Avalon House on Gerard Court

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.

We are only one week in, but I am so happy with Avalon House and A Place for Mom. You were there at a time I was so in need! The neighborhood is beautiful, the home seems like a happy place, the caregivers are like the house mothers. We feel very good about the decision. I have met some of the other family members there visiting and they all have very positive comments. Sharon is very good at keeping in touch and letting me know things I need to know about. I am really very relieved and happy, and while Mom doesn't know where she is anyway, I know she feels like she's at home. Thanks

The staff is very caring and it’s a very good environment for family members. The food seems good food. My mom likes the variety. The outside grounds are very nice. There is enough parking. The only issue that I have is that the residents they have are all very limited and advanced in their diseases. My loved one is active still, so she can be a little lonely.

They are a great community. They are a small home with only about eight rooms. My loved one's condition has improved since she has been there. They have PT and they bring musicians and entertainment. They keep it clean and the staff is very friendly. They are a great value, they are very responsive. She is enjoying the food, and what I have been impressed with is they tailor her meal schedule to her preference. They usually do the bigger meal at lunch, and she prefers it in the evening. I really liked the room that was available, and the house was so nice. They have a whole medical team on-call. I'm very impressed.

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.

Very fine directors who have carefully chosen their personnel. Very caring and thoughtful caregivers,excellent and plentiful food, great facility,great ancillary people. It is a challenge caring for patients but they do it with grace and they aim to please.

I moved Mom in her new home on November 30, 2013 so we are new to Avalon. Fairfax County is not cheap but Avalon appears to provide better care and more care than other places that charge the same price. The staff appears to be helpful, caring and friendly. Their English is perfect. (not like other places in Fairfax County) I picked this place not only for the above reasons but because the home is bright and cheerful. The meals appear to be well prepared/good tasting. There does not seem to be as big a variety at meal time as in the place she was in before, it was much bigger, but the food looks more appealing. They take care to keep her clothes covered and clean when she eats. I use to have to change her clothes before taking her out, where she use to live because of food stains from the previous meal(s). Not only are her clothes cleaner but her body is cleaner. She use to fall a few times a week and does not seem to have the same problem in this place. Avalon seems more attentive to her needs. Mom appears to be participating more in activities and meals. Unfortunately her room is small with no closet but I was more concerned with her care than the size of her room.

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.

It's really nice, they're wonderful, it's wonderful. My only problem is my husbands not sleeping at night and they haven't said so far, but I don't know if they'll be able to keep him because their business model doesn't work where they can take care of someone who has gained a significant gait instability and restlessness at night. Right now we're working on trying to find medications that will help him sleep at night, they would provide one on one services but that would cost more and I would'nt be able to affored it. In the Northern Virginia area, it's not that expensive and it's really nice. I like the fact that it's small, that they give people personal attention, it's more like a family than an institution, I felt he would like it here more and it seems like he is. Another thing I like is they take them through age in place completely. You pay the same daily amount and you know what your risk exposure is.

it seems like the place was adequately cleaned, compared to sunrise, the smell was much fresher, it's always a challenge, but I think it's very good. I thought they were very friendly, very nice, I could'nt find fault with them, the care seemed fine. We weren't there much, so it's hard to really say, my mother didn't say anything, she was extremely involved with dementia and Alzheimer's but she never looked like she was mistreated or injured or ill-kept. We should have gone to Avalon much earlier because not only did it smell better but it was a much more pleasant atmosphere and kind of a more intimate one. It was a house, a good sized rambler, with a yard and the rooms were very nice, pleanty of things you needed and other people around and they have different levels apparently depending on what level you're functioning at. My mom was at the level with where they weren't speaking much but had we gone earlier to Avalon house is would have been better than sunrise and considerably less expensive.

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.

The care givers there are doing a good job, whenever we come to visit or speak with them over the phone they are very informative and keep us updated with anything regarding our loved one. The care givers are very personable and are able to provide more of that one on one care. We are very grateful for Avalon House and based on our experience so far we have already recommended them to families and will continue to do so.

They had nice staff. This was smaller than we wanted for our loved one, and we wanted more socialization with the residents for our loved one.

It is hard to get information just because normally it is an open door facility, but right now they are shut down due to covid. Other than that the facility is clean, it is safe, and it is a good value for the money. It is a great place if your loved one is not looking to take advantage of all of the bells and whistles that some other places offer.

I would recommend the community to others for their loved ones. My loved one is content on being here. The staff are cordial to the family when visiting. The food seems to be good for the residents. There is a good variety of healthy food as well.

We chose this community mainly for the price. For the money you can't beat what you get as far as care. And the home is very nice and clean at Avalon House.

I would say my friend was safe , everyone bored but that's not the fault of staff, The price was much more affordable than nursing home or alternative . And a homey atmosphere is always better

Like with any other facility, visit often, keep your eyes, ears and nose open. Talk to the other residents and families. Listen to your loved ones. Stay involved. Avalon is a wonderful alternative to a nursing home. The model provides a comfortable space for loved ones where they receive the support they need surrounded by their things. Staff is trained but are often cold, removed and lack a caring/respectful nature we believe our loved ones deserve. Quality of food depends upon who is cooking.

Avalon House balances both professional care and personal wellbeing. We struggled finding an establishment that could provide the level of care my mother needed, but we knew we found the right place after a few weeks of moving to Avalon House. The staff cares about the people they watch over and work with the families to meet their needs and expectations. My mom has been able to create relationships with both the staff and other patients. The food they make is homemade and always smells delicious. The house is always clean. They are flexible around visits and welcome us to come whenever. I am confident my mom is in good hands. I can't thank the staff enough for the care they provide and the assurance it provides me knowing she receives attentive, loving care.

My mom is a resident of another Avalon home where she is content and well-taken care of. I really like the staff, in particular the 2 staff members who live in the home, but I know we are lucky with this particular home! I like that this isn’t a wheeling and dealing type of facility- it is peaceful. Home cooked meals are also a major bonus.