My father moved into The Bristal at Holtsville a few weeks ago, and my mother's gonna join him in two weeks. My father doesn't need any level of care. He just needs meals and things like that. My mother needs more help than he does. They have a one-bedroom. They turned the living room into a second bedroom, and it had a kitchenette, a shared bathroom, and a nice big closet. They have studio and two-bedroom units there as well. They have games like Scrabble and mahjong. They have a hairdresser and nail technician. They have a bus that would take them on excursions, which right now is just sightseeing. They took my father to the beach the other day, but they couldn't get out of the car because of the Covid restrictions. They said normally they would take them to other places. If it wasn't Covid, they would take them out to the movie theater. They also have a movie theater inside the place. They play movies twice a day, and they have a pool there. They have arts, and they have physical therapy right on the premises. I just have to order through my doctor and Medicare will cover the PT to come to the place. Also, if they want to switch to their doctors, the doctors would come right to their place. The dinner is really nice because they get to order off a menu. There are ten things to choose from every meal. If you didn't like whatever it was on the menu, there was always an alternative. They have a lot of variety of food available. They have music where people would come in and do piano or singing or whatever. They have the entertainment and bingo. If they don't come down for breakfast or dinner, they'll come and check on them; then they will send something to the room. They're actually feeding them really well, and they have snacks in between. They even have a happy hour where they have a glass of wine in the afternoon or order a glass of wine with dinner. It's very easy to check him out. Last weekend, I took him overnight and he stayed with me. This weekend, I'm gonna take him for five days. It's nice to be able to know that if I wanted to keep him here for five days, two days, a week, that it is not an issue. I just have to sign him out. With the excursions, they have wheelchair accessibility and mom could just go on the bus. When Covid ends, she could participate in other types of activities. They even take them shopping. They put them on a bus and take them to Stop & Shop, CVS, or The Dollar Store. When I went to the other place, they were saying that my daughter couldn't go in the pool and couldn't play bingo or do the art classes, but this particular Bristal said, "If your granddaughter wants to go have an art class with them or if she wants to swim in the pool while they watch, they can," and they had no problem with family members coming for bingo. To me, that was important. With all these activities, they're going to be more motivated if my daughter can come and join them. They just seemed more open for a family environment. It was just really, really beautiful and it just seemed to have everything. There's also a shopping center right there and restaurants. My father has an electric wheelchair so I could walk over there with him or it's easy to pick them up and just take them right there. There's the bank, Red Lobster, and a lot of options. They have the bus that takes them places. It opened up the options of me being able to take my mother to get her nails done. There's pizzeria and so many things nearby. The staff was excellent. The first day we went, they introduced us to the chef, the head of the housecleaning department, and the wellness coaches. Every time I come, they are telling me how much he's eating and if he needs any clothes. They're constantly updating me either by phone or when I'm there. They're very friendly, and they stop by his room. They're really good, really friendly, and really involved. They know my first name. They try to set them up with people so they can meet friends. They'll sit them at a table with another gentleman that lives there. They're always encouraging him to do things. They do a good job of keeping his room clean and doing the laundry. I said he wasn't eating snacks because he couldn't make it down in the afternoon. They said, "Oh, we'll stock his fridge with snacks." It's very nice. It feels like you're walking in a 5-star hotel. Everything looked great. They offered us a special pricing initially.

We placed my mother, 91 years old, at the Bristal at Holtsville mid 2018. She was critical of the change, but I encouraged her to stay a few months because it was the best solution for her well-being at the time. Two months later, during on of my calls to her, I asked her what she thought about her stay there. To my surprise she said to me, "I can't speak to you now, I am too busy". And she said, all she does is laugh all day long. She loves, her room, her friends, the food and special events. The family is so pleased with the decision.

The Bristal at Holtsville is a relatively new place that's more appealing when you walk in because it seems like everybody is engaged. They have some nice amenities and their menu is more extensive compared to other places. They have day trips, clubs, and choirs, which appeal to my mom. I find the staff to be very helpful and pleasant, and they seem to be doing a good job.