
I think it's an excellent option for people who want a small, group home environment where their loved one is going to get more individual attention, as opposed to a large facility where they're not going to get the same attention and care. There are 11 Avalon Houses in the area, and each house has two live-in staff people. One is the house manger, and that person seems to stay consistent and doesn't get moved around. The second person changes sometimes, and some are better than others. The house manager at my loved one's house is excellent. One area for improvement would be when they bring in new staff, I think they need a little more training. From what I've seen, all of the help are Jamaican, and I think a lot of them have not had a lot of training in the healthcare field, although the managers all definitely have.... Read more
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Total monthly costs depend on room type, select services, and the level of care needed.
*Prices quoted are monthly rental charges and are provided by the communities themselves. Actual prices may differ due to one-time fees, timing and care services required. Speak with your Senior Living Advisor to learn more.
(14 reviews)
4.3
4.4
5.0
4.0
4.0
4.3
I think it's an excellent option for people who want a small, group home environment where their loved one is going to get more individual attention, as opposed to a large facility where they're not going to get the same attention and care. There are 11 Avalon Houses in the area, and each house has two live-in staff people. One is the house manger, and that person seems to stay consistent and doesn't get moved around. The second person changes sometimes, and some are better than others. The house manager at my loved one's house is excellent. One area for improvement would be when they bring in new staff, I think they need a little more training. From what I've seen, all of the help are Jamaican, and I think a lot of them have not had a lot of training in the healthcare field, although the managers all definitely have.
Response from Avalon House on Gerard Court
May 4, 2022Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a nice review. We think reviews are helpful not only for those looking for a facility but feedback for Avalon itself. Avalon House has been in business now for 25 years. We maintain a 1:4 staff:resident ratio in the homes. We do our best to keep the same consistent staff in the homes. However, as one can imagine, employees do take time off. When one goes off, another Avalon caregiver will work there until they return. There are also times in which we rotate our staff amongst the 11 homes for a variety of reasons. All of our staff have been trained in caregiving in the assisted living field. Our trainings are in compliance with the state regulations we follow. Of our entire staff pool, over 62% have been with Avalon House over 5 years. Over 80% have been with Avalon Homes 3 years or longer, and almost 50% have been with Avalon 10 years or longer. With all of those years under their belts, they have also had a minimum of that many years of training and experience with our type of residents and clients. We will certainly continue to train staff as we always have as well as provide them with the necessary ongoing training so that we can provide the best care possible to our residents. Thank you again for your generous review and feedback. We take all feedback quite serious and always appreciate when someone takes the time to share. We are so pleased you chose Avalon House to care for your loved one.
Avalon House on Gerard Court was an older house and not in the best condition. The bathroom was a little scary. And the kitchen looked kind of run down. Their response to the kitchen was "Well your mother would never be in the kitchen." But the food still gets cooked in there. And that was concerning to me.
Response from Avalon House on Gerard Court
December 9, 2021Thank you so much for your feedback and taking a tour with Avalon House. We have not given a tour at this home since June 2021 due to not having a vacancy at this particular home. It sounds like this was a tour you took some time ago. Being that Avalon House is a 25-year-old company and is one of the 1st two companies in the Northern Virginia area to start a group home business, this home is not a brand-new building. When one looks at photos of Avalon House on Gerard Court, one would see it is a rancher/rambler style home. Those were built in the late 1960s and 1970s. You are correct about the age of the home. For someone who is looking for a new building and prefers a brand-new aesthetic, they would not like the feel of a home built during the time frame this home was. All of our homes have at least one wheelchair shower with a shower chair/bench and are handicapped accessible with handrails in the bathrooms. We clean them several times a day. Our residents eat together in a dining room much like the dining rooms in a single-family home. The kitchen at Avalon House on Gerard Court does not have a kitchen table in it due to the layout. It does have brand new granite counters, new appliances, and a sprinkler system. Since we specialize in care for residents with memory impairment, you are correct, we do not let our residents cook in our kitchen. It is really wonderful you are touring several communities and facilities. This is so important. This really does help a family narrow down what is important to them as well as what is important for their loved one so they can choose a facility that they feel is the best fit.
This community was okay but it did not compare with another community that we were looking at.
Response from Avalon House on Gerard Court
October 20, 2021Hi Richard Thank you so much for your 4 star review. How kind of you. We feel it is very important that families tour as many communities as possible in order to find the best fit for their loved one. What may be perfect for one resident, may not be right for another. I am so glad you found one that is a good fit. That is wonderful. I looked in the tours set up by APFM in the past 6 months, and nowhere could I find your name. I would love to know when you toured?
Avalon House is much less expensive than any other place else we looked at. We chose this facility because the houses are smaller and more homey and the staff turnover here is also much lower. We thought he would feel more at home here and that has turned out to be true. They emphasize above all safety and hat was my biggest concern. I would recommend to others looking.
Response from Avalon House on Gerard Court
October 20, 2021Hi Carole Thank you so much for your kind review. We adore your loved one, as well as working with your family. We value your feedback. It is truly helpful. Thank you for choosing Avalon House to care for your loved one. We are honored you did.
Avalon house on Gerard Court is a great place for my mother, who has severe dementia and needs help with all aspects of daily living functions. The personnel there are very caring and kind and they take very good care of my mother.
Response from Avalon House on Gerard Court
July 24, 2020Thank you so much for the lovely review. It was such a pleasure & honor to care for your mom.
The staff are very nice. It's clean but there are only 2 bathrooms/toilet for 8 residents.
I think they are doing well. It's immaculate, even though the home itself is older, but they keep it very clean. The food is good. The staff is really good, they are pretty attentive. It's pretty amazing how far they go to keep the residents occupied. I think they are a pretty good value. The only concern I have had was with another resident, and they handled that very well, providing one on one care, and redirecting in a respectful, upbeat way. As it turns out there was no need for concern.
I toured this house, and another Avalon House residence recently, as part of a "multi-sibling" effort to find the best place for our mom. The two Avalon houses I toured were the only places where I felt very comfortable and confident that they would be a good choice for my mom. They are homey and affordable, but very clean and well maintained. There is an aura of peace and calm. I was at one of the Avalon houses in McLean during lunch time and the food was home cooked and healthy, and the residents sat together around a family-style dining room table. I particularly appreciated the personality of Sandy, the manager who showed me around the two facilities. She has a matter of fact demeanor, but is warm and personable. I never felt like she was doing a sales job. A big selling point for me is that these places are happy to accompany your loved one on a walk around the neighborhood. I advocated for placement for my mom in an Avalon facility, but we ultimately opted for placement in the town where she was already living, and where a brother is located. I advise visiting one of the Avalon houses if you are trying to get a feel for what is available in the D.C metro region, as they are different in a good way and more affordable than many other options.
I toured this home recently and though it was clean, well-run and lovely, I opted to place my 91-year old mother in another Avalon House nearby on High Street. The Avalon Homes owner, Georgia Weiss, offers thorough and honest answers to prospective client's questions and is sensitive to special requests. [ex: My mom likes the color yellow, so her room was painted yellow ] Caregivers are compassionate and professional. Everyone has years of experience, and it shows.
This home was wonderful! There was little they could have done better (well, lunch could have been a little more inspired at times, but that is a minor consideration given everything else the staff does so well). They took great care of the residents, and of the facility itself--everyone and everything was clean, neat, tidy, in order, even polished! I visited at all times of the day and evening and always found the same situation--everything in order and everyone in good spirits and in fine condition. This is a loving, experienced staff, and I always felt like it was a family and that my family was a big part of it. I think of them often and am reminded how lucky we were that our family member was in #1 Avalon House. They ARE #1 in our book.
We had used another Avalon House community in the past that we were very pleased with, and selected Avalon House on Gerard Court for another loved hoping the quality of care would be similar. Unfortunately they didn't do quite as good a job at this location, the staff didn't seem quite as involved with the residents. Also, the care at this community seemed geared towards Alzheimer's residents, so the care was not as good a match. All that being said, the care here was acceptable, not bad by any means, just not up to the high standards set by the other Avalon House facility we used.
I think they're doing an excellent job. They've got nine houses and my mom is in just one, they all seem to be very well managed and maintained, very clean. They're very helpful, very accomodating, they take phone calls at anytime. The care is very good, they call often, my mother is almost everyday getting worse and worse, she still knows who the kids are but nobody else, so they call me often and the staff is very good. I've called many times and they've never said "we can't talk now," they always answer my questions. Now she's confined to a home with a smaller amount of people and physically it's taken a toll on her but by far financially and everything else it's a better choice for her.
As someone that has previously had to do the whole retirement home to nursing home with my grandmother, it was incredibly refreshing to get out of the super expense big box "homes" and place my mom in a house, in a neighborhood, with only eight other residents. The quality of care and commitment of the staff is unparalleled. You get all of this and the cost is nearly 50% less than the "big box" homes.
$150/day or $165 if with bathroom attached, all inclusive All private rooms. Residential setting...8 or so residents. Rooms are variable in size with no price differential. McLean one toured---definite wear and tear, somewhat dark. Staff seemed friendly. Alarms on door, but staff admitted some residents learn codes and 'escape' anyway. Baths given daily, incontinence support many times a day. Nutritionist used if necessary. Residents weighed regularly to make sure weight is properly maintained/achieved. Staffed 24/7 with night time staff too. 9 homes in McLean/Falls Church area..no current vacancies. No funny odors noted. Back yard access only with supervision. Staff noted taking some residents for walks in neighborhood. Opportunity for personalized care.
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Avalon House on Gerard Court offers Private and 1 Bedroom. Learn more.
Avalon House on Gerard Court has received an average review rating of 4.2 based on 14 reviews. See all reviews.
Call (240) 401-0014 to reach a resident at Avalon House on Gerard Court.
To reach a resident at Avalon House on Gerard Court call: (240) 401-0014
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A Place for Mom uses the term “assisted living” to indicate that the community provides some level of assistance with daily living activities. It does not indicate that the facility meets official state requirements for level of care.