Harmony at Martinsburg

Wanda

Harmony at Martinsburg had a great presentation. When you walked in the front door, it looked very homey. They had a sitting area and people were actually gathered there talking and then there was a sign and table to the left, and you were greeted right away. They were expecting me because I had an appointment. We had to wait 5 minutes for the lady to show up. She's very respectful and very knowledgeable. She walked us through the memory unit. While we were there, they were getting ready to do the activity of drawing and some coloring while we were touring a room, and the facility, looking at the menu, and how they do things. So, it was very lovely. What stood out for me was all the residents looked happy. They were well-kept. The lady showed us a shared area. There were two bedrooms in it and they shared a bathroom. It was a nice-sized bedroom for what my parents would need. There's a bed in it, a built-in closet space, and drawers. It had a pleasant feel to it. It had a chair in there that they could sit on. There was somebody in the other room, and being a nurse, thinking about hospital bathrooms and stuff and having an unexpected tour, I thought the bathroom was really clean. I was surprised. It was well-maintained. I was very pleased with it. They have an area where they had a tent set up with a folding station in these different little stations. I thought it was neat. This is West Virginia, so a lot of people camp there and all. One of the residents had packed the camping stuff up and she probably did that a whole lot in her lifetime. They said that they can either go there by themselves or they can go there supervised, and there are usually people in the area. There was a lot of staff. They can do whatever activity they feel, like folding towels. I thought the tent was an amazing idea. It's something original. Their menu was amazing, too. The facility was all very aesthetic.

Larry

My mom moved in at Harmony at Martinsburg about a week ago. It is clean and friendly. Her room is a single room, but it's certainly adequate. And it seems clean and well organized. She seemed satisfied being there. Her room's location is convenient. She's close to the nurse's station and she's not too far from the front entrance.

Provider Response

Michael

My friend will be moving into Harmony at Martinsburg. It is a bright and very vibrant place. The dining facilities are well kept. It has a very elegant and accommodating dining facility. She'll have a whole new dimension to her life. She will be provided with meals and she will have other people to visit with, so she won't be as isolated as before. The residents all seemed very happy and active (and that was very important). We were able to visit an identical room or apartment that she was going to go into. It's well appointed. Although there are three meals served there, there's also a small kitchenette. You have a microwave and can have some quick little snacks, that kind of thing, so you're not dependent on communal dining. It preserves your independence in that regard. It has very good, walk-in, easily accessible, bathroom facilities. It's very critical for people to get in and get out. It's well-lighted. There's also what they call a bistro, which is a little area where they have a coffee bar that operates 24-7. So, if you want to go get a cup of coffee or a hot choco, you can do it. It also has additional seating, you can invite friends or a small group to have coffee, which is a nice plus. It gives you flexibility. There's also a provision if you want to have a guest come, as long as you let them know beforehand, you can share a meal with the residents. They have a library, an activity room, and a small exercise room. There's also a small theater so they can watch evening movies, even though most people have cable in their rooms. It's a nice social aspect of the process, I think that's awesome. It's a little theater that sits 30 people, so every evening there's a movie of some kind. The idea of getting up and going to a movie ties back to their old experiences, and they share it with other participants. There's a large activity room. My friend is an artist, and she's excited about sharing her art interest with others and continuing to do those kinds of things. There's also a very full social schedule published each day. It's well managed and has a lot of variety. When I was there for the second visit, they were bringing in ponies to let people have a pet, like a petting zoo; that's a good variety. Most of my generation's earlier experience was a nursing home, which is kind of like being warehoused; it's very dull. But this is very different, and there are a lot of people around active. Overall, it's not cheap, but it's certainly affordable. All of the options at that point where you have assisted care one way are going to be very costly. But I think, in this case, the alternative is to try to live in isolation. They are not trapped there; they can check in and out. I'll take my friend to the Sunday church, and if there are community activities, I can go take her back in. You can come and go, they're not restrictive in that sense at all. The staff was very bright. They followed up and were quick to ask questions. I think they're excellent. I know they're comparably new, this is the second or third year of their operation. The physical location is a plus, it's easy access off of I-81. Within a two-mile radius, there's quite an array of small shops and shopping centers, fast food, or other restaurant options. If you wanted to take them out for a meal outside the regular offering, that's certainly doable. The person who toured me around, she's very frank, her name's Amanda. She was very responsive, was good to follow up, and had a good answer to the question I had. I asked for a second round of handouts, and she gave me, very accommodating in that regard. It made a positive experience and there was no sales pressure. Earlier on, these options were primarily real estate deals where you had to sell your soul to buy into them. This is a strictly month-by-month rental arrangement because you don't know how long the person has or they may choose some other option, some circumstances change. So, it gives you financial flexibility, and that's important so far. I did look at what they were serving. I didn't get to see the kitchen, but I saw the service being delivered. I saw people were all chatting, relaxing, and enjoying the meal they have. They have two options for the menu, plus a la carte. My friend's a vegetarian, and they're not restricted. The courtesy of being served plates by the staff is kind of like eating out. The facility is bright, well laid out, and clean. We get to see several options, a one-bedroom, and a two-bedroom. The overall facility was well-kept. It's only a two-story, but it has very good elevator accommodations and facilities for them. They have their own mailbox. The lobby and the dining hall are large enough to accommodate them, so it won't be crowded. It was in very excellent condition.

Provider Response

Michael

We went to Harmony at Martinsburg. What I liked best was the community atmosphere. People knew each other and were involved with each other. They're not just residents there. The only negative that I could see for it would be it's further away for her (from the rest of the family) than she is now. The staff all seemed to be involved with the residents, caring, and well trained. They're in Martinsburg, so it's convenient for the residents to get places. They provide a shuttle for ongoing activities like haircare and church-related activities. It's not brand spanking new, but it's in good condition and it's well laid out for the residents. They have a porch that people sit on and watch the traffic go by, which is a popular thing for them to do. They have activity rooms, a dining room, and a PT area.

Provider Response

Larry

The facilities in Harmony at Martinsburg are excellent. My wife is in the memory care and the communication between me and them is adequate. The menus look good, and the dining area is very nice. There's lots of tables, lots of chairs, good spacing between the tables, and it's very clean. They have activities and a polite staff. It's a new place, and so it's very stylish. When you come into the entryway, the floor is so clean that it shines back at you.

Provider Response

L.P.

We toured Harmony at Martinsburg. They were very friendly. The facility is very clean, it seems to be very well organized. The residents seem to be very friendly, very happy. I kind of wanted to stay and eat in their dining room. It looked really good and smelled good. They seem to have quite a few things. There's a movie room, a library, there's outside seating and sidewalks. It was warm that summertime, a few of the residents were outside visiting with one another. They do that after meals. They have activities for the residents, monthly activities, and they have food nights like an ice cream social, or different things like that, that they do. So it looked like it could be fun. Everybody we ran into was very friendly, very helpful, and very attentive. They seemed to be very caring. Harmony was a bit more sterile, but it was more of an apartment building effect. The rooms each have a kitchenette area in them.

Provider Response

ReviewerRD#10282021j

I'm in Harmony at Martinsburg. It's very nice. The aides are very helpful. It's very secure and very safe. They're OK. They're very helpful. They're very quick. Like I have the button that I push if something happens, and they're very quick. Maintenance is good. They're very on time, too. They do things on time. It's pretty new here. It's like four and a half years old. We play bingo three times a week, they have movies five nights a week, we do crafts, we have ice cream, and two or three times a week, we have happy hour. There's a lot of crafts, and we make jewelry. We're busy. Food is OK. It's expensive. Value for money is OK. I don't know what to expect because this is the first place like this I've been to. They do laundry. The only thing I have to do is get up and go eat like that. They clean once a week.

Provider Response

MorrisD

My dad was looking at several other communities but Harmony recognizes Veterans, and offered him assistance with resources to help with finances. He is loving the men's group and especially the happy hour. It's great to hear him being social again and making new friends! Thanks Amanda for all your help in making this happen for him.

COVID FREE

My mom moved into the community during the COVID pandemic. From the beginning, I could tell the residents came first. From their safety to the encouragement of them to come out and socialize with other residents and staff members. My mom loved the friends she has made and so do I. She is no longer at alone with only me, she has a whole family of people.

Deb Stewart

I moved my mom into Harmony on September 14, 2020, and this is her 3rd week. We all are amazed by the entire experience since we arrived at this wonderful Community. From the very beginning, Amanda assisted me to obtain all the documents from mom's physician which made the process easier for me and helped to speed up the move. Without her assistance and patience, I probably would not have been able to get mom moved in this soon. She is wonderful and although her part is completed, she continues to assist me when I have questions. Mason and Teresa are so polite when I call HARMONY with questions or concerns, and they always assist me with the proper point of contact. Bob helped move mom’s TV and phone into her room prior to Comcast’s appointment for connection. Since we couldn’t schedule an appointment with Comcast until the second week at HARMONY, Greg came to her rescue and hooked up her TV temporarily until COMCAST was able to arrive. This was so important since mom was quarantined for 14 days based on COVID protocol regulations. She started to receive physical and occupational therapy from Jessica and Emma during her first week. I was so surprised that this amenity happened so fast. Everyone accommodated us during the move and the staff exceeded my expectations. They reviewed her chart and I was informed that her current podiatrist visits the Community and they recommended that she be put on the list for October. I canceled mom’s appointment and now she will receive her treatment at her new residence. Another example of the excellent service mom received was on the day of her doctor’s appointment in Winchester. I was greeted at the front door by Tammy, the Dining Director, who handed me a breakfast tray since she knew mom didn’t have time to eat. This was a surprise since I didn’t arrange this, and I just couldn’t believe this was happening. Visitation finally started on Monday, September 28, and my sister and I sat with mom on the front porch. It was such a calm and relaxing experience. Thanks, HARMONY staff for welcoming mom to the Community, and we can’t wait to see what happens next. We look forward to mom meeting new friends and getting stronger as she continues her therapy.

FFR

Visiting has pretty much stopped, however the community is allowing window visits, and skype visits by just making a call. The staff are doing everything they can to make sure its life as close to normal for the residents and it shows.

help for mom

Staff not friendly especially the Executive Director. Would never put my mom here. Beware, there are better assisted livings for your loved one.

BBF

My mother has lived at Harmony for over one year now and she absolutely loves it! She has made many new friends, loves the energy with the staff and enjoys the variety of activities offered. Knowing she is happy and safe means the world to me!

Ces

I visited The Crossings at Martinsburg which is mostly assisted living. I like the place, it's newly renovated and doesn't look like a senior living place. When you go and visit your loved one, it doesn't feel like you're surrounded by people that are dying. It looked like a hotel. Their receiving area and dining area looked very classy. I think my family would enjoy visiting us there because it's nice. The thing that’s not good about them is that the bed is not provided. There's only one dresser in the room, and you should provide everything. I won't really recommend it because, but it's so small. The room is just like a typical room but it's very clean. I also like their dining area although it's not as big as the one in another community we toured. I would also rate the staff as a 3, because they were in a hurry and looked at me as if I think I can’t afford the place.