The Memory Center Richmond

The Memory Center Richmond was very nice. It was quite lovely and updated. The décor seemed new, fresh, and very nice. The common spaces were very nice. The rooms were smaller but adequate. They have a very long list of activities. In fact, they had just finished a concert when I visited. They also had a library and a reading room. The staff was great. I really liked them a lot. I didn't eat any food, but they indicated basically the residents could have the food tailored to their tastes and desires. It seemed very nicely varied and personalized.

The Memory Center Richmond is a 1-story building with four units in an intimate location set in the middle of woods right by a major hospital. Once you come in the double doors, you enter a little town center-type setting with a library, movie theater, ice cream store, and a little country store. Each of the units goes off to that main center. There are no more than 12 to 16 people per unit, so it's very intimate. There are four caretakers per 16 residents, so it's an awesome helper-to-resident ratio. They keep them busy throughout a good percentage of the day. They give you a break between activities. My mom said the food is decent. It's more Southern food than Northern food, but it's still pretty good.

Loved one moved in when newly opened. Initially staff and facility were well run and adequate, however, as months moved on the staffing turnover was tremendous, and it was apparent the levels were inadequate to attend to needs of residents. While management gave the impression they were listening to family concerns, nothing changed and day to day care worsened. If your loved one is self-sufficient they are okay, but the moment more care is required, even if short-term, they cannot handle. Once the Noro virus outbreak hit in Feb 2017, they were over whelmed. As a result of their inability to care for those taken sick, our loved one became quite ill, went to the hospital, and died. During this time, the director did NOT communicate well with families despite the health dept closing the facility to outside visitors...even families. We trusted The Memory Center had "all hands on deck" to manage this serious crisis. Unfortunately, this trust was misplaced. They were caught flat-footed and unable to care for the sudden physical needs of this vulnerable population. Despite intensive discussions with the new Director of Nursing, facility management, and even corporate management, our concerns fell on deaf ears. Our recommendation is this: watch your loved one very closely. Visit daily, oversee the care they receive from nursing staff. The facility is lovely, but it became apparent that this was window-dressing and did not translate into excellent dementia care.

Management is very responsive, activities are numerous, facility is always clean. Was told a bus/van would be available in November. January 2016 still no vehicle. Advised Valerie has left the company. Sorry to see her gone as she was pivotal in our placing our loved one there. Very professional and honest in our dealings. Sincerely, Bill Weddle