Benchmark at Alexandria

My husband was given the red carpet treatment when he met with Zeeshan (director) to tour Benchmark and talk about assisted living for his mother. As many know, this can be a challenging time for families as we work through choosing a place that will best meet our loved ones needs. Zeeshan took the time and care to hear about my mother in law and what they could do to support her in this next chapter. Touring Benchmark with Ashley (another director who is passionate about her work and so supportive) and seeing how beautiful the place is really helped us finalize our decision along with meeting the incredible staff. My husband wants his mom to experience first class service in this new chapter and from what we have observed thus far, this is happening. Thank you, Zeeshan and all the staff members we have been fortunate enough to meet since my mother in law moved in.

Late in writing this but I would be remiss not to recognize how lucky we were to find and move my mom to Benchmark Alexandria -and- say thank you. The decision to move to assisted living is never easy so it was a relief to find a place my mom immediately fell in love with while visiting - spacious/modernly equipped rooms with oversized windows and bright open common spaces. The ambiance is not assisted living but that of a high end apartment or hotel - including the beautiful roof deck (which ended up being my mom's favorite place to go). But what sold me was sitting with other residents and hearing such positive opinions about everyone who worked there. Sadly, due to a missed heart diagnosis, my mom quickly declined and unexpectedly passed away months after moving in. During her decline, the care that Jeneba, Sunny and the entire care team was nothing short of amazing. I never had to worry about her when I wasn't there. They were always checking on her, offering updates when they saw me and quick to call me if anything was amiss (refusing to eat a meal, small fall, etc..). My mom's strength and desire to socialize declined with her health, yet Heather, Chef Chamika and the residents themselves were always welcoming and reaching out to engage her. Benchmark also brings in a good selection of third parties for various activities - her favorites being Coach Carey (who runs exercise classes and we ended up hiring as a personal coach) and Dreama (with her amazing voice). I know I've missed naming many but together, as a community, everyone there made such a positive difference in my mom's final months. Whevever we went, people were engaged, positive and upbeat - a sign that Benchmark hires people who truly care and want to make living there the best experience possible - regardless of your needs. Through other family members, I have had experiences (good and bad) with other facilities and I can say hands down Benchmark was the best across the board - the facility, the people and the care.

Honestly, I want to move in! Why don't they have places like this for people my age? I think we ALL could use a little assistance sometimes, don't you? I have toured 4 places so far and while they are all actually very nice, Benchmark stands out. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted so warmly and with a big smile. Other receptionists were fine/nice - this person, again, stood out. Bigger smile, warmer greeting, more engagement naturally. I toured with the director, Zeeshan. Again - warm, great personality, very knowledgeable and answered my questions directly and specifically. I am more knowledgeable because of him. The apartments are really big with high ceilings and huge windows to let in a lot of sunlight. One of the one bedroom apartments I looked at definitely could fit my mom's king sized bed and dressers with room to spare. It's a new building and modern design. I love all of the activities and engagement as a community. From a weekly "HOA" meeting for the residents, chair yoga, speakers and musicians booked to entertain, to spiritual classes, book club and ping pong! Bistro and restaurant dining. I was invited for lunch and I was disappointed I couldn't stay. The menu has all the things. (Or at least most of the things people are happy to eat along with 24/7 snacks and drinks.) All of the staff that I met were friendly and no one looked unhappy to be there - staff or residents. Aside from all of those positives? The cost at Benchmark is significantly less than the other places I looked. When I say significant, I mean at minimum - over $1200K per month less expensive, at a glance. The birth of the organization comes from a place of caring for family and not to see how much money it could make. That shows.

We truly enjoyed, and more importantly, benefited from our meeting with Mr. Zeeshan Javed, Director of Community Relations at Benchmark. First, he understood our situation, my wife and I, and internalized it in his explanations and tour highlights--with respect to needs and (relaxed) time constraints. We were very comfortable and felt no pressure all through the visit. All our questions were answered. We met lovely staff along the way, including Sunny the nurse and Shamika the Chef. We truly enjoyed discussing the unique flexible features of a potential stay at Benchmark. As well as its "structural" advantages such as being (still) a Founder-owned company, ensuring support and smooth transition through various stages of ageing, and of course Benchmark's location in a cosmopolitan, multigenerational setting. We will definitely keep The Landing in mind.