Armed Forces Retirement Home

The Armed Forces Retirement Home was nothing like I thought it would be. I was sure that when I arrived, it would just be a bunch of veterans sitting around on old furniture, telling old war stories about days gone by, and the staff would have a lackluster attitude toward the residents. Nothing could be further from the truth! The AFRH was incredible! The staff truly cared about the residents, and they did a great job of interacting with the residents by treating them as an every day member of society, not as someone who was going to die soon. When it came time to hand out medications, it was done discreetly, and there was no "line to the pharmacy", as the nurses who would dispense the medication came to the individual resident and talked with them before giving the medicine. During dinner, the residents were allowed to walk up and select the food they wanted and carry it themselves, if able, instead of sitting at a table and just having it dropped in front of them. The residents appeared very happy to be living there, and their interaction with the staff showed that the staff was extremely happy to have the chance to serve these veterans as well. The rooms for the veterans were modest, but they had plenty of room to store their own things and make the rooms their own. This was done by providing shelves for the vets to have photos on, or memorabilia from their days in their respective services. The only downside to the home was that they had closed down one of the buildings because they were going through a remodeling process. This created some noise during the day, and a little bit of a mess outside due to the construction, but overall this was a minor hiccup to an overall great facility! The knowledge that they would be building a brand new building on the space vacated by the old building made me really happy to know that our veterans were going to get an even better facility than they already have.

This government-operated facility is for retired military and reserve personnel, paid for and operated by the federal government.

For those who qualify, it offers independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing—all in separate buildings on a big and beautifully wooded campus. The size, however, can be a drawback for some people: The place is very spread out, so it may take a while to get from one building to another.

They are now in the process of renovating the whole facility, which will become state of the art—and that construction is likely to continue for a couple years. Right now, the place is a bit like a maze, since many areas are blocked off. But the mess and inconvenience is necessary; the buildings are now on their last legs.

The residents do seem adequately cared for and engaged there, though.

And even before the renovation, there are some nice features—including chapels, a golf course, a bank, and a bowling alley; it’s like a little community, right on the premises. It is also very secure, with its own police and security guards.

There’s a common dining room, with food that seems OK, but not particularly great. The rooms are adequate, but very basic; they look and feel like a dormitory.

There is a health center for those in independent and assisted living, which is staffed by nurses, care coordinators and social workers. There are also several doctors on staff. There’s a good ratio of caregivers to residents throughout the facility.

There is also a social recreation department that organizes social events and military programs, and an extensive volunteer program for both residents and those who come in to the facility from the community. There are a few different resident councils that allow residents to participate. And transportation is provided around the clock to take residents to appointments and such.

What’s notable is the strong sense of military pride here; many residents still wear their uniforms, or at least parts of them.