Commonwealth Senior Living at Christiansburg

Richard L.

Nearly three years ago I began looking for an assisted living facility for my mother Candy. My parents lived in Lancaster County PA and my father had recently passed away. It was evident my mother could not live by herself. I began looking into assisted living in the Blacksburg / Christiansburg VA area since I wanted her close to me. CAL was recommended to me so we visited the facility and I was thoroughly impressed. The staff could not have been more caring and I knew I had found a place where Mom could live happily and safely. And as they say, the rest is history. An already beautiful facility, the complex received a number of recent upgrades that make it even more appealing. There are plenty of activities for her and she really enjoys living at CAL. For me personally I find great comfort knowing she is well taken care of when I travel. We're so blessed to have CAL in our community and could not be more pleased with the remarkable services they provide. Well Done!!

Provider Response

Mayra1

They invited me to come in and look around at Commonwealth Assisted Living at Christiansburg. When I toured the facility, everything was really pleasant. I like the way it was setup because the dining area all have separate tables. It was all different shapes, and they used table cloths. It wasn't like you were walking to a cafeteria. I like that they have a swimming pool and a big screen TV. They have a huge foyer when you first walk in. It is more of an efficiency apartment other than just a room. It is colonial style. When you first walk in, the first building is a brick facility with white columns. It has a big front porch area with rocking chairs, and it is beautiful. When you first walk in it is great. I know they are in the process of doing some remodeling. They were also adding a memory program. They serve three meals a day. We would be able to set up a refrigerator. They have a small refrigerator and a microwave in the kitchen area. We can come and go as we please. For me it's a nice thing because all of us have different work schedules. You can just go in and sign and make sure they know you are leaving with mom and what time you are leaving. There is no set time that you have to bring her back or anything. All we have to do is call and let them know where she is so they don't worry that something happened.

Provider Response

Ray J.

Overall, I, but more importantly my mom, has been well pleased with Commonwealth Assisted Living at Christiansburg. From the beginning working with Robin Sutphin, the Sales and Marketing Director, until the present, the experience has been a pleasure. There have been a few bumps in the road but “The Staff” has always come through when we hit one of the bumps. Thanks again to the entire crew at Commonwealth Assisted Living at Christiansburg for the care you are giving my mom.

Provider Response

Gail27

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.

Provider Response

A.C. St. Jean

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.

Provider Response

Michael Blankenship

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.

Holly16

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.

Caring70749650

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.

Relpha

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.

snuggles20

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

Zulu

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.

Provider Response