The Crossings At Bon Air

My mother was in the memory care unit of the Crossings for about eight months. The day we moved her in the staff on the memory care floor did not acknowledge us at all. Didn’t welcome us or even ask who we were. Her name was not yet on her room. I had to approach them to hand off her medication and make sure they were ready for her.
In my frequent visits (weekly, Saturday, Sunday and some weekdays) I noted the staff was very disengaged. Many were constantly on their cell phones. They posted a daily activity list but frequently didn’t bother actually doing the activities. Some of the activities involved very little effort My mother tended to wander (a common condition) and could wander out of sight of the sedentary floor staff which created issues. They seemed irritated by this. After I complained they were better about activities and staff not being on cell phones but still seemed irritated with her and wary of my constant visits.
At one point my mother developed a bad UTI (quite common) and became very agitated. They called me at work (I lived out of town) and told me they couldn’t control her and could not administer the UTI test. She was then admitted to Tucker Psychiatric Clinic. I don’t now recall exactly how this happened. I don’t know if I was given the option to take her but this would have been difficult to impossible. I assumed Tucker would treat her and then she would return to the Crossings. I was wrong. There was a hearing before a judge. She was committed. Tucker then administered the drug Risperdal and completely wrecked what was left of her mind (google risperdal dementia). She went from being capable of basic conversation and comprehension to being a slobbering zombie, incapable of any kind of speech, glassy-​eyed, and shaking. Later we got her off the Risperdal and it took months to partially recover, but she was never the same.
When it came time for Tucker to release her it became apparent that Crossings wanted nothing to do with her even though she had been drugged into a stupor. We were lucky to find another place but it took a great deal of time and effort.
Here are some other things to consider:
* The memory unit is not on the ground floor. Many of the residents are in wheelchairs. Ask them what they do in the case of a fire and think about whether their answer makes any sense at all.
* Although they advertise they have a chef previously from a fancy restaurant the food in the memory care unit is generally pretty bad; not much better or healthier than a school cafeteria. The food downstairs appears to be much better. Also the dining area in memory care is brightly lit with fluorescent lights and lacking in any kind of appeal. It’s depressing. Take a good look at it and ask yourself if it’s acceptable.
* At the time they did not have a visiting psychiatrist. Other facilities do. Believe me you want a visiting psychiatrist unless you have plenty of free time.
* It is difficult to impossible to get the residents outside for any period of time. Crossings has a balcony which seemed to get very little use. If this is something you want for your loved one then look elsewhere. Although they advertise that they have a large «campus», the grounds are not very nice. The one small garden area that is nice for sitting is actually on the opposite end of the building from the memory care unit and can be a hike for someone with dementia.
* Be wary of unexpected jumps in the care level with no supporting documentation.
* They claim (claimed) to have an «individual service plan» for the residents but it does not exist.

We selected this facility after looking at six in the Richmond area. After five months, we know this was the right decision. The staff and residents are like one, big happy family. The food is great and the many choices of activities should please anyone.