Avita of Needham

One of the most challenging times in a persons life is when one's parents can no longer care for themselves. It had become clear that living at home was not safe for our mom, due to her dementia. The concerns of safety, happiness and peace led us to search for a facility that could care for her and support her in this chapter of life. The decision to move our mom to Avita was a difficult one. But it turned out to be a blessing for her as well as for our family. The team at Avita was sensitive to our needs and more importantly sensitive to the needs of our mom.After the move, we were confident that she was safe and well cared for. The services that Avita provided created a wonderful space for our mom. And as we got to know the other residents and staff, it also allowed us to feel part of a bigger family. Our daily visits felt like 'coming home,' where we were greeted by name and could have a fresh cookie and cup of coffee. And instead of spending our mom's last years as her caretakers we were able to enjoy her personhood. During her five years at Avita our mom was always treated with compassion and respect. And as her skills declined, her care was adapted to meet her needs.Finally, when appropriate, Avita staff recommended hospice to ease the transition of her passing. We will always be grateful to the Avita staff for their patience and support. Peter Kevorkian & Chris Balmer

Very happy with the care for my mom!! She has been living at Avita for almost 6 years and I have been delighted with the care and attention she has gotten as her disease has progressed. When she first arrived and was highly functional they engaged her in many stimulating and fun activities. Now that she is unable to participate, they continue to serve her needs, keep her happy, safe, clean, and include her in what she is still capable of doing. Her aides are loving and compassionate and the activity team appropriately includes residents per their capabilities. Nurses from the wellness team are on top of the day to day issues and are extremely attentive. Everyone from the kitchen staff to the administrators are friendly and take a personal interest in me as well as my mom. Having my mom living at Avita gives me piece of mind to know that she is well taken care of, safe from harm and happy!

My loved one has been a resident at Avita for almost two years. The staff is very caring, and the management team is easily accessible. The activities are varied and engaging. I highly recommend Avita of Needham.

My mother has been a resident at Avita for three and a half years. When she arrived, she was in the first stages of Alzheimers, transitioning from a facility in New Jersy that did not meet our expectations. When the decision was made to move my mother closer to my family in Boston, we wanted to be as certain as we could that we found the best place for her, given our past experience with memory care facilities, and given the fact that this was a huge transition for her since she spent her entire married life in New Jersey (my mother is 98). We looked at 4 facilities in the Boston area, and settled on Avita for many reasons. First, it was highly recommended by the person we consulted with who places residents in similar facilities, and we instantly connected with the director of marketing whose mother was a resident. Thats just about the best recommendation one could get! Second, from the moment we walked through the front door, we felt as though we were becoming part of a family. The director greeted us at the door, took my mother aside, and we set up my mothers room with the help of Avita staff who could not have been more accommodating. We were told it would take about 6 months for my mother to adjust. In fact, within a few weeks, she and we felt part of a caring, supportive, loving environment. Third, it makes a real difference that Avita is solely a memory care facility. In other facilities we explore, the memory cae unit was clearly a second citizen to the rest; it was usually a lock down unit with little or no access to parts of the building that we would be subsidizing. At Avita, regardless of position, they are all trained to deal with residents with dementia. We soon got to know the aides, the activities director, the nursing staff (who can be contacted at any time of day - and they truly know my mother), the business office director, the head chef (who knows my mother loves grilled cheese sandwiches and prepares them specially for her) and the receptionists. Whenever I walk into Avita, I feel a sense of joy - there is always an engaging activity (visits from musicians, indoor games, flower arranging, proms (yes, proms - we had to dig up a long dress for my mother to wear) - makeup, corsages, and all!), celebrations, etc. There are student volunteers who give their time to spend with residents. And Avita doesnt feel institutional - the neighborhood concept works so well - residents eating in small dining rooms at tables of 4. And the food is great - always a tray full of cookies when you walk in, and other treats each day. I always get the sense that people care for my mother just as they would someone in their own family. To convince you that this is a real review, Ill mention just a few things that needed attention. Once I noticed that my mother had run out of certain toiletries, but I hadnt known about it and worried that I should have known but wasnt told. When I mentioned this to the director, she immediately put into place a system where each resident has a list on his or her wall with items that need to be supplied, and whether there was something needed so that families can check the list and take care of it. This response is typical of Avita - ownership and immediate problem solving. I should also add that we have two grandchildren, and they love coming to visit, mostly because theyre treated as part of the Avita family. They participate in balloon tosses led by Yvette who includes them whenever she can. Although my mother is now in hospice (fortunately for us she can remain at Avita while she is in hospice), she still seems delighted to be where she is, and every member of the staff makes a point of telling us how wonderful she is. We cant imagine a better place for my mother given her present condition. I highly recommend Avita to any family in need of experts, loving, high quality care for their loved ones.