In a brand new facility on Olley Lane, bare hallways of silence are a sign that the Braddock Glen Assisted Living Residences has yet to fill up since it opened in the spring.
"It's a beautiful place," said Tessie Kobus, a Braddock Glen resident. "There's just nobody around."
Kobus is one of about 15 residents currently living at Braddock Glen, 4027 Olley Lane. The large, one-story building has long hallways that circle throughout, passing through dining areas, a library, hair salon, sitting areas and bedrooms. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors provided $11,180,908 to cover the cost of the project, and they celebrated its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 13.
Braddock Glen is an affordable assisted living community for moderate income seniors, said Kristina Norvell, spokesperson for the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development. The residents who live there cannot have an income exceeding $37,500 per year, and the all-inclusive rent rate will not exceed $2,500 per month. The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority owns the community, which will be managed by Sunrise Senior Living, the nation's largest provider of senior living services.
EVERYTHING SEEMS to be a long walk away, said Kobus, who uses a walker to get around. She said that she has trouble finding things in her new home. And since the place is operating with about a quarter of the residents it was built for, most of the rooms at Braddock Glen still sit as clean and quiet as they were opening day. Annie Reindorf, executive director at Braddock Glen, said she hopes to have all 60 residents moved in by the end of the year.
Braddock Glen offers basic assistance with bathing, meals, medication management and dressing to its residents. The challenge, said Reindorf, is that they don't offer higher levels of care such as medical and mental care needs. A separate area exists for residents who have memory problems so staff can make sure they do not wander or become too disoriented. Daily activities, services and programs are offered to residents.
In the mean time, Kobus said she's bored and can't seem to find her way around the long hallways. She knows where her room is based on a popcorn machine located down the hall.
"When I hit the popcorn machine, I know to turn left," said Kobus.
Each hallway looks the same as the last, and Friday, July 21, Kobus wandered about for at least an hour before finding an employee to direct her toward the on-site hair salon she had heard about.
"I don't really know where I'm at," said Kobus. "I'm always lost."
One of the hair stylists escorted Kobus to the salon, but it took nearly 20 minutes to walk there since there aren't any shortcuts through the 39,000 square-foot building. Kobus said she isn't too thrilled about having to walk so far for everything. When all of the residents are moved in, and the 30 staff members are all on duty, there still won't be a way to decrease the walking distances in the facility.
ATTACHED TO THE residences is the Braddock Glen Adult Day Health Care Center. The center provides services to adults with disabilities, cognitive or physical impairments and the frail elderly who need supervision during the daytime. This service is for people who live at home with their families, but still need supervision while family members are at work during the day. Fastran, the county's door-to-door transportation service for people with disabilities or disabling health conditions, provides transportation to members who cannot get rides from family members or friends.
The program offers recreational activities, games, meals and health monitoring to members. Shauna Severo, assistant director of patient care services, said she expects the center to service its capacity of 35 by December. The hours are from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and members must attend at least two days per week for six hours a day.
"A lot of people don't want to put their parents in a nursing home," said Severo. "This program allows people to keep their loved ones at home."
Fees for adult day health care are based residents' incomes on a sliding scale, starting at $9 per day and going up to $66.50 per day. Activities include bingo, bowling, exercise and strength training, crafts and poker. It is the county's sixth adult day health care center operated by the Fairfax County Health Department.
"It's a great program," said Severo.