Sunrise of Falls Church

Nicholas

I toured Sunrise of Falls Church. It was an excellent tour. The director was very knowledgeable and could explain things very clearly, making me feel welcome, and the facilities were nice. The rooms are reasonably spacious. It's a room with furniture in it. The dining area looked nice.

Apples1941

We chose this facility because we live in Falls Church and wanted to be close too my Dad. We were wrongly swayed by the pretty building and white table clothes. Given the price, we made assumptions that the staff would be trained and the care appropriate. We were wrong. It turned out to be the worst experience my family EVER had in my father's journey through dementia. Here our a few low lights of our experience there: The memory care wing here is the upstairs floor that my Dr. described as an "attic." There is no access to the outside or fresh air. There were no activities and no events provided unless you made them happen by taking your family to the AL unite downstairs. Meeting after meeting to draw up plans of care just to have none of them executed. A continual rotation of staff INCLUDING the ED, in our time there we went through 4. Some (but not all) of the staff were exceptionally kind and caring. BUT, they were not trained in handling dementia patients. There are many "normal" behaviors associated with dementia including aggression and agitation--the response here is medicate. They call the police on your loved ones if they act out. I will never forget arriving there to have the police tell me that they were there to arrest my Dad for his dementia! Thank goodness our family doctor arrived to sort this event out. Having agreed that they were not equipped to manage my Dad's care, they asked us to locate another residence. We agreed, it was not working. They assured us they would work with us to transition my Dad to a new facility so that it was as smooth as possible for my dad. The next day they called and said we had 24 hours! In closing, I cannot tell you how horrible this experience was for our family and especially my Dad. We moved my dad to a a facility in Annandale that just does memory care. Our only regret was stopping at Sunrise along the way.

Provider Response

NPA

Be wary. We've used two Sunrise facilities and they are chronically understaffed. This one was by far the worst of the two. The physical facility is nicer than many of the older outdated "Victorian" Sunrises houses, but don't get seduced by the shiny surface. As of last fall 2018 it was in chaos, cycling through directors and senior staff, with many positions unfilled. There are some very warm, caring (but overworked) direct caregivers, and some truly mean ones who yell at and mistreat residents. One of them let my loved one fall, wouldn't pick him up, wouldn't put him in bed in a comfortable position, and I saw another one scream at residents. They let my parent's pain meds run out. The new head nurse was very helpful and accessible but overwhelmed. Afternoon snack was sometimes just a glass of root beer. They would not follow doctor's orders to walk my parent and transfer him from wheel chair to chairs, and wouldn't let our private duty person walk him either. This lack of movement may have contributed to his sudden death. When I saw their nurse after he died, she said it was probably "all for the best" that he passed. I disagree. It was her job to help keep him alive. Sunrise is about the bottom line more than patient care, and it shows, especially at this facility. I regret moving my loved one there and will do everything I can to avoid housing another family member there.

Provider Response

Tracy632607

We’ve placed my mother-in-law in Sunrise of Falls Church. It seems like a very nice facility. They have a number of different activities. I know they have a senior exercise class. They play bingo; they have music programs. They take the residents out for dinner. The dining area seems good. My husband has been there to eat personally, and he thinks the food is good. I wish her room was a little bit larger, but I think it’s perfect. It’s an adequate room; it’s nice and bright. Having a little refrigerator and a little entry way is nice. I’ve interacted with the staff. They’ve all been very helpful and nice.

Tracy084426

Sunrise seems pretty good. I’ve eaten there a couple of times, and the food is really good. The room is a little bit small, but it is fine in terms of cleanliness.

Jen12

My dad has already been moved into Sunrise of Falls Church. It’s small, and the staff is really great and seem to know what they’re doing in terms of taking care of elderly people. He has a simple, small two-room apartment with a bedroom, a sitting room, a bathroom, and a kitchenette that includes a sink and a mini fridge. The dining set up is great. In the dining room, the care managers serve them restaurant-style. I think he likes the food. They definitely have activities, like visiting musicians, bingo, and bus trips. They take the residents on once-a-week trips to restaurants for lunch and have services for different religions.