Commonwealth Senior Living at Christiansburg

There are some very nice people who work at Commonwealth Assisted Living, but they are severely understaffed. My husband pays on a daily basis, so the amount is never the same from month to month. It is based on a number of days and for each extra thing that he needs, so it fluctuates from month to month. His daily rate increased by 2.5%, which isn't too bad on his anniversary date. He has been very dissatisfied with the food. He has a spacious room, and I think they call it a suite. There is a little living room area, and then a bedroom separate from that. It is what he needs, and he doesn't feel cramped. They can do very little besides maybe bandage up a wound, dispense pills, give baths, and they put him in a Jacuzzi, bathe, and shave him. I know they have CNAs, but they don't have any RNs or LPNs, and then they had other people who work there, but no real medical people. Some of them are very friendly, and they are pleasant to talk to, but they are just so busy that they don't really have time to do a lot of socializing. Some of the administrative people have to pitch in; they help to serve meals. They are all very nice. I never had any problems with any of the administrative people. It is just that everybody is overwhelmed with what they have to do because they don't have enough people to do it. I think that if they had more staff, it would definitely be good. They are going through a massive renovation, so it is noisy right now, and because of their elderly residents, they only work between 9 and 3 in the afternoon. They did the dining room first, and it has been a disaster. The dining room looks nice now, but they moved everybody out of it, and there was mass confusion. Last year they also had the neural virus go through the facility twice, so people were really sick, and when you got people who cannot walk well or get themselves to the bathroom in a timely fashion, you get a mess. So, we've had some kind of bad experiences although the people have been nice enough, but it just has not been a happy situation.

I am writing this to relate my recent experience working with Ms.Sutphin, Ms. Heath and the staff at Commonwealth Assisted Living in Christiansburg, VA. My uncle had been living independently in a CCRC in Baltimore, MD. After suffering a mild stroke, it became apparent that he would require additional support. The community he was living in could not provide the services or environment he required. As his primary caregiver and living approximately six hours away, I began my search for a community that would meet his needs and ensure a continued high quality of life. Recommendations from friends brought me to CAL Christiansburg. My initial meeting with Ms. Sutphin immediately put by mind at ease. She was more than generous with her time, providing my wife and me with a complete tour of the facility while explaining the services available to residents. She never rushed us and answered all the questions we had in a compassionate and professional manner. Her experience handling situations like my uncles was evident and I found this to be especially reassuring at a very anxious time. Ms. Sutphin came in on the weekends to accommodate my work travel schedule and was there on a Sunday afternoon to personally welcome my uncle and make him feel at home. She and Ms. Heath were persistent advocates for my uncle when working with the medical and administrative personnel at his previous CCRC. I was impressed and very appreciative of the manner in which they handled the details of his approval to CAL and the seamless transfer they arranged while always keeping me informed. Ms. Sutphin even arranged for temporary furnishings for my uncle until his could be moved from Baltimore. My uncle is 85 years old and having lived in Baltimore his entire life, as expected, he is experiencing some transitional anxiety. Ms. Sutphin is going out of her way to address his every concern from food, to social integration to the parking lot lighting outside his room. I have found her to be honest, knowledgeable and extremely supportive as my uncle continues to move through this difficult transitional period. As his primary family care provider, I feel blessed to have found someone like Ms. Sutphin to help guide me and answer my questions. Over the past month that I’ve worked with Ms. Sutphin, it is clearly evident to me that she takes a personal interest in each resident, and treats everyone she meets with care, dignity, and respect.

It is very difficult to adequately express our appreciation for your wonderful care of Elvis during the past 3 months and we will be forever grateful to you. It is extremely painful to see a charismatic, charming, and courteous parent gradually lose ability to think for himself and to carry on daily activities. However, the staff made that process so much easier for us and even more importantly, for Elvis, always affording him the greatest dignity and treating him as an individual. Caring for the elderly cannot be an easy job, however, throughout his stay, every member of the staff team made a difference in his day. We know he is happier now and doing all the former things he could do. Thank you again for all the smiles, hugs, and love you showed Elvis.

Wheatland Hills was a very nice and very clean property. The rooms were very nice. They were in the process of remodeling the dining area, which it would be a hotel set up. They had plenty and good social recreation. They had a bus that took people around the community. They were probably the best one that I had seen.

My brother has been in Wheatland for about three months. It is a really nice place. No problems whatsoever with the staff, they've been okay. It just stood out more than the others. It's recommended by friends or by the people we had there. Some of Norman's friends had been there and one of them had a relative that was living in one of the facilities. The food was really good when we went over there. He has early stages of dementia so he's in the dementia wing which is not quite as nice because they keep the doors locked up all the time. They can't get out. Where he is at now at assisted living, and home health care comes to give him therapy. With the special needs that he has, Wheatland is about $5,000 a month.

My grandmother really likes the apartment at Wheatland. They have different activities and people there are really nice. Everything was really nice. I guess the first impression was the cleanliness of the building.

understaffed and not much for the residents to do,plus it was very expensive.

My father-in-law lived at Wheatland for 2 years. He was cranky and hard to deal with, but staff never lost their patience with him, and treated him with respect. They helped him with dressing and toileting when needed, managed his medications, and tried to keep him engaged with staff and other residents. The food is wonderful, and the dining room is clean and appealing. Residents always seemed content, and there was a lot of interaction. My father is nearing the point of needing assisted living, and we will place him at Wheatland. I have been very impressed with them on all levels.