The Manor House

Early confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine’s effectiveness has kept The Manor House free from any health problems for residents and staff alike, according to the administrator of the upscale assisted living facility at 427 East Main St.

“All of our staff were really confident in the vaccine in the beginning so most of us were already vaccinated,” Kristin Cronk said on Thursday. “We had a very high vaccination rate to start with so fortunately for us it has not affected our staffing.”

All of the building’s 65 residents and all but two of the 50 employees have received the vaccine, she said, “and we’re working on the last two right now.”

“Vaccination-wise we’re doing really well. We’ve never had a COVID case to date in this building,” she added.

Cronk said The Manor House is experiencing the same staffing issues that similar agencies are experiencing, but noted they are not related to the vaccine mandate.

When asked about applying for financial relief from New York State, she said she is looking into that.

“Relief is something that many of the buildings are advocating for, especially because a lot of the employees, us included, had to cover the cost for their testing – when we did have to do testing for so long,” she said. “That’s something that is very important to us but we haven’t gotten very far on that yet.”

Human Resources Director Renee Arieno commended The Manor House team “for keeping our residents safe.”

“We’re really fortunate that we’re not experiencing the hardships that others are with the vaccine mandate,” she said.

A private-pay facility, The Manor House offers 89 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, which are rented on a monthly basis. Employees include licensed practical nurses, aides, receptionists, cooks, housekeepers, servers and security.

Currently, 12 apartments are available, Cronk said.

Press release:

The staff at The Manor House would like for you to send their seniors holiday cards, who especially need them because of COVID-19 restrictions and not being able to see their families for the holidays.

We want to show them how much the community cares and is thinking of them!

We are also looking for cards for three very special ladies who turn 100, 101 and 102 in January! 

There are boxes for cards and pictures at the front doors of The Manor House at 427 E. Main St. in the city or mail to the attention of Kristin Cronk at that address.

Happy holidays and stay healthy!

Hunter Meyers' aunt, Amber Winters, is very proud of her nephew, and so are quite a few others.

The Eagle Scout (left inset photo) "did a cool thing today," Winters wrote The Batavian in an email.

And that was to continue his troop's flag-raising tradition at The Manor House in Batavia on Veterans Day.

That would be Boy Scout Troop 6650, based in Alexander.

"Our Boy Scout Troop has been holding a ceremony at The Manor House* for their veteran residents for the last 14 years," says Hunter's mother, Season Meyers. "The ceremony was cancelled this year due to COVID.

"However, I found out they had a brand-new flag pole installed with the express intention of our troop raising the first flag on it to dedicate it to their veterans.

After discussing it with Hunter we decided we were NOT going to let The Manor House nor their veterans down. 

So, "with the help of his grandfather, Hunter raised the first flag on the new flagpole and it was officially dedicated to the veterans," Season said. "All the residents were so grateful and we were beyond thrilled to participate.”

Hunter's grandfather is Peter Michael Meyers, who lives in Attica, as does Hunter's family.

Hunter is the youngest to rise to the rank of Eagle Scout in many years, according to his mom.

He is 15, but earned his Eagle badge at 14, one of only three to earn the achievement that young in Genesee County history.

*Editor's Note: Before the assisted-living facility at 427 E. Main St. became The Manor House, it was known as Victorian Manor.

Photos courtesy of Amber Winters.

Next two photos, Hunter Meyers, left, and his grandfather Peter Michael Meyers, preparing to raise the American flag today, then hoisting it.

Third photo below, Hunter Meyers and an unnamed resident at The Manor House unmask briefly to smile broadly after today's flag-raising ceremony.

Bottom, Hunter Meyers in front of the new flagpole at The Manor House and its new U.S. flag.

Press release:

A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease makes planning for the future a very important task for families. Concerns about care planning and programs that can help offset costs mean that families need accurate information about legal and financial matters specific to the disease.

"Legal and Financial Planning for Alzheimer’s Disease" is an opportunity to learn about important legal and financial issues to consider, how to put plans in place and how to access legal and financial resources in the community.

The Alzheimer’s Association WNY Chapter is offering the program at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13, at the The Manor House at 427 E. Main St. in Batavia, which is also providing an American Sign Language interpreter and a light meal.

Topics to be discussed during the 90-minute program include:

• Making legal plans that fit individual and family needs;
• Legal documents and what they mean;
• How to find legal and financial assistance;
• Practical strategies for making a long-term plan of care;
• Government programs that can help pay for care.

The program is free and open to the public, but seating reservations are requested by calling 1-800-272-3900.

Braelynn Cook, 4, received a free scarf from Leanne Mullen, owner of Tahoe Pines Custom Sewing and Design, yesterday during the St. Nick’s Christmas Bazaar at the Manor House.

This was the first year the Manor House hosted the bazaar and Braelynn was there with her mother, another vendor, and Mullen thought she deserved a scarf​ for being a good girl during the event.

The bazaar was open to the community as well as Manor House residents to help with Christmas shopping.

The secret to a long life, according to Margaret Gallagher, who celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday at The Manor House, is faith, family and friends.

Gallagher was born Nov. 14, 1917, in Batavia. She attended Lincoln Street School, St. Joseph's, and Batavia High School.

Her parents were Frank and Mary Anne Canty-Gallagher. She grew up with three sisters and a brother. Her sister Rita is 102.

She's been a member of the St. Joseph Ladies Society since 1952.

During her working life, she was a secretary at the vocational school on West Main Street, the state Health Department, the VA, and Darch Noonan Law Office. She also worked for Robert C. Noonan for 20 years.  

Noonan, accompanied by his wife, Marcia, read a proclamation from Assemblyman Steve Hawley commemorating Gallagher's 100th birthday.

Photo: Joyce Myers, Gallagher's longtime caretaker, and her granddaughter Avery Kelly, help Gallagher blow out the candles on her birthday cake.

The Manor House is hosting a forum called "Aging with Options" from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21. It's is free and open to the public intended to help the 50+ folks better understand options for the aging.

There will be workshops, vendors and mini clinics offering vision tests, blood pressure checks and hearing tests, and more. UMMC is sponsoring the event.

To register or for more information call 344-2345.

The Manor House is located at 427 E. Main St.

The Manor House held a party yesterday celebrating all the birthdays for the year of residents who turn 90 years old or older.

Bottom photo, Angie Ilasi cuts the cake. Ilasi turns 100 this year.

Tonight, the St. James Bell Choir and the St. James Choir performed a Christmas recital for the residents of Manor House.

The Manor House hosted a summer picnic for residents today. CEO Gordon Davis said there was a big turnout of friends and family joining the residents for lunch and live music.

Music was performed by Just for Fun, a group from Riga.

I was asked to speak to residents of The Manor House this evening about The Batavian and the state of news media. The residents were a great audience, full of great questions. I promised them their picture on The Batavian.

It's a good thing Gordon Davis likes Batavia. He's been spending a lot of time here the past several months.

Davis, a Portland, Oregon, resident, is the managing partner of The Manor House. Since the beginning of the year, the retired urban planner has had little time for the sculpture he loves. He's been too busy rescuing the former Victorian Manor from the bankruptcy of Sunwest, paying off past-due bills to contractors for nearly $2 million and overseeing the completion of two new residential wings at a total cost of more than $4 million.

AUDIO: Listen to Davis tell the story of his investment in Victorian Manor (mp3).

If you get a chance to walk with Davis around the new wings -- which added 50 apartments --  you can tell Gordon is clearly proud of what The Manor House has become. The once troubled asset is now a jewel in his eyes, and Davis clearly believes it's among the best facilities of its kind.

Davis and his fellow partners -- which includes his wife as well as eight other people spread around the country -- were in danger of losing all of the money they put into the Victorian Manor after Sunwest imploded. For Davis, stepping in with a plan to rescue that investment wasn't just a financially defensive move -- he believes in The Manor House and he believes in Batavia.

"My wife and I saw this (when Sunwest first presented the investment opportunity) and we thought it was a real solid property in a really good area," Davis said. "We didn't know a lot about the area, but it felt like it was a good area. We did enough of our own due diligence to think this is a good market and the property really looked excellent."

When Davis looks at the financial viability of his investment, he notes that not only is there an aging population in Genesee County (most, but not all, Manor House residents are from Genesee County), it's centrally located between Rochester and Buffalo. Also, the growing social-services industry in Batavia provides a lot of compatible opportunities.

"This is really the center for those kinds of support services," Davis said. "There are different kinds of services (from the Veteran's Home to the new Depaul facility) and the different kind of support services is really fundamentally good for Batavia. It not only brings in those folks (the residents), it brings in their families."

The expanded Manor House will eventually employ about a dozen more people, but first comes filling up all of the new apartments in the recently completed East and West wings.

Often, people think of retirement as a chance to move to the sunny South, but Davis says, for a lot of retirees, that just isn't as appealing as staying close to home.

"What we fundamentally like is where we live," Davis said.  "I think many times that’s what people are looking for. They want to live in a place that feels good to them, that is familiar to them, that has the kind of lifelong connections that they have, and maybe they have family close by."

The Manor House offers three different apartments -- studios, one bedroom, two bedrooms. Residents receive three meals a day, weekly cleaning, activities and transportation.

The youngest resident of The Manor House is 64 and the oldest is 97, but the average age, Davis said, is somewhere in the mid-80s.

"We’re looking for the couple for whom three meals a day has really become a burden, or for the single who has lost a spouse and really needs a community," Davis said. "We’re looking for people who want to live the next phase of their life in a way that has a stronger community, has more people and more things that are taken care of for them."

Tours of The Manor House are available daily.

After the jump, more pictures:

There was one large community room in the original facility. The West Wing added three smaller community areas. This one has a stove and refrigerator and can be used for a variety of gatherings, from watching football or movies to ice cream socials or birthday parties with families. Gordon said he recently used the stove to bake cookies, which he left on the counter, and they didn't last long.

During the day, this studio serves as a model showroom. When Gordon is in town, it's also where he stays. They decided to decorate a studio rather than one of the other apartments to show just how comfortable and roomy the studios can be.

Yes, residents can have cats -- and dogs upon approval.

This is another of the common rooms -- it's on the third floor and has more masculine decor. The second floor is more feminine. The Manor House now has 10 men living there and Davis said they've become buddies.