Sunrise on Connecticut Avenue

It has a very nice appearance on the outside. It has a sort of stately look to it. It has very nice lobbies, and the hallways are carpeted. There are lots of sitting rooms, a library, a tv room, and a place to exercise. It just has lots of things for people who don’t need a nursing home just assisted living. You can get one bedroom, two bedrooms, or three bedrooms. However, it’s just a room; the furniture is not there. You have to move in your furniture. You have to have your living room and kitchen, and there is a fee for moving in. You have to pay rent which is extremely expensive. Each room has a balcony at the back. It didn’t look all that sturdy to me; they needed repairs and new paint pretty badly. There’s a beauty shop and a bus that takes you here and there wherever you go. But I did not find happy people. They were there, and they were constantly looking for their family. I visited twice actually. The second time I went back, I wanted to look at the two bedrooms that they had to offer, and the lady just said no. She said she went on a tour once and she didn’t want to go on a tour again. She was very arrogant and short. The other people that were standing around were very obliging and would have done it had she not said what she said. I turned around and left; I would not stay there. You can’t tell from your first visit if you’ll have enough closet space and what kind of furniture you will bring. I didn’t eat there because food is not included in the rent. They serve whatever meals, and you can have a snack, but it’s more of going into a restaurant where you sit down and order whatever you want. The dining room is nice. It has lots of big tables and nice chairs. The linens looked clean and were nice on the tables. They have a large piano, and I guess if anyone plays, there would be music at dinner time. If you have a guest, you just pay something extra and they can eat, but you have to let them know ahead of time if you’re going to have a guest.

My sister is in an assisted living facility at Sunrise on Connecticut Avenue. She chose this facility because it was close to where her apartment had been for 40 years nearly and it was in the same area that she was very familiar with. This facility is bigger than the other facility. There are also more activities here that might be of interest for her. My sister loves going to restaurants and they have an activity there that involves that. Right now, she is very happy there. They have a TV room and they show a movie every night. They have lemonade and cookies that are constantly available for their residents. Before they go to their dining area, they have the table set up for them.

First, my advice to anyone seeking a facility for a friend or family member is to visit lots of different places. Eventually you will just "know" the right home for your loved one. Over a period of three years, I visited a number of different places in the Washington area with my loved one, who has dementia. We liked many of them, but when we visited the Sunrise on Connecticut Avenue, we knew right away that it was the right place for her. It's small enough to feel like home, and she was able to learn her way around the building and make new friends in a short time. The other residents are well-educated, interesting people. The facility is well appointed, comfortable, and attractive. The staff are friendly, nice, and seem happy with their jobs. The food is quite good for institutional dining. My only complaint would be that there doesn't seem to be as much communication with family as I had thought there would be. The nurses and caregivers are quite willing to talk with me if I call, and they are knowledgeable about my loved one's situation. However, on a couple of occasions I have felt that they should have contacted me and they did not. Overall, though, I'm happy with Sunrise, and my family member loves living there. After only a short time it feels like home to her.

Sunrise is a well-respected name in the assisted living arena. This location on Connecticut Ave in Washington, DC is top notch. The lobby and visiting areas were well appointed and made you feel that this was a 'class act'. The staff was caring and knowledgeable; ready to answer ant questions that I had. I was able to tour the variety of 'home' floorplans that even included spaces for couples to live together. Cafeteria was clean and residents that I spoke with were very satisfied with the food. Book clubs, movie night, concerts, outings - all activities that are important in making residents feel that they are still active and viable. I am confident in referring clients to Sunrise facilities because they make the difficult process of relocating your loved ones easy and worry free. The only downside would be affordability. Sunrise facilities costs are in the upper range, and they only accept certain parts of Medicare/Medicaid insurance. This leaves the family to pick up the remainder, which can be thousands of dollars.

Everybody was very helpful and supportive when dealing with my grandmother, even though she can be quite a handful at times. The entire staff seemed very well trained in dealing with patients suffering from Alzheimer's. Additionally, the building itself was very nice and well kept up. Compared to her previous assisted living, this was much nicer - having a well lit living space with a more positive and less depressing atmosphere has done wonders for her mental health. Although there have been some minor communications issues (ie, making sure that Sunrise keeps us fully up to date on my grandmother and her mood), I would say that Sunrise has proven to be a great choice for my grandmother. The staff is kind, the facilities are state of the art and very well kept, and there is a great deal for the residents to do - movies, speakers, bingo, and the like are constantly going on throughout the building.

Sunrise is a more upscale facility right in DC owned by a company that started as Marriott. The facility still has that feel of a hotel"”including the colors and designs of the rooms. It offers independent living, assisted living, and one dedicated floor of memory care. There is a gorgeous outside area, with upscale furniture"”several outside patios, walking gardens, and paths. The rooms vary from single occupancy to units with a shared kitchen area. The whole environment, outside and inside, is clean and well maintained. There is a lot of variety in meals, served in a setting that's more like a restaurant; residents are allowed to order a selection off the menu. The residents also seem to use mealtimes as a social time"”and the staff will help them if needed, but will not be intrusive, which is nice. You rarely see that kind of attention to privacy and detail. There are also snacks and light meals available all day. The activities are many and varied, including a wine hour during which people come in and play music, games with music, exercise, trivia games; there are also outings such as drives around Chevy Chase, lunches, movies, and visits to the Kennedy Center. The cost of housing and care is very expensive"”about $10,000 per month. That's a real drawback, because many people have had to move out when they run out of money. And for the price, it would seem like a caregiver should be there every second of the day, and that residents shouldn't have to wait for a glass of water or their medications, but they do. The staff is not neglectful, but the aides are mostly shared with a number of residents, so they have to dole out their care. There are a lot of attentive aides, who really do get to know the residents and their conditions. There is a nursing station and a director of nursing and one or two RNs who dispense the medication. They seem to be professional and responsive, but don't go the extra mile.