Nicest Assisted Living/Memory care in the DC metro area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a relative who works in these kind of facilities. They are all the same. They all use the same staff (literally--the pay is low so the women work at 2 or more facilities or work in a facility and then also do home care). The staff are from poor countries overseas (mostly Haiti and African countries) and do no share American values on work ethic, cleanliness, politeness, and they do not enjoy interaction with other staff who are not of their ethnic group (my relative, who is African-American, feels ostracized). The facilities try to feed the residents as cheaply as possible.

Not always true. My parents are in one (not DC area, further south) where the food is Farm to table. Half the produce is grown on site, residence can even assist if so desired. They have some turnover, but not a lot, as they pay well and treat employees well. Parents have been there 5 years and love it and the staff. Have not needed anything outside independent living yet, but they have interacted with staff in the other areas and they are great

Sounds great. Name please?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brighton Gardens Friendship Heights is very good and I think fairly high end. My mom is there are we have no complaints.

This is yet another Sunrise facility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - any suggestions for good non-profits that are nice with well educated residents?

Ingleside is nonprofit (which doesn't mean inexpensive) and the Rock Creek campus is where all of Cleveland Park retires in old age. Very, very educated population. World Bank, lawyers, academics, the usual upper NW population. When I visited a friend there, the only thing I didn't like was that there's no walkable campus. Those who have good mobility can walk out into the surrounding neighborhood, but the campus itself, while nestled among trees, is very hilly and doesn't even have great sidewalks to walk in and out of the complex.

That said, if you want educated, upscale, nonprofit, and close-in, I assume this should be on your list.

I'm so glad you mentioned this! We almost did it for father but for a retirement community nestled in rock creek park it's accessibility is trash. Absolute garbage. Unless you are driving or being driven in and out it is the least pedestrian and wheelchair friendly place I've been.

Agree. I drove in to check it out and was put off by the location.

Plus it is a CRC and we wanted to pay month to month. Why would I give some random company $500,000-$1 million to move in?!

If you know so little about the organization that will be looking after your family members that you think of it as "some random company," you haven't done enough research.

CCRCs are a rip off.

[Anonymous]

My mom lives in a place like this in Western NY for a 1/10 of the price and loves it. They have great staff but are near a University so I think that helps. As someone mentioned above they celebrate everything! My
Mom’s place has a monthly birthday dinner where they celebrate all birthdays that month with a special professionally baked cake and music.


She misses her big house but has made so many friends. They eat together, play cards, other games, go on outings to the symphony, parks, restaurants, and have guest speakers. Sometimes the speakers are residents sometimes they are from outside. It is a really warm, caring, safe place. My mom still drives but she can get a ride to and from appointments too. Unfortunately places like this cost a lot of money. Many will not be able to afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom lives in a place like this in Western NY for a 1/10 of the price and loves it. They have great staff but are near a University so I think that helps. As someone mentioned above they celebrate everything! My
Mom’s place has a monthly birthday dinner where they celebrate all birthdays that month with a special professionally baked cake and music.


She misses her big house but has made so many friends. They eat together, play cards, other games, go on outings to the symphony, parks, restaurants, and have guest speakers. Sometimes the speakers are residents sometimes they are from outside. It is a really warm, caring, safe place. My mom still drives but she can get a ride to and from appointments too. Unfortunately places like this cost a lot of money. Many will not be able to afford it.

Just curious as to what the cost of this is in another part of the country?

[Anonymous]

Buy in approximately 150,000 then maybe $3,800- $4,000 per month.

[Anonymous]

Maplewood on Old Georgetown Rd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - any suggestions for good non-profits that are nice with well educated residents?

Ingleside is nonprofit (which doesn't mean inexpensive) and the Rock Creek campus is where all of Cleveland Park retires in old age. Very, very educated population. World Bank, lawyers, academics, the usual upper NW population. When I visited a friend there, the only thing I didn't like was that there's no walkable campus. Those who have good mobility can walk out into the surrounding neighborhood, but the campus itself, while nestled among trees, is very hilly and doesn't even have great sidewalks to walk in and out of the complex.

That said, if you want educated, upscale, nonprofit, and close-in, I assume this should be on your list.

I'm so glad you mentioned this! We almost did it for father but for a retirement community nestled in rock creek park it's accessibility is trash. Absolute garbage. Unless you are driving or being driven in and out it is the least pedestrian and wheelchair friendly place I've been.

Agree. I drove in to check it out and was put off by the location.

Plus it is a CRC and we wanted to pay month to month. Why would I give some random company $500,000-$1 million to move in?!

If you know so little about the organization that will be looking after your family members that you think of it as "some random company," you haven't done enough research.

CCRCs are a rip off.

They are expensive, but the right one will be worth it (the wrong one will be expensive but not worth it)

[Anonymous]

The Virginian

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I toured Brightview Bethesda. It was lovely. Very high end. Assisted living/memory care ranged from 12-17,000 a month. Might even have gone higher depending on needs.

Another high end is the Seneca in Rockville. Felt like a hotel. That too was in the 13,000-17,000 range. It seemed super nice.

A month?

My mom lives in Brightview in Annapolis. She really enjoys it. Just for comparison she is in Independent Living and it's about half the price of Assisted Living. She has insurance that would hopefully kick in if she needs Assisted Living to help with the cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom lives in Brightview in Crofton - they have many locations all over the DMV. She’s in Independent Living and they have both Assisted Living and Memory Care on site. We’ve been very happy overall especially with the kind staff and variety and breadth of activities. It’s also wonderful to have a gym, exercise classes (for all levels of mobility) and access to PT on site (from Bayada).

Agree - my mom gets PT through her insurance and it's so nice it's in the building. The Bayada staff are extremely kind and helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once you are in memory care or even the more needy side of assisted living, high end is meaningless. It’s the quality of care that matters.

They want a large campus where they don't feel confined. They want good food. They want interesting activities. They are not near needing MC yet.

All the food arrives pre-prepared on trucks.

One main company services the majority of assisted living places. The marketing talks about chefs but it is just a person who can heat up pre-made food.

I have visited six places. Activities are all the same:

Chair yoga
Movies
Maybe something w weights
“Walking club”
Happy hours
Events w music
Monthly brunch
Lunches out 1x a month

Sorry. Most or all of these places are not that special but some have nicer fake art on the walls or newer furniture.

OK...imagining the kind of programming the older people might enjoy this isn't that surprising that there's a lot of overlap. I've seen all this at Brightview, plus these things:
Book Club
Shuttles to shopping, doctor appointments, church
Cookouts ~monthly during warmer months - BBQ, Crab Feast, etc
Lectures by local historians
Variety of daily exercise classes
Show and Tell
Bingo
Reiki/Guided Meditation
Carving Pumpkins with Midshipmen from the US Naval Academy
Live music at least 2x per week
Movie Theater where residents can choose movies or streaming TV shows
Arts & Crafts
Flower Arranging
Monthly Supper Club with meals on different themes
Pride Parade
Talks by local art historians

I mean it's an impressive variety and it seems very locally cultivated. They come up with custom programs all the time - it's not just rinse and repeat. My mom is elderly and in her late 80s but her brain is very sharp and she isn't bored. Seems like a win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Inspir Embassy Row. It; new and seriously swanky.

Beautiful place, but many, many issues if your loved one needs any actual care

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Inspir Embassy Row. It; new and seriously swanky.

Beautiful place, but many, many issues if your loved one needs any actual care

Can you say more about this? I have family members who are thinking of moving there.