WindsorMeade of Williamsburg

My parents have been at Windsor Meade for I believe, almost 5 years. It is a beautiful place- we call it the 'Country Club for Seniors'! They have a bocce ball court, beautiful gardens, a wood-working shop, pool, hot tub, state-of-the-art exercise facility (with nice flavored water bar), locker rooms, ballrooms, fine dining room, cocktail bar, library and a bistro for more casual dining. The staff from the front desk to the maintenance team (who helped rescue my dog from my locked car in 90+ degree weather and would not accept a tip- Thank you, Sam, Elwood & Scott!) have been so genuinely kind and caring towards my parents. We visit and dine there usually once a week or more, so we have a good idea of the staff and way things are run in the assisted living portion. I highly recommend Windsor Meade to anyone interested. We have had nothing but positive interactions there and they have made my parents very happy in their senior years!

I want to share the difficult experiences that my family endured with WindsorMeade in Williamsburg, VA. The unexpected problems all started in the when my parents received approval for residency at WindsorMeade. However, on Memorial Day we received a call from WindsorMeade staff telling us not only that there were questions about my mothers physical condition but also that it was uncertain that they would be able to move into WindsorMeade even though their house had been sold, their belongings were packed, the moving trucks were on the way, and it was only a few days before the move to WindsorMeade. We were shocked to learn that they would let us think that my parents were not completely approved to move in, despite multiple visits with them, interviewing my parents, getting all of their medical information sent, and taking their deposit. And we learned all of this at the last minute. In my opinion, the executive director, Marilyn Gray, lacks the compassion needed to be an effective and compassionate care facility manager because she made the most difficult transition of my elderly parents lives so much harder than it had to be. Moving my parents out of their one and only home of the Washington DC area after 80+ years was traumatic enough, but then to face all of those questions and the uncertainty of the location of their next home at the last minute was horrible. The day after that Memorial Day phone call, my husband and I actually did the impossible we went to my mothers doctors, without appointments, to get answers to Ms. Grays questions which we accomplished within a few hours. Despite all of our efforts, Marilyn Gray still insisted my mother take a memory test on the day of her arrival even though she was exhausted from a sleepless night before (which she mentioned) and a stressful 3 hour drive. My mother was very upset and humiliated to be forced to take the test, but she passed it with flying colors. My blood pressure must have doubled that day. My parents, husband and I were so disgusted and disappointed. We questioned our choice to move them there. Even a senior staff member also agreed that my mother never should have been forced to take the test. It is beyond believe that such a lack of compassion is to be allowed in any retirement community, particularly one that reportedly filed for chapter 11 reorganization in 2013. The next day my husband shared our disappointment with Marilyn Gray. She indicated that shed been on vacation and did not complete the medical review process for my parents in time. She did NOT apologize for the oversight, and she had the audacity to ask my husband to ask me to stop complaining! I feel that the initial experience with Marilyn Grey pretty much ruined our time at WindsorMeade for my entire family. My mother never felt completely safe there after the initial difficulty with Marilyn Gray. Seven months later my father passed away. As soon as our new house was finally built, my mother moved out of WindsorMeade and into our house with us. Senior staff didnt even say thank you for our patronage after spending thousands of dollars there nor show any concern for our departure. To our dismay, we had to wait nine months before we received the refund because the next residents who took over my parents home in WindsorMeade were given six months to pay the fee. However, my parents were required to pay the entire fee immediately up front. Although there are some wonderful staff, facilities and residents in WindsorMeade, I truly believe that the executive director, Marilyn Gray, lacks the compassion and kindness you would expect and hope to find in an expensive senior community.