Renaissance of Annandale Offers Premier Memory Care for Fairfax County

ANNANDALE, Va. (Oct. 30, 2019) – Renaissance of Annandale, a premier memory care community serving Fairfax County, offers an innovative, state-of-the-art facility to serve the needs of seniors facing Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders.

Located at 7112 Braddock Road, Renaissance of Annandale is the result of years of research exploring the latest trends in Alzheimer’s facility construction, design, and care with the desire to enhance the care for those who battle the storms of Alzheimer’s and memory-related disorders. Renaissance of Annandale, which opened in spring, is part of a family of senior living communities owned and operated by Legacy Senior Living of Cleveland, Tenn. 

“We are thankful to now be opening our doors, and blessed to be serving the greatest generation of Fairfax County. Lots of thought has gone into the planning and development of Renaissance. But, while the building is great, the most important things are the residents and our team who serves them,” said Barry Ray, CEO of Legacy Senior Living, at the community’s recent ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The community’s interior design reflects a 1950s aesthetic, complete with mid-century style furnishings to remind residents of familiar and happy times in their lives. Wall colors were selectively chosen from a 1950’s General Motors color wheel to match color palettes from the era. Nostalgic black and white photographs of local historical buildings, roads, and schools—provided by the Annandale Chamber of Commerce—decorate the hallways and help residents recollect their memories.  

Each of the community’s 47 deluxe apartments is uniquely designed with the memory care resident in mind. Dutch doors, serving as the main entrance to each apartment room, were intentionally chosen to allow caregivers the opportunity to check on residents without disrupting them. Shadow or memory boxes located at apartment doorways allow families to showcase photos and memorabilia of their loved ones and helps residents to better locate their rooms. Each room features a 6-foot tall window to provide extra light and a 9-foot ceiling to enhance the space for each resident, while specially designed flooring assists with slip resistance. Even apartment toilets have been specially created for memory care residents, with each seat professionally painted a bright color by a NASCAR paint shop to provide an extra amount of contrast to assist the resident. 

The design of Renaissance of Annandale’s common spaces creates a sense of community and socialization with large windows providing lots of natural light. The dining room looks like a 1950s diner and the main activities space is decorated like a town theater, built to resemble The State Theatre on N. Washington Street in Falls Church, Va. A Town Clinic mimicking an old town doctor’s office is the centerpiece of care and services.

In addition to Renaissance of Annandale design features, the community uses technology to enhance the care and services of its residents. The community uses an electronic storyboard called SimpleC to provide non-drug therapy to enhance and manage residents’ cognitive and behavioral needs. The life enrichment team works with each family to gather stories and pictures so these memories can be viewed on electronic tablets to help residents recapture moments from their past. SimpleC provides multiple types of non-drug therapies such as reminiscence therapy, time and place therapy, and music therapy. The facility also features a circadian rhythm lighting system— which emulates the color and light of the sun rising in the morning, shining throughout the day and setting in the evening—to help residents set their human clocks for better sleep cycles. 

“Our heart is for serving seniors, and we put purpose into every decision from a simple detail like the colors on the wall to the technology and care in our life enrichment programs. Our goal is to make a difference in the lives of our residents each and every day,” said Pamela Phillips, executive director of Renaissance of Annandale. 

Renaissance of Annandale invites the public  to support its Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s team, which recently raised more than $3,000 to contribute to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The team surpassed its $2,000 goal for the Sept. 29 walk event but is still accepting donations online at http://act.alz.org/goto/renaissanceatannandale.

Call 703-256-2525 to schedule a tour of Renaissance of Annandale.