The Fairfax

Reviewer#GD0625b

I am staying in The Fairfax. They have a library, a pool, and a therapy area. They really have everything. We've got everything here. We have an auditorium, we have movies, a lovely dining room, and a smaller cafe. We have a washer and dryer inside the apartment. I have an oven, and everything in the kitchen, so it's sort of fully equipped. The staff is very good. We have a cleaner come in and do the bare necessities once a week. The engineers, and the housekeeping people are all very polite, and very nice, so I really can't say anything bad about it. We have lots of choices for the food. We can have the choice of the dining room, which is a little more formal, or the cafe where we can go and do a cafeteria line. We have very good food, and if you don't like one thing, there's about three or four other things to choose from. When we had to have everybody in our own apartments, they brought us food every day. We chose what we wanted, and they packaged it up and brought it to us every day. For the activities, they are starting everything up again. We have a closed-circuit TV in our apartments, so we've been able to have yoga on it, and a physical fitness exercise shown on it. We have our religious programs on Sunday, and other special activities are shown on it until everybody is allowed to be back in the big group.

Sol's Daughter

My father-in-law spent three years at the Fairfax and they gave him a new lease on life. The facilities are lovely, and extremely well kept. The dinners in the main dining room are actually tasty, and they cook a lot of dishes from scratch, so they're much healthier than your run of the mill institutional food. Also taste good! Dad was in an independent living apartment for about 1 1/2 years, then in assisted living, and finally in nursing care. After resisting the move for many years, he finally said how much he loved living there! He said it was like a vacation everyday. When I asked him what he liked most about The Fairfax, he answered right away - "the companionship." What we liked about The Fairfax was the opportunity to come in at the independent living level, and then be guaranteed first dibs on spaces in the other care levels as time went on. The price was extremely reasonable in comparison to some others. And the care was exceptional - only caveat was, in the nursing care floor you really had to advocate for your family member, as they seemed overwhelmed and low on staffing, resulting in some residents not getting the care all the time they should have. The physical plant is really nice, with a lake you can walk around, putting green, indoor pool and jacuzzi, and on site library. Dad loved his weekly poker games in the card room, set up like a club, and especially the chocolate chip cookies that were provided during poker games! Mu husband and I can't wait until we're old enough to move in!

VT

The Fairfax was a gorgeous facility. The only problem with that was that it was very, very spread out. It is for younger older people, and not for somebody who is 90 years old and has a walker. We thought the rooms there were outdated and were not as nice and as updated as the other places I had visited. It was a beautiful campus. It was a way long walk for most apartments to get to eat, so that would not have been a good thing for my mother. The staff members were wonderful and very, very helpful.

John

The general appearance of The Fairfax is outstanding. It is very well maintained with expansive areas to walk on. It is a gated and secure place, and there is a 1.03 mile walking loop around the place. All of their buildings are interconnected. The staff that I talked to was very friendly, answered all my questions, and kept in contact with me telling me exactly where we are in terms of getting my mother in there. Overall, it was an outstanding place. They have a very good web presence, too. I would most definitely recommend them.

tulip3

Horrible treatment by many of the aides. There are several who care but most do not. My Mom is afraid of many of them. They are very rough and rude to her. When you talk to Management they say they are looking into it. Nothing changes. Total indifference for the residence and family. The head doctor is not to be questioned...huge ego. No partnership with the family. Very sad for my Mom. A new manager is coming to take over on Friday. I am hopeful.

Provider Response

Happy Resident021582

The Fairfax is probably the Cadillac of the system. It has a campus environment and excellent food. There is a great bunch of people. It is a military retirement place, so everybody has the same background, which at times can be very boring, but on the other hand, it also makes them pretty nice people. I have a two-bedroom with a den that's very spacious and quite accommodating.

Pat527536

The Fairfax has beautiful grounds with a lake, a big pond, and a fountain. It’s so clean, and I liked it. The staff seemed very nice. They had all kinds of activities, trips, and beautiful library. I had other residents talk to me who seemed really friendly. It’s a place for retired military.

Malorie F.IBNAE

Fairfax is a beautiful place but very expensive to get into. If it wasn’t for the upfront expense that’s 100% non-refundable, we’d probably consider it. Even their 90% refundable one is still way out of my mother’s price range. The apartments were beautiful and the staff was wonderful. We wandered around the facility, but it was freezing out, so we didn’t walk the grounds. We drove around a little, but we walked through and the fact that you could walk through and see so many places without leaving a covered and somewhat climate-controlled area was one of the best features, especially with the blizzard that we just had. There were a lot of things that appealed to us about Fairfax. I really liked that it was beautiful. The main problem was the amount that you had to invest to get into it. Even the smallest type of facilities that she might be interested in would take up all of her money, so it’s not likely to be feasible.

Ene1

Touring The Fairfax was a great experience and I loved everything about it other than it was just too expensive. I was afraid my money would run out. The rooms were beautiful and the nicest I have seen. I would have loved to be able to move in there, but I just can’t afford it. The food was absolutely wonderful; you can eat three times a day and pay a little extra. There was nothing there that they didn’t have. I was extremely impressed. The staff was wonderful, very forthcoming, knowledgeable, and ready to help in every way. The grounds were absolutely gorgeous.

Juanita8

My experience with The Fairfax was very good. We had a tour, and it was not just me; it was 50 of us. They had an open house, and it just so happened to coincide when I began looking. It was a lovely community. However, to be honest, it was very expensive, and if I had the finance that I needed, that would be my first choice. The rooms were beautiful and well kept. We went into 2 cottages and a couple of 3 or 4 apartments. Everything was very well kept. The grounds were very well kept. The employees were very caring. It was military affiliated. My husband was in the military, and I worked for 35 years in the military. So, it would be an atmosphere that I would be very comfortable in. They played bridge. They had a lake on the premises, which was very nice, and they had fishing tournaments. They had transportation to and from the military hospitals and the military facilities, which was also very nice. A lot of the activities were couple oriented, but I don't think that would preclude me from participating.

Paula85796750

The people were very informative at The Fairfax at Belvoir Woods. The rooms and apartments were very nice. It seemed like it was secure and safe. Everything seemed very nice, and everyone seemed happy.

edk

The Fairfax facility is quite large. It is right next to the PX, the pharmacy, and a billion dollar hospital. It is also right down the road I live on. They have single houses, duplexes, and the main thing was their memory care section, which was sort of cloistered within a lot of the assisted living. They have people that come and play the accordions in the afternoon, old singing, and all those kinds of things, which my wife -- who is 92 -- is inappreciative of things anyway. I have friends that had been there -- I have general and admiral friends -- and they told me they are happy there.

Irina1

The Fairfax has every activity. They have swimming there. They have everything that you could ever think of. It's a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful facility and the people are extremely nice and very knowledgeable. They took me around. The staff was courteous, personable, and very nice.

Janice29

The Fairfax is definitely a 5. Their facilities were fantastic, the best out of everything I have seen so far. The people were very knowledgeable, but it was very, very pricey. Also for somebody like my mother-in-law who had basically lived in the country and not in the city, The Fairfax would be different for her because it was a whole different class of people. She would feel very uncomfortable there. It was for somebody who has lived in an upper middle class neighborhood and wants the services that they provide because they were fantastic. It was an upscale facility. They serve three meals a day and their selections were good. We're interested in a studio and they showed us around and they were good. They were very respectful of my time and my wishes rather than trying to sell me up, so I appreciated those.

Also A Senior

My father was one of the charter members of the resident's Retirement Foundation. In 2002 he and my mother became residents after it became clear that his dementia was more the my mother could deal with. Initially, as long as Marriott Corporation was operating the facility, we were extremely pleased. However, after Sunrise took over and exercised tight financial restrictions, it became clear that the residents were enjoying poorer meals and fewer amenities. Nevertheless, the facility and its services remained above average compared to many other retirements communities. Over the past couple years, unfortunately, the residents have seen significant annual increases in thier monthly payments for maintaining their living quarters and significant degradation in the quality and variety of meals. It appears that they no longer have a competent chef to head the kitchen and now rely on an assortment of semitrained cooks. Meats are often over-cooked and dry, vegetables are either poorly prepared (They don't know to trim the ends of sugar snaps and show peas, for example) or under/over-done. Menu description s of dishes being servied are frequently attractive lies. Seasoning is a mystery to the cooks; there never is much. Dining service in the fairly elegant main dining room used to provide top restaurant-quality staff. Now residents must be careful that a server doesn't run them down in their rush to get back to the kitchen for a chat or smoke break. Courtesy and attentiveness is a thing of the past; although a tiny minority of staff are charming, watchful and extremely helpful. Still the range of residential accommodations is quite wide--from small one-bedrooms, to large suites with multiple rooms, and cottages. Virtually all have full kitchens, appropriate hardware for residents who have various physical challenges, and access to cable, internet and telephone (for additional fees). When a resident becomes unable to live indepently, The Fairfax does offer assisted living quarters and nursing care facilites for those who are ill and need more attention. I cannot address their quality because my mother is still living independently despite having very poor vision. The grounds are expansive and include a small fishing lake and a formal pond with fountains, gardens, a small putting green, and garden plots for resident with green thumbs. The staff, aside from some of the dining servers, are a very pleasant group who try to offer residents the services they need. The concierge is central to steering residents and visitors in the right direction. To be fair I have to give the residential facilities and services a 4-star rating, but the dining service is a serious detractor, deserving barely 2 stars. The Fairfax (i.e., Sunrise) management has apparently not learned that having a qualified chef running the kitchen and an experienced maitre di' managing the dining room will save money and improve resident satisfaction.

Provider Response

Housatonic

I have several issues that I need to resolve and have been unable to get any answers or call backs from any voice mails my brother resided there and has been moved to Massachusetts to be closer to family. I have questions that need to be addressed for my knowledge and the Facility he has moved to. I am frustrated and upset by the disrespect of not paying any attention to my needs. I would not at this time give a good review of this place SueBonak

Provider Response

043

In general, I highly rate this facility. The staff appear to be taking good care of my father and speak highly of him. He looks health and happy. My biggest problem so far is the lack of accountability for his posessions. Right now I'm dealing with his missing $2000 wheelchair and before that his hearing aids disappeared. Depending on how my inquiry into the missing wheelchair proceeds tomorrow, I may revise my opinion downward. There is also an inability of the staff to use email effectively and they can't seem to get the ocassional form to me when needed. The is the community at which he and his late wife wanted to finish their lives, so I am trying to keep an open mind with regard to their efficiency.

susankeel

The Fairfax is a generally nice place; it's divided into assisted living apartments, which are small but allow residents to have their own furniture, and a more intensive care section, where the atmosphere is more like a hospital but patients are still allowed small pieces of furniture, like bureaus and chairs, and keepsakes. The facilities are always lavishly decorated for the holidays, and residents in both sections often decorate their doors with wreaths or mats. A large cage in the lobby held songbirds the last time I was there, and during Christmas, there's a tree, menorah, and other holiday material on every floor. There are ample parking spots in the lot, and the facility provides a bus to take residents shopping and to church. There is at least one resident cat, and a very nice restaurant on-site. The place doesn't smell like antiseptic or like being in a hospital, although when moving to the more intensive care wing, people are asked to use some hand sanitizer to prevent transmission of disease. There appear to be ample programs to engage residents; although, being that the facility is located on a busy road with bad traffic, they may be the only activities available to older people who are less confident in their driving.

Ziko

The facility was really nice and it was a really big facility. There was a swimming pool inside, gym, small golf course outside and walking trail. Also I checked out the dinning room, which was really nice and well organized. all the staff and resident were really nice and friendly and they took good care of us. You could see that some of the residents who lived there enjoyed living there and most of them seemed happy. We sat down in the dining room and the food was great they had many different kind of drinks, food and deserts. The facility was very clean and I really enjoyed visiting the place. It was a great experience. I also forgot to mention that there was a big auditorium, where sometimes the residents would have movie nights on a big screen projector and concerts.