Brightview assisted living center opens next week

The Brightview assisted living facility at 3450 Gallows Road in Annandale won’t officially open until May 9 but nearly half the units are already sold.

Workers were still putting the finishing touch on the building last week when the Annandale Blogger tagged along on a tour for prospective tenants and their families.

Nearly all apartments are studios or one-bedroom apartments, although there are a couple with two bedrooms. The apartments have tiny kitchenettes, but residents will gather in a large dining room for meals. The menu will have several standard choices plus daily specials.

There’s an outdoor seating area with a fire pit, a screened-in porch, an activity room with an area for movies and an area for arts and crafts and games, a library, bar, beauty salon, and a private dining room for special events like birthday parties. There’s a nurse on site 24 hours a day, and a program director organizes social activities and trips.

Thirty of the building’s 100 units are in a separate area on the third flood called Wellspring Village for people with dementia. It has a controlled entry system so residents can’t wander off.

There are several features that serve as memory cues in Wellspring. There’s a glass case outside each door for personal objects that people with Alzheimer’s are more likely to remember than a room number. Toilet seats are different color so residents can easily find their way at night.  

There are also areas in the Wellspring hallway, like a laundry folding table, that can help residents remember activities from their past – to help them stay active and engaged..

The bar.

Company officials aren’t publicizing the rents. They don’t want to scare people off with “sticker shock,” as one salesperson put it. The monthly fee includes three meals a day, all utilities, cable TV, wifi, five hours of personal care a week, housekeeping, laundry services, and social activities.

The movie/activity room.