real normal day (not under quarantine), my first day I had to handle meal trays, while getting it together I had no idea what I was doing despite me asking my team members how to do it properly. I followed what I had seen others do. So the next following day, I was again thrown into a normal day, they fired me over something I had not been trained to do (meal orders) I had no idea we as caregivers were supposed to take people’s orders if they are in their rooms. I thought this was the kitchen staffs job. This is my fault, and I take 100 percent blame for it. I apologized Profusely to the few residents who did not receive their lunch due to me. I immediately went to the kitchen and made them a lunch despite the fact that I was an hour over my shift.  A co-worker and I had walked room to room with the master key to account for all the residents I was responsible for. I had checked (yes I seen the residents in the binder). 



My point is, is that hopefully for the future this company will be sure to train ALL staff members throughly before throwing them onto the floor. Also my other complaint is that there are not enough caregivers for every resident. Some residents needs are so dire that they need a one on one caregiver. We were so stressed out, I had one coworker who would cry at the end of her shift everyday because she was overwhelmed. By the time I was fired in the two weeks I worked there, three caregivers quit. They need a higher pay for the amount of work we do. They should hire separate staff for meals, showers. Then a separate staff for residents who need to use the toilet, get changed, and be bought down to the dining hall. There was three caregivers for 300 plus residents. At least 100 of those residents needed help being transferred and often some needed two person assist. Three people, 300 residents ready for breakfast you can imagine what that looks like.

I interviewed and asked for $25/hr. I agreed to work for $21/hr with promises from the company of being able to hire an assistant as soon as I started and a raise after 90 days. Also insurance supposedly kicked in after 90 days. As soon as I started, they told me they didn't have enough money to let me hire an assistant or to give anyone raises this year. I should have left right then, but I stayed and kept trying to help. They kept asking more and more though. It's a 130 unit, 4 story building, not small. They were trying to have me do housekeeper jobs, deliver meals to residents and all sorts of things that were not even part of my job description, all while expecting me to keep up with the building maintenance as well. They completely lied about all the things promised when hiring me, but then continued to keep asking me to do more than I had agreed to. And I still kept doing a better job holding up my end than they were holding up theirs. Eventually it got to be too much though, and I started trying to talk to them about those things. They just lied through their teeth, trying to come up with excuses about why they couldn't do what they said they would. And then as soon as my 90 days was up, right when they would have started having to pay for insurance for me, they let me go. They've had 30 or so maintenance directors in the last 5 years. About 20 executive directors in the same amount of time. I'm sure you can do the math. They hire people, lie to them, then overwork them until they let them go right before benefits would start. They only care about money. They don't take proper care of the building or the residents. Despite not fixing basic things or providing quality service, they raised rent recently. Many residents I spoke with are either actively moving somewhere else or looking to because of how sick they are with the company. Not surprising the company can't afford to hire anyone good and that they are almost bankrupt. They won't be around much longer.

I used to work for Bonaventure specifically the one in Albany.  There were a lot of issues with this company, when I started out I was working 35 hours a week.  Not bad especially since I had customer service experience but no restaurant experience.  Then all of a sudden all of the waitstaff had their hours cut back, I went from working just under 40 hrs a week to barely 10 hrs!!!! They fired nearly all the cooks except one and then hired three new ones on the spot.  Management insisted that the waitstaff had to vacuum everyday, break down and set the tables up within a limited amount of time, while doing that we also had to wash the dishes prep the salad bar and get everything set up for the next meal whether that be lunch or dinner.  Now there are two dinning halls, so if there was only two servers (which more often than not they only had two) one person had to breakdown, clean and set everything up for both dinning rooms, and prep salad bar while the other server had to get the dishes washed.  Now that would all be fine except they wanted us to get this all done in about 45 minutes and in order for us to do that we wouldn't be able to take our lunches.  And by the way in the three months I worked there not one single server that I met got to take a 10 minute break.  I had mentioned that I needed someone to cover my station all they had to do was set silverware so I could take my lunch, and my boss began griping to one of the cooks about how lazy I am for wanting to take a MANDATED break....The only breaks I've ever been able to take are my lunches, the cooks can step out at any time they want and take a break.  Management was awful any problems they had with us they would cut our hours and expect us to get everything done but then would yell at us for staying past our shift.  And another thing they Bonaventure of Albany failed their health inspection.  Also the day before I quit I noticed we had all of a sudden boxes full of romaine lettuce, now that wouldn't be a problem except FDA issues a statement to recall any and all romaine lettuce, but this incident happened when the government was shut down and FDA couldn't do any food inspections, so guess who got romaine lettuce?  I hated that place, the only redeeming quality were the residents.  They were the sweetest people ever.

where do I even begin. Management never listens to any suggestions people bring up, the pay is abysmal for the work they have caregivers and med aides do, the building is literally falling apart around you, and the food is sub par. I've been working as a caregiver for the past year here, and I've never gotten a raise once. they really expect you to feed, bathe, entertain, and medicate these residents for barely 14 an hour? I could be making more on unemployment honestly. the hours they give are downright ridiculous. some weeks you work 39.75 hours, and others you work 7.75. they've never considered me full-time, even when i went for weeks at 40 hours, and i have no benifits because of that. im glad im not in any financial trouble because my paychecks are never consistent. My coworkers and I get along for the most part, thats never been an issue. Management has a habit of having you work a day shift followed by a noc shift, or something similar. I've definitely come in with less than 8 hours in between shifts, which is against the law. My boss has several times put me down for a shift ive told her I can't do. Every single day someones toilet breaks, or a wall is leaking water, or the hot water isnt working, or bits of the floor are peeling up. they refuse to give the maintenance guy an assistant, so stuff sits around for a week before it gets fixed. the food is basically a rotation of about 10 different meals, so i hope you like mac n cheese and lasagna. nothing is ever seasoned enough and the kitchen is always forgetting something, like a side, or a residents entire meal in general. if you want the kitchen to make you, the staff, something, you have to pay for it. if this company is so profitable, then why cant it feed its minimum wage staff for free? med aides cant leave the building on their lunch, so if you forgot you're lunch and you're broke, sucks to be you. overall this is a horrible place to work, and i beg not even the most desperate of people to work here, because you will definitely regret it. The only thing the owners and management cares about is money and getting people to move in.

Med aid being a receptionist at graveyard  & 1 caregiver on sight for graveyard. The morning I went in an elderly lady was on the floor with her arm busted open, blood dried so she had been there for a while with no check in. They bandaged her up but never made a report. Later when she had to be taken to the hospital someone finally told the nurse she fell, and the blood from that morning was still on the floor from around 6 am to 12 in the afternoon. Unprofessional and dangerous plus against regulations. The nurse finally made the person fill out a report 8 hours after the fact. During the hiring process the receptionist had us fill out papers but was supposed to help us. She talked outside the room a bit then left to her desk, we all had questions but she wasn’t there to help. Never took our background check or SS cards for file. Had only 2 caregivers on the floor but also being meal preps, taking orders and serving to tables plus rooms with trays so it was hard to handle with only 2 people even though they had servers on sight to work. About 50 rooms a caregiver but also had to shower and dress residents all morning even if not scheduled, plus answer call lights plus check in on catheter patients plus shower other residents along with doing laundry and making beds and putting clothes away, change diapers/catheters or assist in anyone needing help with hygiene/bed ridden every two hours, go to each room and remind them of breakfast/lunch/dinner and take orders and then take each resident to the dining room but also prep meals morning caregiver does this twice a day, too much for one person you forget some people or are late making meals because of it. Don’t train you on lifting devices or devices some residents need. Some residents had open sores and not being treated because the rooms smelled terrible and leaked onto bed sheets and mattresses every night but had no medical attention to it. Multiple rooms smelled horrible but they never did anything about it. Had caregivers cross training as med aids without certification. My trainer wasn’t told to show up to train me or on schedule for that shift when I started working there. Unprofessional and not worth working at.

I have only been with the company for almost a year. I read all of the reviews online before I even went to my initial review, and I will admit, I was a bit scared by what I read. However - my interviewer, who became my direct supervisor, addressed all concerns I had without me even having to voice them. 

A typical day for me is a mixture of resident interaction, assisting in department events (coffee service during certain meals, activities, one on one meetings with department heads), and desk work. Upper management outside of the building is there if you need them, but they really do expect you to use the resources set in front of you. They have high expectations, but high expectations are the only ones that will yield high results. If this company didn't expect you to perform at your best, you would never try. 

Communication could be better, when I ask for something or send an email, it's not always addressed in a timely manner, depending on who I'm in contact with. My work/life balance is poor because I do my best to minimize the impact on the rest of my staff, which often translates into longer hours for me. That is my choice. I've never been asked to work long hours that were unreasonable. 

Yes, we are in the business to help seniors, but at the same time, we are a business. We have to look at the bottom line in order to stay in business and continue to serve the seniors who live here. If we give away everything, we will never even break even, which means we can't even run these buildings. 

I think some people forget that this is a business first and foremost, there are policies and boundaries to be upheld. That's not to nullify the experience that others may have had, but when you forget this is a business, you start to slip and not perform to your ability. 

My experience has been one that if you use the resources in front of you and clarify what is and isn't acceptable, you will do well. A job well done is not ignored. We have had a changeover in our Executive Director, but the impact on the staff and residents has been minimal. If your building is operating properly, there shouldn't be much impact anyway.

What is the best part of working at the company?
It was my pleasure to serve and love the residents! They are amazing people! 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The home office people are professional bullies! And the executive and assistant executive director getting jealous because the residents loved me and preferred me to them. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The expectations for the position of the Activity Director at Bonaventure is inhumanly impossible to meet! They have stacked so many responsibilities on that position that it would require at least 3 people to meet the expectations. They are known for disposing of (firing) employees like disposing of used Kleenexes. They do not respect their employees hard work, and they are not encouraging, they tear their employees down, instead of build them up and do not encourage them. But the residents are amazing if they see you are good at your job and that you genuinely care about them! The residents are the best! 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
First thing make sure I put out the monthly, weekly, and daily calendars. Then Management Team Meeting every morning. Then I lead Exercise Class engaging the residents. And then I manage all the other activities throughout the day. Making the residents lives filled with joy, laughter, bantering happily with the residents, serving Italian sodas, Sunday Sundae’s, Happy Hour, Root Beer Floats, Happy Hours twice a week, a Big Holiday Event Monthly, 4 outings weekly, 2 Entertainers weekly, I did Japanese and English Teas, we had a lot of fun! I created monthly  fresh and fun new activities and I designed mine by the holidays for each month. And also decorated the entire building with monthly holiday theme. And then I was required to disinfect two big Activity Rooms daily, and  vacuum daily, make popcorn daily, do daily phone calls to the residents family, and the list goes on and on and on and on!!!!

I really loved working for bonaventure, I loved the people I worked with, the residents I served and the experience there was overwhelmingly pleasant and unforgettable. 

A typical day there was very straight forward, do dishes, take orders, bus tables whenever you can, prepare desserts, prepare salads, clean the kitchen, take out the trash, deliver room trays, reset dining rooms, clean dining rooms, etc. 

What I learned there was cooperation was a must have in a retirement facility. If one person doesn't want to work with everyone else then the entire house of cards falls apart. Teamwork is vital and having a big heart too.

The management was super kind, always willing to talk when you needed to about something serious, handled business well and was very willing to adapt to changes throughout the community within the facility.

The workplace culture was like nothing I have ever experienced before. Everyone was one giant family, staff and residents. They all felt like an extension of my family, and I truly loved them all from the bottom of my heart. We laughed together, we cried together, we helped each other out with everything and everyone was on the same page.

The hardest part of the job wasn't any of the tasks that we underwent, it was getting to know the residents so well that they feel like someone you could trust with everything. And they'd move to another location or pass away and that was always the hardest part. Having to say goodbye to the ones you really loved a lot.

The most enjoyable part of the job was just like the hardest part of the job. The people you meet who live in the facility are so genuine and kind. They loved seeing new faces working around the building and wanted to establish a bond with you that was one of a kind. Nobody had a similar connection to one person because everyone had a unique bond with every resident.

Bonaventure says all the right things - living it out is where they have a problem. Despite what they say on the surface, it's all about money - the management making all of it, the employees sacrificing, and the residents/seniors are at the mercy of poorly-paid, overworked, often inexperienced staff (especially care givers and med-aides). As a sales person, I was pressured to lie (paint whatever picture they want to see), scare, intimidate, and lay the major guilt trip on already stressed seniors in difficult situations, whatever it took to make the sale. When I questioned the approach, I was quickly let go as "not a fit." Well, that's true. I have a conscience, I care about people, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of seniors - on the surface, I was a match, but in reality, that's not who Bonaventure is. 
Hospitals and rehab centers know Bonaventure's "stop-at-nothing" tactics, so it's hard to build relationships with them to get referrals. Talking with other retirement community personnel, it's quickly apparent that Bonaventure has a consistent reputation for double-talk and doing things at the expense of their residents and employees. Even employees who really care are quickly burned out in this toxic environment. They spin their company as a "family-run business" - what you don't see until later is they have the WORST of both family run businesses (nepotism runs rampant) and big corporate (no values, all about management making the money). Traveling sales trainers even steal deals out from under the newly hired salespeople they're training - it's insane! 
When I shared with people that I was let go, I got the same message across the board: "Be thankful, you dodged a bullet!" 
Wish I'd paid closer attention to the reviews before wasting time at this organization.

If you see a job working for this company do not waste your time. The corporate structure is awful. The turnover rate is the highest I have ever seen in any company. In a span of 7 months I saw 5 different executive directors. The regional directors changed more than that. Before I started there they went through 5 other DSM's. I lasted the longest. 

 The people that work in the buildings do the work because they love what they do. And in general each building I worked in I loved the people I worked with. However, the way corporate treats their employees and their clients leads to a culture of bad scores and constant turnover. Corporate does not care about the residents. They care about the money they can make off of them. One executive director said, "if the residents don't like it, they can move out and someone else will move in." They say the same thing of employees. Hence, the high turnover rate. The last Executive Director I worked under, never came out of her office. She never interacted with the residents. I believe she was put in there to fire management and hire new staff. Nearly everyone's position was posted online. One of the executive directors that came in worked with me and trained me was helping me to do my job better. She was great, however, she was replaced. 

They tell us not to get connected to the residents, but we are the one's caring for them. I went to work everyday acting as if these residents were my own family. I wish upper management and corporate acted the same. They would yield better results. 

The only plus for working for this company was the pay. Although I worked weeks without days off, long days, and this was all due to being short staffed. I feel like anyone who works for this company is set up to fail.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 8 salaries reported	$90,000 per year
Executive director 21 salaries reported	$95,443 per year
Director of dining services 12 salaries reported	$63,583 per year
Assisted living coordinator 11 salaries reported	$61,655 per year
Cook 3 salaries reported	$20.08 per hour

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