Hi all. My dad is 84 and its about time to get him into an independent care facility. His memory is starting to fail and he gets lonely living on his own. Anyone have any experiences with independent care here in FFX? He can still do everything for himself (shop, dress, cook, drive) but within the next few years those skills will wane and he will need help.

Experience and advice on facilities appreciated.

Heatherwood Retirement Community in Burke Lake is OK and economical. Has basic assisted living facilities and services. Skilled nursing care is next door if needed.

http://rui.net/heatherwood/


Here is a lot of good independent information from the Fairfax County Department of Family Services:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/nursing-homes.htm

Directory of all Virginia nursing homes:
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/OLC/Facilities/

This will let you compare multiple facilities in Virginia:
http://www.vhi.org/nursing_compare.asp

This provides inspection results and ratings of all nursing homes:
http://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html


There are a bunch of other facilities to chose from - in all price ranges:

http://www.retirenet.com/location/communities/228-virginia/53-all-active-retirement-communities-and-homes?city=20171-herndon

http://www.caring.com/local/assisted-living-facilities-in-fairfax-county-virginia

Loved Greenspring Village independent living but did not like the skilled nursing unit when the time came for the next level of care. There is a waiting list and a mostly refundable deposit.

If memory is starting to go, an independent care facility may not take him. They can be pretty picky.

^^^^^Yes, it sounds like independent living might not be a good option for him. You might try some of the home health agencies. They can stop by to make sure laundry is done, clean the house, make breakfast and lunch. They can also take him to the store. You need to take over the bills and finances sooner rather than later. You can work with him on these to try to preserve his independence, but you must find out where everything is. Elders are sitting ducks for investment scams. I lived through this first-hand. My parent went through six figures.

The socialization can make a huge difference. That is what my parents loved about Greenspring Village. Having regular dinner partners, bridge games, American Legion meetings....it didn't take much to make them feel like they belonged there. You miss that when parents try to stay in their homes for too long.

Heatherwood has both independent and assisted.The skilled nursing next door is not affiliated with Heatherwood.
Greenspring is very large. Feels like you're at Disney World. Heatherwood is homey. Greenspring is a CCC which means, you have to hand over a big chunk of change..$300,000 plus.It's like buying your apartment. You will not get a refund until they have resold the place after the resident dies. The refund is not 100%. Heatherwood is like paying rent.If you need extra services in the way of more help then you pay more than the basic monthly fee for independent.
Concerning failing memory...that's to be expected at 80 and 90. One is not 100% at that age. Depends on the degree and if it can be handled in regards to behavior and the safety of the resident and other residents. Heatherwood will not take someone who is a wanderer. Meaning, they go out the door,keep going and don't know where they are.

The current agreement at Greenspring is to return about 90%, maybe 85%. They WILL sell the apartment. There is a waiting list. We had a buyer for my parent's place within a few weeks and got back the deposit within a few months, which is part of the contract. The move-out costs were reasonable. They also agree to take care of you until the very end, even if you run out of money. That is why they require a large deposit. Decrease in mental acuity with age is normal to some extent. Decreasing the stress and simplifying their lives can make a huge difference. Many people get bored in too small a of place. Greenspring has exercise facilities, a medical center, a bowling alley, Wii, cards, shows, you name it. I was ready to move in when I saw what my parents were getting. I think they would have been bored in a smaller place. They hopped right on the shuttle to go to the different facilities. They also had a shuttle to nearby stores than ran very frequently. We all loved it.

You absolutely must get a handle on the finances as soon as possible. Check the will, set up a trust, get poa's and medical plans nailed down. Check beneficiaries on everything. They have to be specifically stated. You can't leave the money to "the estate".