Sunrise of Richmond

Heartbreaking. Stressful. Emotionally wrenching. That’s how I would describe my mother’s recent 4-year stay at Sunrise of Richmond. Newly confined to a wheelchair, my mother was completely dependent on Sunrise staff to use the bathroom, clean her, dress her and take her to meals and activities. Although we encountered a few excellent caregivers during her stay, the vast majority lacked compassion and common sense. It broke my heart. For instance, it was not unusual for Mom to push the call button to go to the bathroom and wait 40 minutes to over an hour for someone to come get her. One person left her on the toilet for over an hour! Some staff members told her they wouldn’t take her. And some even talked back to her. Imagine what it must have been like, after a lifetime of independence, to be so vulnerable -- to have to go to the bathroom, yet no one will come get you. My mother had all her faculties. She knew what was going on. She felt the indignity. My mother was disrespected in other ways, too. Sometimes, after eating, no one would take her to her room. She was left all alone at her table, the only one in the dining room, and no one would look her way. They just abandoned her. It hurt. It really hurt. Other times nursing assistants were too rough when moving her in and out of her wheelchair. She always had large bruises on her arms where they had grabbed her. My mother had given up everything when she moved to Sunrise – her house, her savings and nearly all her belongings. All she had left were her clothes, which she dearly loved. But some nursing assistants just shoved her clothes in the drawers without folding them, leaving them a wrinkled mess. One staff member left an adult diaper (clean) on her dresser and another on her kitchen counter. It was humiliating. It was degrading. Seeing my mother stripped of her dignity like that tore me apart. There were safety concerns, too. When my mother went on oxygen, she used a large oxygen concentrator in her room but needed to switch to a portable tank when she left the bedside. Nursing assistants would switch her to the portable tank, but they often neglected to see if there was any oxygen in it – and oftentimes there wasn’t! Although management told me a nurse was on site every weekend and on-call every night, that was not the case. It was nearly impossible to find a nurse on the weekend. And the one that was there during the week would never follow up with me on important information. There was constant turnover. Not only with the nursing assistants, but with the nursing, management and executive staffs, as well. They tell you the nursing assistants receive extensive training, but they don’t. Sunrise needs to institute psychological testing before hiring to ensure staff are caring, respectful and can exercise good judgment. Meals were generally institutional and unappetizing. Some items, like beef pot pie, looked like they were straight out of a can. I was constantly advocating on behalf of my mother. I spoke to upper level management several times a week, to no avail. It completely drained me. I was overcome with sadness every time I visited my mother. My mother paid nearly $100,000/year and did not deserve to be treated the way she was. Although, as mentioned, we encountered some excellent nursing assistants over the years, that was the exception. I must also point out that the activities director and maintenance men were wonderful, and the common areas were always clean. But unfortunately these positives can’t make up for all the heartache I experienced over my mother’s care. I put my trust in Sunrise, and I was bitterly disappointed. Please note that many of the positive online reviews of Sunrise are from people reviewing the marketing tour they took of the facility, not the actual caregiving experience their loved one received. Marketing tours are designed to give visitors a good first impression.

My sister has been there since Feb. 2025 and everything was great in the beginning, then management and staff changed and that changed everything. The food is horrible, they let her lay in bed for hours with no one coming after she was pressing her alarm button, they now have a man that walks around half naked and goes to the bathroom in the hallway, the whole staff in her building will call in sick for days at a time, she does not sleep at night because there is a resident yelling the whole night and the staff do nothing! I do not recommend if you want your family taken care of. They also cannot get her monthly bill straight and have owed her money for 3 months. It's all about the money, not the residents.

It was a long and difficult decision to place my aunt in an assisted living facility. But my first interaction with Terry left me feeling like I had made an instant friend at Sunrise. The staff took a great deal of time and care in assessing my aunt to ensure she received the proper care. Once we decided to move her in, we were greeted by a resident whose joy and happiness shone through. Her tablemates at meal times were so outgoing and delighted to welcome her to their table. Knowing that other residents were so happy helped to allay any fears about placing her at Sunrise. While my aunt battled dementia and wasn't always the most pleasant, the staff treated her with kindness and dignity. They said they loved her sass, and they took her tirades in stride. The care my aunt received at Sunrise of Richmond was nothing short of exemplary, and I couldn't recommend them more! My thanks to all of you! xo

My mother-in-law has been here for nearly a year now and it's been such a wonderful spot for her. It's cozy and beautiful and well maintained. The staff, from top to bottom, is so kind a patient and caring, through my MIL's health ups and downs. Activity director Kadie is fantastic and really good about reaching out to encourage MIL to participate, which she needs. All front-line care managers and med techs have been wonderful. (