Thursday, May 22, 2025
Bristal Assisted Living is celebrating 25 yeas of serving the Tri-State region, with 26 total locations and 19 on Long Island.
The Bristal at North Woodmere was the third location to open up and houses residents originally from the Five Towns, mostly, since 2003.
Being one of the first communities, North Woodmere is an integral part of the organization as a whole.
Offering a plethora of amenities and activities the venue has a beauty salon, cards and billiards room, cinema, creative arts studio, fitness center, library, outdoor courtyard, programming center and a putting green.
“What the Bristal at North Woodmere brings to the community is just such a value to how they take care of our seniors,” Eileen Rainer, chief financial officer of the Bristal said.
Rainer has been with the company since the very beginning and could not decide on a singular favorite memory, as she is fond of many of them.
“As you can imagine, for 25 years there’s not just one favorite moment there’s many, what stands out to me is the caring that our team does for our seniors and getting the opportunity to meet our resident’s families and get to know them,” she said.
Over the past 25 years, what has changed most is the amount of locations and the growth the company has experienced internally. The commitment to caring for the residents has not changed and it is one of the main reasons she has been with the company so long, according to Rainer.
“It’s such an honor to work with this many people and experience the growth and be apart of the Bristal team, we are truly a family,” she added.
Dana Mori, executive director of the Bristal at North Woodmere, has been there since 2006 and began her career as a recreational director, which she did for eight and a half years. She then took a hiatus to work in advertising and returned in 2022 to be executive director.
“The Bristal is such a good company to work for and they take pride in every aspect of everybody’s day, from the floor to the ceiling we take pride in everything we do to provide the best care,” Mori said. “Everyone in my community is going to be greeted with a warm welcome, this is my second home.”
She said she is grateful for being welcomed into the North Woodmere community and loves the tight-nit vibe and that everybody knows everybody.
“The warmth and sense of feeling home that I’ve always felt in this community hasn’t changed, and that’s one of the reasons I came back in this position,” Mori said.
Wendy Blackman, director of memory care at North Woodmere, has also been with the company for 25 years. She started out as an aid, helped open the first location in East Meadow and joined North Woodmere in 2006 as a director.
“It is a very good company to work for, that’s why I’m still here and I’m grateful for the leadership and support they have given to me over the years,” Blackman said.
She has found a family within North Woodmere and cherishes her relationship with Mori and the staff.
“North Woodmere has treated me well, it is my home and I’m happy to be here, we are supportive of the residents and families and I’m proud to work at North Woodmere,” Blackman said.
