Georgetown Retirement Residence

    2512 Q St NW, Washington, DC, 20007
    3.9 · 8 reviews
    • Assisted living
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    4.0

    Welcoming staff but limited care

    I toured and used the 30-day trial and liked the warm, engaging staff, plentiful activities, hot varied meals, and light, airy dining room - the community felt welcoming and personalized. The building is older with limited public space and tight parking; apartments vary from small to spacious. There's no dedicated memory unit (wandering can be an issue), so assess care needs carefully - rates are high but include med management and residents can stay in the same apartment as care increases. Overall I loved the atmosphere and staff, but it wasn't right for my mom who needed much more hands-on care.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    3.88 · 8 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      4.2
    • Staff

      4.2
    • Meals

      4.5
    • Amenities

      3.2
    • Value

      3.5

    Pros

    • Upscale appearance and inviting lobby
    • Georgetown location
    • Lots of activities and diverse programming
    • Engaging, caring and personalized staff
    • Good caregiver-to-resident ratio
    • Comfortable common areas and on-site parlor
    • Library-like den with piano
    • Hot, varied meals and light, airy dining room
    • Hospice services available
    • 30-day trial option with furnished apartment
    • Resident can remain in same apartment as needs increase
    • Cost can include medication management
    • Immediate availability reported
    • Welcoming, family-friendly environment
    • Spacious apartments reported by some reviewers

    Cons

    • No dedicated memory care unit
    • Mixed reports on cost—some find it expensive
    • Some reviewers described a cheap price (inconsistent pricing impressions)
    • Old building with limited public space
    • Small apartments reported by some residents
    • Building condition problems and long renovation
    • Year-long renovation forced some residents to leave
    • Care quality reported as declining in some accounts
    • Staff performance reportedly inconsistent (some well-intentioned, some poor)
    • Parking may be problematic
    • No designated pre-move-in charge/contact noted
    • Potential wandering risk for residents with cognitive issues
    • Mixed resident population (assisted + independent) can be challenging
    • Some residents required more care than the community could support

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed but leans positive about the community atmosphere, staff engagement, social programming, and dining — with significant, recurring concerns about building condition, care consistency, memory care capabilities, and pricing clarity.

    Staff and care: Many reviews emphasize attentive, personalized, and proactive staff who create a loving, welcoming environment. Multiple reviewers highlight good caregiver-to-resident ratios, individualized attention, and staff willingness to accommodate special needs and family visits. However, there are notable exceptions: several accounts report declining care quality, staff inconsistency, and at least one description of care that was low to poor. The presence of well-intentioned staff is frequently mentioned, but variability in execution is an important pattern. For families evaluating long-term care intensity, reviewers also noted that some residents eventually required higher levels of care than the community could provide.

    Facilities and condition: The facility is described as having an upscale look, an inviting lobby, comfortable common areas, a library-like den with a piano, and an on-site parlor — features that support social life and a pleasant environment. Dining receives consistent praise for hot, varied meals served in a light, airy dining room. At the same time, several reviews call out the building’s older structure, limited public space, and small apartments in some units. A major concern is a prolonged renovation that left the building in poor condition for a period and reportedly forced some residents to relocate. This contrast — attractive public spaces versus an aging building and disruptive renovation — is a clear pattern.

    Activities and social life: Multiple reviewers mention a robust schedule of activities and a friendly social environment where residents know one another. The community appears to be effective at fostering engagement and social connection, which many families and residents appreciated. These offerings, combined with accessible onsite amenities, are frequently cited as strengths that contribute to a positive daily life.

    Care levels, safety, and memory support: A significant theme is the lack of a dedicated memory care unit and potential wandering risks for residents with cognitive impairment. While hospice is available, the absence of specific memory-care programming was explicitly noted and is an important limitation for families seeking specialized dementia care. Several reviewers also noted that the community mixes independent and assisted residents; for those with progressing care needs, this can create challenges. The flexibility to remain in the same apartment as care needs increase is a positive operational feature, but reviewers still raised safety and appropriateness concerns for higher-dependency residents.

    Price, availability, and management: Reports about price are inconsistent: some reviewers describe the place as expensive, while others call it cheap or say they would recommend it. This suggests variability by unit size, promotions, or changing rates over time. Positive management notes include a 30-day trial option in a furnished apartment and immediate availability at times. Cost-including medication management was called out as a convenience. On the negative side, some reviewers mentioned no designated pre-move-in charge/contact and potential parking problems, which are practical concerns for prospective residents and families.

    Overall recommendation guidance: Prospective residents should be attracted by the strong social programming, welcoming staff (in many accounts), pleasant common areas, and good dining. However, families should investigate current building condition and renovation status, verify up-to-date staffing levels and care-quality metrics, confirm parking arrangements, and ask specifically about memory-care options and policies for residents whose needs increase. Because reviews show variation — from highly positive experiences to reports of serious care decline — an in-person tour, meeting with management about staffing and renovation completion, and trial stays (the community offers a 30-day option) are strongly recommended before committing.

    Location

    Map showing location of Georgetown Retirement Residence

    About Georgetown Retirement Residence

    Georgetown Retirement Residence sits on Q St. NW near the Dumbarton (Buffalo) Bridge and Sheridan Circle, and the place has been helping seniors since 1978, once called the Georgetown Retirement Complex and now known as part of the Highbridge complex, and over the years it's been a home to many seniors looking for help with daily life, a bit of company, and a good meal or two, and lately the place has had some legal issues tied to management and residents' rights during its conversion, but it still operates with a focus on care. The building has studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments, all decorated with comfort and storage in mind, and there are options for independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and short-term or respite stays, so you'll see a mix of folks with different needs, and people can bring their pets as cats and dogs are welcome, although smoking indoors isn't allowed. Residents get three nutritious meals a day, with vegetarian choices, and can enjoy the on-site beauty and barber shop, daily housekeeping, and laundry that also handles delicate or formal clothes, and errands, doctors' appointments, and trips out for groceries or entertainment are made easier because the place offers transportation, sometimes with chauffeured rides and sometimes with a simple shuttle.

    For those who like to keep busy and stay social, there are exercise classes, arts and crafts, music, card games, special events, lectures, and outings to local cultural spots, and you'll find friendly staff who try to learn people's names and their special quirks, which can help when someone needs reminders or a little extra company or help, and the community offers religious services both on- and off-site. For care, Georgetown Retirement Residence has staff on duty 24 hours for emergencies, with nurses on site, a doctor on call, and help available for bathing, dressing, moving from bed to wheelchair, blood sugar monitoring, incontinence care, and medication management, though residents needing insulin will have to manage it themselves. There's a dedicated memory care area for folks with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, where doors lock to avoid wandering and staff focus on comfort and consistency, and the facility also has hospice for those who need it, along with physical, speech, and occupational therapy available. The environment is friendly and social, people often know each other by name, and the common spaces, both indoors and outside, are places where residents gather to talk or join an activity, and wheelchairs and walkers can get through most areas easily because the showers and spaces are built with accessibility in mind. Leases are flexible to let new residents try a 30-day furnished apartment trial, and the staff work with families to find the right amount of care, whether someone just needs some meals and friends or daily help with bathing or memory support, and while the place has had its share of changes and even legal disputes over the years, Georgetown Retirement Residence continues to look after the emotional and physical needs of its residents while staying a comfortable, social place for seniors in the heart of Washington, DC.

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