Dear Nick,
As the one-year anniversary of my Dad’s death approaches I find myself thinking more and more about his passing, the couple of difficult months leading up to his death, but also about the couple of very pleasant years he spent at the Bristal.
Unfortunately we usually only take the time to write when we have a complaint but I wanted to change that and take this opportunity voice praise. Whether it was the staff of the recreation group, dining/kitchen, housekeeping or wellness, my Dad was always treated with respect, kindness and compassion — and I know that was not always easy as he (and 1 am sure many of the residents) could be difficult to deal with!
I wish it could have lasted much longer, but I am glad he was able to spend a couple of years in the Bristal environment with all the wonderful people who worked there. Whenever I am asked about your place, I have nothing but great things to say about it.
With Warmest Regards,
Don
Dear Nick and staff,
Mom lived the last part of her life with you at the Bristal and we know she enjoyed herself. She always said everyone was so thoughtful and kind to her. Thank you for taking such good care of her. She felt that the Bristal was home, and everyone was her friend.
You should be very proud of yourselves. To all of you, you have our gratitude and thanks. The family of Ida Zipikis—
Roberta and Jay
Dear Nick,
We extend our sincerest thanks and deepest gratitude to your incredible staff for their care, concern and support during the illness of our Mom, Marguerite Klahn.
Our Mom moved into your facility five years ago. She enjoyed having her own apartment, living independently with supervision, and making new friends. Your staff recognized and respected her need for privacy, and her unending desire to help others. We are very grateful for the kindness and care given by your staff, which enabled her to have a wonderful quality of life.
Following her hospitalization in October, we were grateful that she could return to The Bristal to receive hospice care. Our thanks to you personally for assisting us during some difficult moments in her initial stages of hospice care. We extend our deepest and heartfelt thanks to your amazing staff for their care, concern and support during the difficult final months of our Mom’s life. We wish we could list the name of each individually, however, they should know that their smiling faces and concern will be always be remembered. To the front desk, kitchen and housekeeping staff, who always asked how our Mom was doing - thank you for your concern. Our special thanks to your amazing staff in Wellness - Doris, Marguerite, Jeannette, Cardella and Josephine. Their professionalism, the quality of their care, and their concern for our Mom was incredible and greatly appreciated. When Mom was well she enjoyed interacting with all of you. When she became ill, your visits were extra special, your smiles, and caring touch gave her, and us, great solace. Words do not adequately express our appreciation and gratitude to each of you.
We feel blessed that our Mom spent her final years and days with such special people, who approach their work with devotion, dedication and with giving hearts. God bless each and every one of you. You do incredible work and give unselfishly. You became tike family to us, and we will miss you! Thank you.
With sincere gratitude and respect.The Family of Marguerite Klahn
To our Bristal Family.
It has been almost 4 years since my mom and dad made the decision to reside at the Bristal @ Westbury. During this time my parents enjoyed the homey feel of their suite, the convenience of deliciously and carefully prepared meals, but most of all the freedom from worry about daily chores and responsibilities. Happily, this became their new home.
With the passing of time, my mother's health and mental state deteriorated steadily. It was during this time that dad and I were so grateful for the compassion and caring of the entire staff at the facility. Although my mom suffered from Alzheimer's she was always treated with dignity and love, greeted with a warm and comforting smile and encouraged to sing, talk and laugh.
When my mom returned to the Bristal after a 3 week long hospital stay I did all that was humanly possible to make sure that my parents were reunited one last time. The day finally came when my mom came back to be with dad. It was due to the compassion and dedication to the residents that the administration made this decision. Three weeks later mom passed peacefully with dad at her side.
In the days that followed, my dad tried to fill the emptiness in his heart buy spending time with the dear friends that were now a part of his everyday life. Everyone was so kind and loving to dad, It provided him with the strength to go on.
It is with great sadness that my dad has had to leave the Bristal. His declining health and inability to ambulate has dictated the move. He can no longer move around on his own and experiences severe pain and weakness just standing. He fondly remembers the days he spent at the Bristal, the wonderful friendships that were forged, and the happiness that he and my mom had right to the end.
Thank you for all you have done for my parents, I will be forever grateful to the entire staff that was a part of my parent's everyday life, satisfying their needs, and never becoming impatient with their wants or requests. Please pass this message of gratitude to all staff members.
I would like to especially mention my dealings with Tracy, Kimberly and Nicholas who made this move smoother than expected but not without sadness.
With love and gratitude,
Rosemary and Joe Skowronski Family of James Lombardo
The family of Marian Duhig, would like to thank everyone at The Bristal for the excellent care and many kindnesses extended to Marian during her brief stay.
It would be remiss not to single out Josephine Rivers. She went above and beyond what was expected of her. The professional, loving, compassionate care she gave to Marian was truly outstanding. What Josephine does is not just her job, it is a ministry. Marian's family took such comfort knowing that Josephine was with her when we couldn't be there. She was her angel. We should all be so blessed to have a Josephine in our lives.
Again, our heartfelt thanks to all the staff at The Bristal, who were so kind to Marian and to us.
Sincerely,
Jim, Katie and Cathy Duhig
Hi Alan-
Very nice seeing you and your staff on Tuesday! As you mentioned, my Mom has adjusted well to her new environment (after 60 years in the same house, wow). She also has very nice things to say about your facility and staff!
I appreciate your attention to detail and your staff's professionalism and warmth. My family and I look forward to many happy years of continued care for our mother at your fine facility!
Best
Rob Weller
Dear Mr. Youngberg,
I wish to thank you and all of your staff at The Bristal East Northport, for the care you provided to my mom, Adrienne Brenner.
From the first meeting with Patricia Damm and throughout my mom’s residence in the Reflections program, the Bristal has proven to be a step above other facilities that we could have chosen. Understanding and care were exemplary and exceeded expectations. This goes for all staff that we encountered - so please express our thanks to them as well; especially Reflections Director Steve Williams.
And, of course, thanks again for your personal involvement in resolving our questions about billing.
The facility is lovely and safe, the staff is caring and proactive, and sensitivity to the needs of Alzheimers/Dementia is spot on. I wish that we had gotten mom into your program sooner, so that she and my dad could have had a better quality of life for longer. With mom moving on to a full nursing care facility, I can only say: Thanks again for the feeling that we did right by my mom by bringing her to the Bristal’s Reflections program.
Sincerely,
David P. Brenner
Dear Alan,
I want to thank you and the entire staff at The Bristal for the excellent care my mother, Alga Golgano, received in her years with you.
Your kindness, caring and attention allowed my family to rest assured that Alga was being watched over.
Special thanks to David, Partinia, and Mercilyne in Housekeeping, my mother’s favorite.
You guys are the best!
With gratitude,
Karen O’Keefe
Lara and Staff,
Thank you for the care and concern given to my mom, Sylva Tauger, during her stay at the Bristal. I couldn’t have picked a better place or a more dedicated staff.
How lucky we felt to be welcomed into such a wonderful community!
Best wishes to all.
Sincerely,
Adrianne
Dear MaryEllen and Ultimate Care Management Directors of The Bristal,
Hello! I am writing on behalf of myself, my beloved mother Mrs. Monenna Kennedy, and our ENTIRE family in the sincerest way to express our GREATEST of GREAT GRATITUDE to thank your for having Ms. Judy Svendsen on your winning team at the Bristal of Massapequa.
Most recently my mother has needed to transition to assisted living and had gone on a quick reference and moved into a very local and well known facility in West Babylon. To say it was a nightmare from the minute mom walked in,in her words would be putting it nicely. As her sole caretaker, day by day I was becoming more distraught, and a assisted living expert I am NOT didn’t know what to do to fix this! Driving past the Bristal. I made a phone call. Well who answered??? AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN AND DID YOU KNOW HER NAME IS JUDY SVENDSEN????
I can only describe sheer professionalism when I spoke to Judy-calmly explaining my moms anxiety, and on the other hand also still very nervous and leery from being so disappointed by Moms current address. Judy explained everything and then some to me which left me in awe-Judy spent so much of her time educating me on the entire assisted living format and the entire Bristal system—I felt so at ease—a feeling I haven’t felt in a LONG time! And most importantly that really impacted on me, that despite being a Director, Judy consistently gave me her undivided attention to answer all my questions — never making me feel rushed, pressured or a nuisance.. unlike our other experience. After speaking briefly to Judy on my first phone call, I quickly called hack and Judy, again answered her phone, personally, as usual, with a cheerful and welcoming "Come on down!" attitude, and with that we -my husband, myself, and 4 children aged 1-9 piled in the minivan and Bristal here we came! (I had warned Judy prior to the army coming and she laughed and made me feel even more at ease explaining she care for her 9 nephews and nieces!)
From the first few minutes to present, I need to beyond stress the magnitude of the ATTITUDE your beautiful employee Judy expresses—and not to just my family—she knew every resident by name, along with all her fellow staff and if they weren’t smiling already, they sure were when Judy was done with them. We enjoyed a full detailed tour of the Bristal, and the next day Mom was there to confirmed her hearty approval, and as she now calls her new home”it is a haven —but please add an E.. “HEAVEN!!!
But on all seriousness MaryEllen, I truly want to than you from the bottom of our hearts for the day you hired Judy she went above and beyond for myself and mother to make the Bristal her new home— and to me, the most important factor to any facility of where my mother is is to have an open family- like line of communication with the staff overlooking my mothers safety and well being. When 1 call The Bristal for a question. I have a response THAT day—if not that phone call—unlike the prior facility-where administrators arc away on vacations and assistants are left in full charge-and to wait 5 days to receive a response to a simple question about your loved one in a new facility is definitely beyond reasonable and so distressing.
Thanks to your Judy I have been given such peace of mind, knowing my Mother is in such a caring facility.
Having worked professionally in the healthcare industry for the past 20 years, employee attitudes can certainly make or break a facility!(As seen in our prior experience) I can truly attest and know what a PRICELESS asset Judy Svendsen would be to any facility she chose to work at—I am just so grateful to God and thank him in my daily prayers that it is where my Mom lives(and loves) now...The Bristal at Massapequa!
Thank You again from the bottom of our hearts!
Tracy Caselli