Independent Living in Erie, Pennsylvania

John & Wendy Hirsch

Let me first say that our mom has never been a complainer and has never had anything negative to say about the food. Her meals are timely and if needed she can eat in her room. She does enjoy having a room with a view of the bay and enjoys watching the water foul, boating and lovely water view. The public spaces are comfy with lots of places to just stop and sit a while and lovely little “sun room” spaces to enjoy large windows and the outside views. Sadly there is no one at the lobby desk after 4 leaving no one to greet guests or encourage residents to engage and also leaving the Bistro Cafe unattended to for snacks and activities for socializing. However the most important need is the daily needs of the residents. The staffing does not seem to be adequate for the residence’s needs - the facility appears to be way under staffed. Last night there was 1 person for each floor and when one is on break, the other is covering both floors alone. As I mentioned earlier there is no one at the reception desk in the lobby after 4pm so if you need someone the resident or their visitor if they have one, has to hunt all over for someone to help them...it’s like a ghost town at times. When a resident pushes their buzzer for assistance they have no idea how long before someone is going to show up. A communication system that included a response from the caregiver to the resident would go along way when the resident who cannot get out of their chair to their bed or the bathroom w/o assistance is waiting...and waiting. There is no one managing the Bistro Cafe any more so snacks are not available like they used to be. There used to be card games going on in there with ice cream or home made goodies and popcorn with some ice water & juice all the time and now it’s empty. Our mother has been in this facility through 2 ownership changes and as a family we have seen the facility deteriorate - yes they have a patio outside but it’s a disheveled mess out there and many plants are left for dead as well as the front entry which used to be Seasonally decorated all the time and beautiful. Everything is covered with debris and webs and cushions just in massive piles by the doorways. It used to be a lovely place to enjoy the outside...both front and back patio. Overall as a family we are very disappointed in the new ownership.

Marie

I found Niagara Village for my father. They have been absolutely wonderful. His apartment is lovely. With Covid, they follow strict guidelines, but I am able to be there to help my father and they've updated their sign-in and sign-out process. Their meals are good. They have gals there that I hire separately that help me give him medication and stuff during the day so that I don't have to be there four times a day. It has just been really good. It's called independent living and then I hire people to bathe him and help with meds. We're doing very well together. We got him a 1-bedroom because he had been completely independent before and had his own home, and I didn't want him to go from a house to a closet. The 1-bedroom is very nice and the bathroom is great. It has a big walk-in shower, nice size rooms, and he's got a little refrigerator. It's working real well for him. He does not cook anything. There's no stove there, but we bought him a microwave in case he needs to heat something. They have bingo, puzzles that they work on with big magnifying glasses, movie night, DVDs and CDs that you can take back to your room and watch, an exercise class, a little exercise room for those that can use it, a music area, crafts, and card games. They've got a lot of things going on plus they provide transportation once a week if the people wanted to go shopping or do whatever. It's just been a really good experience for us. The meals are good compared to what I've seen in some places. They could do a little less starch, but the taste of the meals is just fine. They have salads, vegetables, and fruits. My dad's diabetic, so he has to be careful of starch. Today, they had spaghetti and he ate the sauce of it, but didn't eat the noodles, and then he ate his salad. They had an issue of clogged toilet, but by morning, it was taken care of. Things like that happen, but they took care of it right away in a very timely manner and that was good. The activities are really good, but my dad can't partake in a lot of them right now.

Reviewer RC#1215c

My mom is at Niagara Village. So far, so good. Her room is a large studio. It's more than an adequate room. My mom says the food is average. They have a TV room, exercise room, plenty of daily activities, a community TV room, a pool table, but she's 98, and she's not gonna be in that. I think the greatest thing about the place is it's cheery and its staff is outstanding. The staff is actually the best.

S.S.

My father moved in a couple of months ago now. It's very nice, clean, have a friendly staff, and pretty views. He has an apartment, but they have studios, or a two-bedroom. They have a separate dining area which feels like a restaurant, and you order from a menu. It has windows that overlook the bay, an activity area upstairs where they have games and stuff, and an area at the front of the building, where you can have a Sunday brunch or a cafe party. They have a TV room and do movies every Thursday.

Rick

My parents are in here. It's been excellent from the start to today. We've had no problems. The staff is good. They keep the apartment nice and clean, and they take care of the laundry on time. They do a good job. They have a two-bedroom apartment, and we made one a living room and one a bedroom. They have a nice patio out back that faces the bay on Lake Erie and during the summer they show movies out there. There are buses that will take the residents to the casino or the mall. They have a library and an exercise room. They can walk around very easily. They have different activities during the week that they have posted all over the facility. My dad has dementia and they have a dementia unit attached to the assisted living building, so even once my parents get separated they'll still be in the same building.