St Joseph's Manor in Olean, NY

Pros

• The staff genuinely cares for residents.
• The facility is well-run despite a staff shortage.
• The place is very nice and well designed.
• The facility is clean and beautiful.
• The staff tending to residents are compassionate and kind.
• The activities department offers lots of things to participate in and includes church services.
• The place is great for elderly loved ones, with great care and awesome workers.
• The Pines standards are among the best in the area.

Cons

• Joy is very rude, disrespectful, and lacks empathy.
• The facility is suffering from a staff shortage.
• The place is racist, and the staff are not friendly toward Black people; it's a mess.
• A Pines CNA publicly laughed at people discussing the death of their loved ones due to Covid and called them "comical sobbing stories."
• It does not speak well of the empathy and care provided by Pines Healthcare employees; the reviewer advises not sending loved ones there for empathetic care.
• The system for resident help is not good; help buttons can take up to 20 minutes, and most staff look unhappy.
• The reviewer questions whether the facility has enough staff.
• The food served is rarely what residents ordered and is served barely warm.

Review

St Joseph's Manor in Olean, NY is best suited for families seeking a clean, well-designed environment with strong social programming and meaningful daily activity for residents who value engagement, accessibility, and compassionate caregiving in end-of-life moments. The community rewards families that prioritize a lively activity calendar, religious services, and outdoor space where residents can stroll or sit comfortably. It is a fit for seniors who want a pleasant setting with clear attention to presentation, comfort, and routine, and for those who can supervise and advocate to ensure timely help when needed. For memory-care needs or highly regimented care requirements, this campus should be weighed against alternatives with dedicated units and higher staff-to-resident ratios. Those seeking near-constant, flawless initial impressions may want to compare other options.

On the plus side, the facility earns praise for its maintenance of a bright, inviting atmosphere. Reviews highlight plenty of activities, church services, and dedicated spaces that foster social connection. Residents often appear to benefit from attentive care when the situation aligns with available staffing, and end-of-life care has been described as compassionate and kind by families. The physical design - rooms with windows, ample common areas, and outdoor spaces - contributes to a sense of normalcy and dignity. When family members visit, the environment often supports relaxed, comfortable time together, which matters when long-term living is the goal. These strengths, however, exist alongside ongoing staffing constraints that color every other aspect of experience.

The most persistent concerns center on staffing realities. A recurring theme is a shortage that leaves caregivers stretched thin, with reports of long response times - up to twenty minutes for help buttons in certain moments. Front-line interactions can become inconsistent; some staff members are perceived as unhappy or overwhelmed, which translates into uneven resident experiences. There are also troubling anecdotes about staff empathy and professional civility, including harsh or dismissive bedside manner cited by diverse reviewers. In addition, at least one critique points to questions about staff vetting and organizational culture, infusing risk into the decision for families that demand uniformly high standards across all shifts.

Another practical flaw cited by reviewers is variability in everyday quality, including meals and general responsiveness. Food quality has been described as not aligning with patient expectations, and some residents report that orders aren't always carried out as requested. These issues don't negate the good care that many residents do receive, but they do illustrate the fragility of satisfaction when staffing is variable. In short, the positive elements - cleanliness, activity richness, and compassionate end-of-life care - can be overshadowed by slow service, uneven attitudes, and questions about the consistency of daily operations. Pros offset cons for those who place a premium on culture, comfort, and social life; cons became decisive for families prioritizing reliability and uniform treatment across all shifts.

Alternatives should be strongly considered for families prioritizing unflagging responsiveness and a consistently respectful culture. If a facility's top criterion is prompt, reliable assistance and a uniformly professional demeanor at all times, other communities with higher staffing ratios and more aggressive frontline training may be wiser. For families with heightened sensitivity to organizational culture and inclusive, unbiased care, a facility with documented, ongoing staff development and clearer accountability procedures may be a better fit. For those with specialized memory-care needs or more intensive medical oversight, campuses dedicated to memory-care residents or larger operators with comprehensive clinical teams should be evaluated.

Practical next steps include a structured visit focused on process, not only ambience. During tours, request specifics on staff-to-resident ratios by shift, average call-bell response times, and daily schedules that demonstrate how activities align with resident preferences. Inquire about staff training on diversity, empathy, and crisis de-escalation, and ask to meet front-d desk personnel to assess initial interactions. Speak with current residents and family members about consistency of care across weekends and evenings, and review the dining program with dietary staff to gauge meal fidelity. If these factors align with expectations, St Joseph's Manor can be a strong, comforting home; if not, the field warrants broader comparison to protect the choice's long-term safety and satisfaction.

Pharmacies

• Top's Markets (0.2 miles)
• Dan Horn Pharmacy & Health Services (1.4 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.5 miles)
• Health Mart Pharmacy (8.8 miles)
• Buchanan Brothers Pharmacy (8.8 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (10.2 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (0.4 miles)
• Domino's Pizza (0.4 miles)
• Perkins Restaurant and Bakery (0.4 miles)
• City Limits (0.5 miles)
• Burger King (0.5 miles)
• Subway (0.5 miles)
• 3rd Base Bar & Grill (0.6 miles)

Physicians

• William Michael Jaremko (0.4 miles)
• Pediatric Health Care (0.4 miles)
• Holiday Park Health Center (0.4 miles)
• Medicor Associates (0.4 miles)
• Thandla Srinivas MD (0.4 miles)
• Akhtar M Javed MD (0.4 miles)
• Center for Bone and Joint Surgery (0.4 miles)

Cafes

• Tim Hortons (0.5 miles)
• Tim Hortons (1.6 miles)
• Mccullagh Coffee (1.6 miles)
• Junction Cafe Junction (9 miles)

Theaters

• AMC Allegany 8 (0.7 miles)

Parks

• Gargoyle Park (0.8 miles)
• Lincoln Park (1.4 miles)
• Rock City Park (4.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• Olean Church (1.1 miles)
• United Church Res Of Olean Ny (1.2 miles)
• St Mary Of The Angels (1.3 miles)
• Saint Mary of Angels Roman Catholic Church (1.3 miles)
• St Bonaventure University Chapel (1.4 miles)
• Temple B'nai Israel (1.5 miles)
• St John's Roman Catholic Church (1.7 miles)

Transportation

• Wny PA Railroad (1.3 miles)
• U-Haul (1.4 miles)
• Wildside Taxidermy (8.5 miles)
• Alamo (10.5 miles)

Hospitals

• Upper Allegheny Health System (1.3 miles)
• Olean General Hospital Services (1.3 miles)
• Out Patient Waiting Area - Olean General Hospital (1.9 miles)
• Olean General Hospital (3.7 miles)