Oakwood Senior Living

    3456 Delaware Ave, Kenmore, NY, 14217
    2.6 · 8 reviews
    • Assisted living
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    3.0

    Friendly staff, cramped, dirty, improving

    I toured this low-budget, Medicaid-accepting senior home and found friendly, helpful staff and decent care with scheduled activities and usable outdoor space, and new ownership is making visible fixes (new elevator, flooring, paint, furniture). But the old building is cramped and cluttered, hallways/elevators and rooms often look dirty, security is lax (missing laundry/thefts, ignored call buzzers), and activities/food are limited and boring - I'd only return to see if the promised improvements are completed.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    2.63 · 8 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      3.0
    • Staff

      2.8
    • Meals

      2.5
    • Amenities

      2.3
    • Value

      2.6

    Pros

    • New ownership initiating improvements
    • Elevator replacement completed or planned
    • Floor polishing and fresh painting
    • Planned remodeling of dining room and lounges
    • Newer furniture in common areas
    • Friendly and helpful staff (reported by some reviewers)
    • Excellent or attentive care (reported by some reviewers)
    • Homemade meals available
    • Medicaid accepted
    • Provides all levels of care
    • Busy, active resident population
    • Scheduled activities and outdoor space utilization
    • Safe environment reported by some reviewers

    Cons

    • Past poor management under previous owners
    • Limited food selection
    • Ignored call buzzers and slow staff response
    • Security problems and lack of access control
    • Theft by staff and/or residents reported
    • Laundry items disappearing
    • Lazy or ineffective guards
    • Dirty rooms, hallways, and floors (vacuuming/mopping/dusting needed)
    • Peeling paint and visible deferred maintenance
    • Small, narrow, cluttered rooms and halls
    • Very small elevator (limited capacity)
    • Few, boring, or infrequent activities and no outings
    • Infrequent baths/showers reported
    • Complaints denied or not addressed
    • Low-budget target and old building character
    • Subfloor or unfinished activity room

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed, with a clear theme of transition. Several reviewers note a change in ownership and an active effort to make physical and cosmetic improvements — including elevator replacement, floor polishing, fresh paint, newer furniture, and plans to remodel the dining room and lounges. Those changes have led some visitors and residents to report a cleaner, more attractive environment and to describe the staff as friendly and helpful and the care as excellent in certain cases. The community accepts Medicaid and advertises that it provides all levels of care, which some reviewers identify as a positive for prospective residents with varying needs. The facility also appears to have an active resident population with scheduled activities and usable outdoor space, which contributes to a busier, more social environment for some people.

    Despite the recent improvements and some positive reports about staff and care, a number of significant and recurring concerns persist. Cleanliness is a frequent negative: multiple reviewers describe dirty rooms, hallways, and floors and say basic housekeeping such as vacuuming, mopping, and dusting is needed. Reviewers also call out peeling paint and other signs of deferred maintenance in parts of the building. The structure itself is described as older and low-budget in character, with narrow halls, small or cluttered rooms, and a very small elevator that could create accessibility and convenience problems. One reviewer even mentioned an unfinished or subfloor activity room, underscoring uneven condition across spaces.

    Safety, security, and operations are recurring problem areas in the reviews. Several accounts mention poor security practices, lack of access control, lazy guards, and reports of theft involving staff and residents. Personal items (notably laundry) disappearing and ignored call buzzers or slow response to resident requests were specifically cited. Some reviewers also complained that staff do not always listen to residents’ requests and that complaints are denied or dismissed, indicating potential issues with communication, accountability, and management responsiveness.

    Dining and activity programming show a split as well. The presence of homemade meals is frequently noted as a positive, but reviewers also mention a limited food selection. Activity offerings are criticized for being few, boring, or infrequent, with some reviewers saying there are no outings and that bathing/showering schedules are not always frequent enough. Conversely, some residents experience scheduled activities and outdoor use, so program quality and consistency may vary.

    Management and culture appear to be in flux. Several reviewers explicitly contrast the current ownership more favorably with past poor management under previous owners, suggesting recent improvements are at least partially attributed to the change in leadership. However, lingering operational problems (security, housekeeping, responsiveness) indicate that change is incomplete and uneven across the facility. A few reviewers recommend visiting again or reassessing the community in the near future, implying that prospective residents should verify that promised renovations and policy changes are implemented and that operational issues have been resolved.

    In summary, the facility shows signs of positive transition: visible renovations, new furnishings, and reports of caring staff and homemade meals are important strengths. At the same time, longstanding issues remain significant: cleanliness and building condition, security failures and theft, inconsistent staff responsiveness, restricted dining variety, limited activities, and the physical limitations of an older, narrow building (including a small elevator and small rooms). Because reviews vary widely, prospective residents and families should weigh the recent improvements against the operational and safety concerns, and consider an in-person visit focused on current cleanliness, security measures, staffing responsiveness, and the status of promised renovations before making a decision.

    Location

    Map showing location of Oakwood Senior Living

    About Oakwood Senior Living

    Oakwood Senior Living sits at 3456 Delaware Ave in Kenmore, New York, with a listed address also appearing as Buffalo, and offers assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, and home care services all in one setting, which means families do have different options when a loved one needs more care, and with 148 licensed beds it's a fairly large place, so you'll find a mix of single bedrooms, studios, and semi-private rooms for folks with different needs or budgets, and they take Medicaid too, which is a help for many. Caregivers help residents with daily tasks like manual feeding, moving around, showering, toileting, and getting dressed, and there's medication help, diabetic and incontinence care, and support for people who don't get around by themselves, and they say they offer individual care plans since everyone's needs end up being different as the years go by. The staff helps with laundry and cleaning, and there's an onsite pharmacy, religious and devotional activities both on and off-site, and a steady level of supervision with secured doors, especially in the memory care area where those with dementia or Alzheimer's get special programs and 24-hour attention.

    The building has new owners and you'll see some improvements going on, like remodeling the dining and activity rooms, which is a good sign they're trying to keep up, and the staff has put some focus on better cleanliness and more ways for people to be involved. There's a big dining room for daily meals prepared by chefs and supervised by a dietitian, with a special dementia-friendly menu and an option for special diets, plus a bistro and spaces for private dining, and there's even a community kitchen if someone feels like baking, which often reminds people of home. Residents enjoy activities on site and out in the community, with arts and crafts, chapel services, and social events, and there are nice outdoor areas, landscaped gardens, patios, and a smoking room for those who still have that habit. The place provides free transportation, resident and guest parking, and an in-house laundry and dry-cleaning service, and wifi is available so people can stay connected to family.

    Oakwood offers respite care, so folks who need somewhere safe for a short stay after an illness or while family is away can get help with daily needs and medical care. Nurses look after residents 24 hours a day in the skilled nursing unit, handling things like wound care and rehab, and there are also staff to help with memory care and activities that spark old memories. Oakwood supports both English and other languages, which helps people feel at home, and they also try to make sure religious or spiritual needs are met by offering onsite and off-site devotional services. The community covers a wide range of services so people who want to keep as much independence as possible still have a safety net, with help always available for those who need more support, and they even offer financing advice to help families plan ahead.

    Oakwood Senior Living is inspected by groups like the Department of Aging or Veteran's Services and has a history of being open about their rules and performance. Community ratings average about 5.3 out of 10 based on web reviews, which puts them in a middle spot, neither at the top nor bottom, and like any large place, the experience can depend on who you know and which staff take care of you. The neighborhood around has parks, health facilities, and other city benefits, and there's information available on weather and crime for folks who like to know what's nearby. Most people who visit talk about a helpful and kind environment, and even though it's a bigger building, the staff and residents often bring some warmth to the halls. Photos of Oakwood Senior Living are often available on sites like Mirador, and their website gives more details for families looking to dig deeper.

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