resident assistant

nursing assistant

culinary aide

cook

housekeeper

Vista Prairie Communities

Currently still employed at the Mankato location, just the environment isn’t for me. It’s pretty slow, as a Culinary aide. Every day on the weekends is pretty much on repeat and slow. You get paid pretty well if you have prior experience, however the residents here aren’t approachable or friendly as some other old folks homes I’ve worked at. I’ve worked at 3 other nursing type homes and I’ve never had this issue. All of them are mentally there, there isn’t any special care. They are just mean and demanding. And no it’s not just one person that mean it’s almost all of them. Even if you do all that you ask of them, and go above and beyond, no one really appreciates that anymore they just kind of make it an expectation. Usually everyone would be my friend, but this place I only know 3 residents, and I’ve been here for 3 months. Not enough opportunity for picking up shifts if you have a lot of downtime in the summer time. Personally would prefer more time with the residents if they were more friendly, and also a tiny bit more fast paced so I’m not constantly looking at the clock. I also don’t like the Janitor closet the pipes in there are very very stinky and they can’t do much about it since it was built messed up.

I’m just a different type of worker, if you are okay with it slow then this is totally for you. Just looking for something more fun and upbeat at the moment like a real restaurant service or something like that. 


Great company and community.  This community values the people that live here and the people that are employed.  Employee's are willing to support and help each other.  The environment  is  welcoming, and yes we have fun. It is rewarding and fulfilling to work with the senior population and make a difference.
 It is great to work where people are working hard as a team. Leadership is very willing to help when things are challenging at any hour, as are team members.  The team I work with is friendly, professional and accountable .  They bring smiles to work.  Pride is taken in our work and employees are respected and appreciated by other team members.  They strive for compassionate  and quality care. We are not perfect, but together we make a difference. This is an amazing group at Goldfinch Estates, Vista Prairie Communities. The support office is available to offer support and is a great resource.

Management including the corporate office has no regard on how their decisions effect the staff. Decisions are made by people who sit behind closed doors and don't interact with residents or take an interest in what is best suited to provide quality care.  Budget cuts are constantly blamed for bad decisions and ultimately the residents are not getting the appropriate care they pay so much for and staff are worked to a breaking point. "Warm bodies" are hired leaving the skilled staff frustrated and overworked to pick up the slack for those who don't do their job. The actual good staff that remain are used and tossed to the side with no interest of staff retention. As staff and residents are constantly effected by "budget cuts" management continues to live well and enjoy their closed door policys.

During orientation, it seems very fun and interesting but once you get into it a day or two you’ll realize why they are short staff. Nurses don’t help the Resident Assistants. They rather sit in their office than help people on the floor. When you have to call a nurse on call, you’ll be lucky if they answer. If they answer they will give you a sassy attitude as you ask them questions about the resident. If you are a med passer and the next shifts med passer doesn’t come in, YOU have to stay till someone comes in. It could take mins or hours for someone to show up. The pay is garbage but “ it’s competitive wage “. Other place are paying way higher. Stay away from Copperleaf.

I was told many things during the interview about my position and the expectations that suddenly changed after a few months of employment. The Executive Director was constantly overriding what the Director of Nursing services told employees. A special few employees seem to get better treatment than other employees. Training was not sufficient for new employees. There were inconsistencies  when it came to disciplines to employees. Some got by with more than others before there were consequences.  The short time I was there was so stressful. I would have stayed if the picture they painted when I was hired was the reality. Corporate wasn't seen a lot in the building.

Working in an Assisted Living environment is tough. There are challenges every day, and tough decisions have to be made. I have felt very supported from local management as well as the support office when I have to make tough decisions or when I am excited about starting a new project/initiative. It takes a special type of employee to work in this type of place. If you don't have a passion for working with people of all kinds, difficult or not, this may not be the best place for you. If you want to make a difference in someones life, feel mission driven, and want to be a part of something bigger than yourself, then this is the best place for you.

It feels like management tends to focus heavily on minor errors and is quick to issue reprimands, often without allowing staff a full opportunity to explain the situation or underlying causes. This behavior can come across as dismissive, creating a perception that employee contributions are undervalued. There's a sense that decisions are often made based on numerical targets rather than a deep understanding of staff needs, individual capabilities, or the daily challenges we face. It would be beneficial if management could gain a clearer perspective on the realities of our roles and the demands placed upon us, perhaps by experiencing a typical demanding shift themselves. 

Environment super bias. Lots of favoritism throughout the whole management and lower employees who are family or friends and are favored and let get away with lots of things other staff would not like treating residents poorly. Doing things that should be off the clock. And disappearing while tasks should be done and residents need help. Toxic when needing to talk to management about concerns and little to nothing gets done about people favored by management. Bad experience with staff but resident were very sweet. Best part of the job by far 

Enjoyable place to be with residents. Workload just keeps getting added on when there already isn’t enough time in a shift to complete all the tasks asked of you. Management does not take employees opinions into account for anything. Often times no one would show up to relieve you at the end of shift then no answer on the on call phone or you’re just plain lied to that someone is on the way. My colleagues were amazing. Best part of the job was the residents. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Resident assistant 245 salaries reported	$20.99 per hour
Nursing assistant 154 salaries reported	$23.29 per hour
Culinary aide 82 salaries reported	$18.86 per hour
Cook 48 salaries reported	$21.11 per hour
Housekeeper 31 salaries reported	$17.94 per hour

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