Memory Care Communities in Portsmouth, VA

"My mom will move into Commonwealth Senior Living at Leigh Hall. I loved the way it's set up. It used to be in the 1950s, a luxury hotel that they've turned into an assisted living facility, and so when you walk into the main entrance, it opens up into this giant atrium, and that's the common room, and the floors are open. There are skylights, so it's like the natural light coming in, but you can see the blue sky and the clouds above through these big skylights. It was very open, bright, and welcoming, and I love its atmosphere and feel. I like the square footage and the layout of the rooms. They have a kitchenette. The staff was great. I like the ratio of staff to residents. I like the little dining hall, how it was laid out, and it was very open, bright, and cozy. Everything was clean. There were no weird odors or anything like that. A lot of the staff have been there for a long time, and they don't have a very high turnover rate."

"My mom moved into Bickford of Chesapeake in November. The facility is beautiful and brand new. It just opened in May, but it feels like home when you're inside. It doesn't feel institutional at all. They have big fireplaces and sofas in the seating areas. The staff is amazing and very knowledgeable. My mom has a large studio room that's nice and bright. It doesn't have a kitchenette. It's just a full bathroom with a walk-in shower. She has a dresser, a nightstand, a sofa with a small coffee table, and a bed, and there's still plenty of room. Three meals a day are included, and they have regular doctor visits. They have a hair salon inside. They do different fun activities all the time, like movies, popcorn, and games. What I was impressed with is that they have different stations set up throughout the facility to trigger memories. So, one is set up to look like an office, another is set up to look like a laundry area with an ironing board. They're very nicely done. I've been there to visit her when she's having her meals and everything looks good. It's farm-to-table as much as possible. They use fresh ingredients, they don't use processed foods."

"My sister will move into Commonwealth Senior Living at Cedar Manor. Everyone we saw was happy and having fun, and the place was clean. The staff was helpful and nice. They only showed me one room, and it was nice, and that's the one my sister's going to be in. We checked the dining area. It's clean and it's big. I looked at the menu, and I thought it was delicious food. The facility is nice. It's kind of like out in the woods with some nice lawns, driveways, and parking spaces which is good. It looks like a quiet country place."

"My sister will be moving into Chesapeake Place Senior Living. She has a unit. It's extremely clean. I had my sister with me on one of the visits, and that was the first thing she noticed. It smelled good, and there was no offensive odor. She said it's nice. It appeared to be safe. Everyone with whom we came in contact was very pleasant and engaging. We're impressed with the activity program that they have for the residents. That's something especially my sister needs. I had overall a very, very good impression of the facility. The staff was very knowledgeable about their job and the facility."

"It was excellent. They had everything that one would need. The staff engaged with the elderly people there. You could tell that they understand and care about their patients. The staff was excellent and I have no problem. The rooms were excellent. I looked at a companion room, and it was roomy and very comfortable. They would share a bathroom, but everything was clean. I have no issue with them. They have a nice cafeteria. The outside area was excellent. The amenities were excellent."

"We're moving my mother-in-law into Harmony at Oakbrooke. It was very nice, very welcoming, and very clean. The concierge was very polite. This was very affordable with all her retirements. This was the only one that I went to and we were so pleased. We had to wait until after the holidays. They weren't pushy at all. I called them and I assured them that they were the one and I dealt with Vivian there. She didn't do any follow-ups, which I liked and when I called her, she was good. I know she's in the sales division. Some places they call you and call you and call you. I said, "I'll call you after the holidays" and she said OK. I am very impressed with that. I saw the dining area for assisted living and where you can take your family and for memory care and that's all very nice. It's a good place. They have movie nights, games, and bingo, and they do field trips. I was impressed. The staff that I met was very nice. The nurse came to our house to visit my mother-in-law and do an assessment and she was very nice and pleasant."

"I toured Brookdale Virginia Beach. The staff was very accommodating. I was very impressed with the facilities. It was very well taken care of. I did not see anything that I was concerned about. Outside, when they had an art class going on, everything was set up for the residents. It was very clean."

"I toured The Waterford at Virginia Beach Assisted Living. I liked the community, and the director was hospitable. They were willing to put my mom in there because they had two room openings, but the distance was farther away. They were clean, and they had other Filipinos there who could speak the language, which would help my mom. The director gave me a nice tour, and it's a smaller facility. She was willing to work with me and even order a bed for the room that was for respite care because we were thinking that Mom would only be in there for six weeks. She told me to let her know by the next day, and then she could order and accommodate me because one of the rooms had furniture and if that was still available, she could hold it for me. She just made me aware of the availability because it could always change. But there was no pressure, and she was cordial."

"My mom has moved into the assisted living of Harmony at Independence. I like that it's a fairly decent-sized community, they have a lot of activities, and their menu is very nice. The staff is very welcoming and helpful. The place is very clean and easy to get around. They have an outdoor space, a library, and a movie room. They have movie nights and trips where you can go around the world via video. They also have happy hours."

"We went to the Commonwealth Senior Living at King's Grant House. The staff was great. It's a good place. It was very clean. The director was very nice. I feel like people that work at these kinds of places care for the elderly. We didn't get to go into the memory care because they didn't have any rooms available, and they had a waiting list. It was close to our home."

"My dad moved to Commonwealth Senior Living at Hampton. They were very attentive to him. He was difficult because he was confused. They were very patient. They were open to any ideas about getting medication and favorite foods and drinks that we could bring in or something that they could try that worked for him. Even all night when he would be up and my sister would just go in late, they were working with him and trying to get him comfortable and that kind of thing and keeping an eye on what he was eating and the behaviors he was exhibiting. We all felt like they were very thorough in their assessment of him at their house, and then their ongoing assessments of him while he was in their care. There were other people who had retired from the shipyard, and they tried to get him to engage with them. I liked that they had technical things for them to do, to play with locks and things. I would have liked to have seen a little more of that, but they did have a small area of that setup that I thought was nice. It was clean, but like in the courtyard, the gate going to the HVAC system or something looked like it was broken and just kind of wedged."

"We toured Bickford of Virginia Beach, and I think we are going to choose this place for my father. It had everything that we needed. The staff appeared to be caring, thoughtful, and engaging. The room had a built-in sit down shower. They had a microwave and a little refrigerator. The atmosphere of the facility was friendly. There was an exercise room for therapy and a barbershop."

"Mother passed while at Arden Court within a week after she had a terminal diagnosis. The staff couldn't have been more loving and caring with her from her arrival to Arden Court and through the week that she passed. They were loving, kind, and nurturing to her always. I cannot thank you enough for making it a happy home for her. I tell everyone about how wonderful and dedicated you all are to your house guests!"

"I toured Discovery Commons Virginia Beach. It was clean. I liked both the studio and the one-bedroom. I liked the kitchen area. The elevators were close to both units. I liked the fact that you can launder your clothes. On each floor, they had laundry facilities where the tenants could launder their clothes. There wasn't anything really that I didn't like. I was just surprised at the rate they told me they charge."