home health aide

physical therapist

bartender

elder care assistant

registered nurse

Elderwood

This Job had a lot of potential to be an enjoyable, simple daily task. 

   My Typical day included, but was not limited to, Cleaning resident's rooms by dusting, sweeping, mopping, collecting trash and sanitizing.  I also would clean and "flip" a room that was no longer occupied. This was considered a "deep clean" insuring that the room was prepared for it's next occupant.   I was occasionally in charge of cleaning other rooms, depending on what area of the building my rotation was working on that week.

  I learned skills needed to become a decent housekeeper. Skills that give me confidence in pursuing similar jobs at other locations, such as hotels etc.

 I enjoyed my co-workers. There was ever only an issue with a new person on my team, but management saw to that and it was handled. The other co-workers were fairly reliable at doing their jobs as well, and didn't try to make any trouble or things harder for any other employees.

The hardest part of the job, was my immediate supervisor.  For some unknown reason, he had a vendetta against myself and one other employee. He would harass us, badger us, and insult everything that we did.  He had me trained twice because he insisted that I was not cleaning anything properly, and my trainer had it noted that she did not see a reason why I needed to be "re-trained" as I was cleaning as taught, and cleaning better than some of the employees who had been there longer than myself.  There was a brief period of time where I thought the issues had been taken care of, as he became a rather agreeable person to work under, had started giving constructive criticism as well as positive feed back, then suddenly he began harassing and verbally abusing my work again.  The most confusing and frustrating part of it, is that he often would complain about rooms  "not being cleaned" or "not cleaned properly" after days I had not even worked.   

Example - I had a day off, then would come into work the following day, and he would complain that rooms were not cleaned properly the day I was off and that it was because I personally did not clean them right.   Though I don't know how this was possible when I hadn't even been there to do any cleaning in the first place.

I have no complaint about the rest of the management, other than the fact they did nothing to correct my immediate supervisor.  My Immediate supervisor's 2nd in command was a pleasant person to work for, with constructive criticism, and the management above both of them were also enjoyable people to work for. 


The most enjoyable part of the job, was, once I was trained and knew what I was doing, it was easy, constant, and kept me busy.  I enjoy having proper work to do the entire time I am at my job and staying busy so that the hours do not feel wasted.  The hours I worked 7am to 3pm were also agreeable, for the fact that I still had daylight hours to spend with my children at home after work.

First, Elderwood at Lockport is NOT a 5 star rated facility.  Look it up!! This information is public. 
The facility was a neat and clean building and now is filthy.  Sure, Construction is underway, because there was asbestos in the carpeting and, last year  there was Legionella in the water.  Sure, this was probably in building when it was Oddfellows. 
 Administrator, (don't even know her name) is non existent. Attempted to go speak to her regarding a concern, and closed the door in my face because she was eating her lunch.  She really cares, NOT! 
 Corporate Elderwood needs to do a house cleaning and not with entry level staff.  You have NO CNA's or LPN's to do quality care that you are advertising you provide.  Shame on you Corporate Elderwood at Lockport.  There is more agency staff than regular staff. Now the agency staff that is contracted want to leave.  The aged staff that sticks it out are BURNED OUT, and the reason they stay and put up with the staffing is that they care about the quality care they provided to the elderly. 
A recent confrontation with the DON to tell her we were "sinking and needed help, she smiled and stated, "I think you can handle it"(this statement was made to a CNA who had the guts to talk to the DON, and ask for help).  What kind of answer is this to your staff.  Roll up you sleeves and help lady!!! This was a big disappointment to hear this.  DON should be above all the nonsense. Since writing this I have found out that they have terminated this DON. Also, on another shift, a RN supervisor, (I use the term loosely) is being kept even though she is a sub-par worker, just lazy to be honest because they have no RN to replace her. Was told by administrator "to keep her"  because there is no one to replace her.
Benefits are poor, couldn't afford $250 each pay check for the better deductible BS&BS insurance.  Also, we have a union present, (for CNA's, LPN's and housekeeping only), or not. They should be interested in better benefits for there fellow workers, unless the object is to remove the union??? Maybe? I "hear" that corporate does not want to keep the union and make any kind of "talks" difficult.
When I drove home everyday from Elderwood at Lockport, I would cry because I, #1 worried that the very few staff that were there couldn't care for the residents properly and #2, I am exhausted and can't be a part of a company that does not care for their residents or workers. 
Again, Corporate Elderwood needs to come and take a look first hand at what is and isn't going on in their building.
I just couldn't do it anymore, and I'm not a quitter.  Makes me sad.  Who you work for will make or break your success.  I didn't feel successful. You lost a terrific worker, and again, shame on CORPORATE ELDERWOOD.

I worked for this company in Ticonderoga NY for three months overnight and have to say this is the most abusive company towards its workers I have ever even heard of let alone had the displeasure of working for. This company literally wrote me up for being in the hospital. You read that correctly. I was sick and in the hospital with a chronic illness I revealed to them in the interview and they hired me fully aware of the severity of my illness which is severe. I was hospitalized with a bout and they wrote me up for "missing work during your three month probationary period." I had a second bout a few weeks later and was forced to come in at threat of my job. I could not function and it was a dangerous situation for me. They then threatened me with patient abandonment as I could not perform my duties and they got no one to take my place from their ultra skeleton crew that they had to staff it. They have so little staff they cannot handle any crises or emergencies. I was subsequently fired. The second bout nearly killed me. I almost passed away for real and it took me a month to recover and they terminated me for "too many absences in the probationary period." This company literally did not care that I almost died and they contributed to it. This is not exaggerated or overblown. It is a documented fact. They force all workers to make up every single day they miss during their own free time. They schedule you without asking or coordinating it with you. The level of disregard for my health and even my life was astounding and disturbing. DO NOT WORK FOR THIS COMPANY NO MATTER WHAT BONUSES OR ANYTHING THEY OFFER YOU. YOU WILL REGRET IT AND YOUR LIFE COULD BE IN JEOPARDY AS WELL AS YOUR CAREER. The experience has driven me from the nursing profession permanently. Nursing is not worth losing my life.

Its important to distinguish the long term / rehab care facility vs the assisted living. I worked at the long term care facility [5775 maelou] 
absolutely the worst place i ever worked for. A normal day would be 1:20 CNA/resident ratio ON THE LONG TERM CARE FLOORS. These people cannot transfer, dress, toilet, shower or feed themselves. I've worked more than 10 times [during my almost 2 year employment there] with portions of my shift being the only aide or 1 of 2 aides on a 60 person floor. This place will drain the life from you and stress you. No actions taken to ensure staff safety, I transferred extensive 2+ assists entirely by myself because ive had no other option, and have unresolved lower back pain because of it. Most nurses are unwilling to help [why would they when they're forced to work 2 assignments and two carts]. The first floor of this facility is what is known as the "show floor" this is the floor that gets the staffing and dining room and the most clean, if you can consider it clean. this is the floor that is shown to potential patients and family members. the other two floors the CNAs are responsible for the entire assembly of dining trays. This means most nights you are assembling 20+ trays as well as delivering them to the rooms. Meanwhile the residents at the dining rooms are left alone because the nurses are still at their carts. I've seen absolutely hard breaking things go down. These residents are neglected. If you have a choice...do not work here. It is not worth the $12 an hour CNAs are paid. It made me regret ever getting my certification. You would be much happier literally anywhere else.

Get report from the outgoing Nursing Supervisor, make rounds in facility, monitor al patients with change in condition.     Review any A  & I's.  Checking to see the times IV's were to run and any PICC lines that needed flushing. Review all M.D. orders from any admissions into the facility from the previous day. Make skin rounds with skin team and document weekly. Order all supplies needed for the unit twice weekly.  Attend morning report. Complete all treatments of wounds in facility. Frequently at end of shift I would find out that several admissions were being admitted into the facility and the admission orders would have to be done before I could leave facility. I learned the Kodiak, point click care on the computer. I found that the staff nurses were not always held accountable for their duties.  Some of the nurses stated that they did not know what to do when there was in change in condition and when the Supervisor was notified the nurses did not have the vital signs and necessary information for the Supervisor to contact the M.D. right away. CNA's did not notice a change in a patient's condition as they should have because they had the same patients daily. There were frequent bruising of unknown origin. The patients and families were  very grateful for the care they received, and it was always rewarding  at the end of the day to know that I had  done everything that I could to give each patient the best care possible and make sure they were given medication as needed to make sure each patient was as pain free as possible..

A typical work day At Elderwood was very busy. It is a skilled nursing facility with 3 floors. We were assigned teams and there was 2 to a team, with 25 patients. It was very hard work. Daily we had to get patients up and out of bed, bathed, dressed, and down for meals, activities, therapy, etc. Many of the residents needed lifts to get out of bed, to use the bathroom, etc. It took a lot of patience but to me it was worth it. I enjoyed my job. I love taking care of people and helping make one's quality of life as good as possible for them. I took a lot of pride in my job everyday.

Many of the residents felt like family to me over time. There were times I would stay past my shift just to sit and talk with them, read to them, tell stories and just give them comfort.Many of them didn't have family that came to visit and they were very lonely. So I always did my best to let them know that I cared!

I worked with a lot of wonderful people. For the most part, everyone helped one another when it was needed. We were short staffed a lot and got mandated to stay over on several occasions. That tended to be back breaking at times. 16 hours of being on your feet and no stop lifting, up and down, and back an forth, was a lot of work, but to me it was worth it.

It was a great learning experience for me. I met a lot of wonderful people, not only co-worker's but patients too. I had a lot of fun at work and everyday when I went home, I always had a sense of accomplishment because I did my job to the best of my ability and I know my patients were well taken care of and I put smiles on many's faces!

I began working at Elderwood (then West Side Manor) back in 2006. I enjoyed working there immensely and decided to come back this year! I took time off to care for a family member, who has since "gone home".

A typical day back at that time was a busy day, but oh so rewarding. In caring for the residents, there was always something to make you smile. Management was always willing to "lend an ear" to discuss what was on your mind. They gave wonderful suggestions and always tried to work with us if we felt differently about something. The most difficult part of the job was the activity level, but this wasn't a bad thing at all. It made the day go faster, in fact. The most enjoyable part of the job was in knowing that you made a difference in the lives of  the residents. When you walked in the front door it was evident that the ICARE values were strictly held to. You could feel the closeness between staffing, the family members and management, as well as all of the others who walked into the building. It was a feeling that embodied warmth and sincerity. Integrity, collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence shown brightly in every corner of the room! I even had family members come to me, during their initial tour, and say, "I could feel the sense of family, just as soon as I walked in the door!" I can't wait to get back and care for the residents as I used to. They gave me so many wonderful memories and I will gladly treasure more of those happy memories. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
meeting residents and some good coworkers. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Being expected to do your job as well as other people's job when they did not show up. (which happens quite often.) Then being subjected to the criticism of the supervisors if/when you fall short of that. no bonus, no thanks for being there  and giving your best.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment is on most days stressful for all that show up to work because so many don't want to be pressured to do their job as well as the jobs of those that don't show. There are more of those days than days when the day goes smooth because enough scheduled workers show.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Arrive to the floor, hear all the negative backlashes of what the day may be like. Get assignment, get started, assignment changes. Start new assignment, hold breath because the assignment may change again. Still holding breath because you know the supervisor is going to call someone or more in to criticize the worker about "the subject of the day," (abusing their authority..my opinion..). Company leaders do not really care when made aware of the problems..again my opinion..maybe people just feel they can not change the problems. So they lose many workers.

I've only worked here for about 4 months and right now I can tell you to NOT bring you family here. We are so short staffed residents get IUDs due to lack of bathroom trips and rarely get the regular care and attention they need. I'm not even a nurse and I had to be the one to clip a residents unkempt nails because nobody else would. People are constantly waiting on showers, haircuts, and other hygienic maintaince due to the staffing issue. (Both bad employees and a lack of general staff) Residents also hardly get the memory care and physical therapy they need, and the food is no better than even the poorest school lunches. At $500+ day to live here, and getting more overcharged on top of that.
The current head nurse is a complete bully to their coworkers for no real reason and is soon to be put in a higher position than they are now.

Bad things aside, the job is not that hard. So long as you keep everything as tidy as you can, it's extremely easy just to do minor upkeep each day. If you like social interaction, the residents are very sweet and will be happy to carry on conversation while you work. Most residents may even be out of their rooms for the day and it makes it easier to get in and get the job done. 

TLDR, very drama-filled and cliquey, but we are looking for people who are willing to do their job and do it well/correctly, for the betterment of quality of life for the seniors of our community.


My experience at Elderwood was deeply disappointing, particularly regarding management and workplace culture. From the start, I found the workload overwhelming, despite my willingness to put in extra hours and work overtime. I repeatedly communicated these concerns, but management provided little to no support, leaving me frustrated and undervalued.

The corporate pressure was constant, contributing to a stressful environment where employees were treated inconsistently. Some workers seemed to face no accountability, while others were dismissed without efforts to resolve issues or offer support. This lack of fairness and transparency created a toxic atmosphere, eroding trust and morale across the team.

One of the most disheartening moments came after a particularly stressful meeting with corporate. I had expressed my concerns and mentioned to my supervisor that I was considering resigning. The next morning, I was informed via phone call that I had been terminated, despite having no prior disciplinary issues.

In my two years of service, I never felt valued as an employee, and the lack of support from management was a constant source of frustration. Elderwood’s failure to create a supportive, consistent, and fair workplace is a major reason for my disappointment.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Home health aide 10 salaries reported	$19.23 per hour
Physical therapist 16 salaries reported	$37.00 per hour
Bartender 1 salary reported	$16.50 per hour
Elder care assistant 3 salaries reported	$37.50 per hour
Registered nurse 2 salaries reported	$45.75 per hour

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