Mile-A-Way Adult Home

Pros

• The memory care activity room is enjoyed by participants.
• The dentist ladies are the best; they are very kind and understanding.
• The medical assistants in the clinic at PACE are awesome.
• The gym/therapy staff are helpful and caring.
• The atmosphere is clean and everyone is nice.
• One reviewer described the program as a life saver.
• The participant has made many friends and loves coming to PACE.
• The staff is excellent and hard working.

Cons

• The In Home Manager needs to improve on her people skills.
• Requests for a participant's ISP or MyChart are ignored and require visiting the center.
• Departments within PACE shift blame to other departments and fail to address concerns.
• The grievance process is ineffective and does not address concerns.
• Breakfast is mediocre and cold; lunch lacks variety.
• There is no access to drinks throughout the day; a drink machine or pitchers are desired.
• There are not enough medical assistants to cover all participants.
• Some aides are rude, likely due to being short-staffed and overworked.

Review

Families connected to the PACE program share a broad range of experiences, and the voices collected here reflect both the warmth of daily interaction and the frustrations that can accompany complex care. One mother began attending the day center in December 2024 and quickly found a sense of purpose in the memory care activity room. For her family, the social aspect and routine at PACE are meaningful - she wakes up looking forward to her time there, and that enthusiasm is described as the primary reason to keep her enrolled. The environment, teammates, and activities create moments of joy and engagement that many families value deeply. Yet beneath that positive note lies a tapestry of concerns about how well the program coordinates care, communicates with families, and maintains consistent service across all shifts and departments.

A recurring thread across the reviews is the sense that communication could be much stronger, especially when it comes to coordinating care plans and translating needs into actionable steps. Several family members point to the In Home Manager as needing stronger people skills and better responsiveness. When a loved one's ISP (individual service plan) or MyChart needs arise, there is a perception that the request must be made in person at the center, and that sometimes requests are not acted upon promptly or effectively. Additionally, there is a belief that departments tend to deflect responsibility onto one another, leaving families to "stay on top of things" and decipher who is accountable for what. The perception that filing a grievance is a ritual rather than a solution contributes to a sense of frustration and fatigue, as families feel their concerns aren't being addressed in a timely or satisfactory way. In this climate, mindful communication - listening carefully and following through - emerges as a critical need, especially for families navigating the challenges of Alzheimer's care where consistency and clear expectations matter deeply.

The importance of consistency cannot be overstated, particularly for participants living with Alzheimer's disease. Several reviews emphasize that the weekend experience, in particular, hinges on having reliable, familiar caregivers, and the loss of a long-term weekend aide can destabilize a routine that families view as crucial. One parent underscores that consistency is imperative to the well-being of their loved one, and notes that the absence of a stable weekend staff member has amplified the difficulty of managing the day-to-day experience. This person's takeaway is not just about a single shift; it's about the broader need for dependable personnel who can sustain a familiar rhythm for participants. While the day center remains a place of connection and daily purpose for many, the inconsistency in weekend staffing becomes a visible, tangible barrier to the very stability families are seeking through PACE.

Beyond staffing and communication, families are divided in their experiences with the meals, beverages, and overall daily care. In several accounts, breakfast and lunch are described as mediocre or cold, with limited variety and little enthusiasm around the menu. The absence of ready access to drinks throughout the day - a common request - adds to a sense of discomfort and impatience among participants who rely on the center for nourishment and hydration. Families also point to the need for more medical assistants to balance the high number of participants. According to these accounts, there are more participants than MAs, which can slow down clinical care and contribute to a perception of under-staffing. The resulting atmosphere is one where efficiency and responsiveness feel uneven, and where participants' experiences of meals and basic comforts color their overall view of the program.

Amid these critiques, there are many stories of warmth, praise, and genuine appreciation for the parts of PACE that work well. Several participants and family members highlight the positive, professional demeanor of the dental staff and the clinic team. The dentist office staff are consistently described as kind and understanding, and the clinic MAs are praised for their competence and approachability. The gym and therapy services also receive gratitude for the assistance they provide in maintaining physical health and mobility. Some families express admiration for the broader culture of care within the center, noting that "the staff is excellent," that they are "hard workers," and that they appreciate the sense of community they have found through PACE. In this light, the overall experience is not simply a matter of negative or positive judgments about a single department; it's a composite of several strong points - the engaging activities, the social environment, the dedicated clinicians - interwoven with ongoing concerns about operational consistency and communication.

There are also voices that reflect a mixed but ultimately hopeful stance: people who love what PACE has to offer and see it as a life-changing resource, while also acknowledging that there is room for improvement. One review emphasizes being grateful for the positive relationships formed within the center and for how much PACE has contributed to personal well-being, noting that their health has improved and that the environment feels clean and welcoming. At the same time, there are reminders that aides need to slow down and communicate more clearly with participants and families. This dual sentiment - appreciation for the program's strengths and a demand for more deliberate, respectful, and patient-centered interactions - appears repeatedly, signaling a desire for a more consistently harmonious operation across all roles within the center.

A contrasting set of experiences centers on InnovAge and the broader ecosystem of home care options. One family recounts a troubling dynamic in which threats or pressure were applied to coerce families away from home care services, prompting them to consider alternative channels such as news outlets. The sense that someone might "call Wavy TV 10" speaks to a fear among families that they could be pressured or intimidated as they explore options outside the center's immediate offerings. In a final note of contrast, another family shares a positive migration story: InnovAge was unable to provide adequate in-home care for their mother, and the family ultimately found an excellent adult day center and in-home care elsewhere. This story ends with gratitude for the discovery of a better arrangement, underscoring the reality that families often weigh the trade-offs between facility-based care and home-based support, and that the right fit can vary dramatically from one family to another.

Taken together, the set of reviews paints a nuanced portrait of PACE as a program that delivers meaningful engagement and compassionate care in many contexts, while also contending with persistent issues around communication, responsiveness, and staffing. The overarching theme is not simply a single failure or a single triumph; it is a spectrum of experiences that can shift from day to day, shift to shift, and staff to staff. Families repeatedly call for more consistent communication, a streamlined process for accessing services and documentation, and a more robust cadre of staff to ensure that meals, beverages, and clinical care meet expectations. They also call for recognition of the human element in care - that even in a busy day center, when a participant is anxious or confused, the way staff listen, explain, and reassure can make a life-changing difference.

Despite the challenges, there is a palpable sense of loyalty and hope. Many participants and family members speak to the value of community, the companionship found at the center, and the improvements in health and mood that come with regular activity and social interaction. The stories also suggest a clear path forward: invest in stronger, more consistent communication across departments; ensure staffing levels align with participant needs, particularly for medical and day-to-day support; and maintain the compassionate, person-centered approach that many staff members demonstrate when fully supported by a well-coordinated system. In this light, PACE represents a meaningful option for aging regardless of the hurdles, with families ready to advocate for better processes so that the positives can shine even more brightly and consistently for every participant.

Physicians

• Daniel Lee Medical Group (1.4 miles)
• Curtis W R Scott Jr MD (1.5 miles)
• Patrick Henry Family Medicine (1.7 miles)
• Riverside Internal Medicine Of Denbigh (1.9 miles)
• Patriot Primary Care (2.5 miles)
• Dr McQuain (3.2 miles)
• TPMG (3.4 miles)

Hospitals

• Mih Bon Secours Gift S (1.5 miles)
• Mary Immaculate Hospital Nursing (1.5 miles)
• Mary Immaculate Hospital (2 miles)
• McDonald Army Health Center (2.9 miles)
• Riverside Regional Medical Center Employee Health (7.2 miles)
• Riverside Regional Medical Center (7.3 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (1.8 miles)
• Walgreens (2.6 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (2.7 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.7 miles)
• McDonald Pharmacy (2.9 miles)
• Rite Aid (3.2 miles)
• Good Neighbor Pharmacy (3.4 miles)

Cafes

• Panera Bread (2.5 miles)
• Starbucks (4.2 miles)
• Starbucks (4.4 miles)
• Starbucks (4.6 miles)
• Panera Bread (7 miles)

Transportation

• Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) (2.6 miles)
• Felker Army Air Field (FAF) (5.2 miles)

Restaurants

• Golden Corral (2.9 miles)
• Cracker Barrel (3.7 miles)
• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen (3.8 miles)
• TGI Friday's (4.2 miles)
• Panda Express (4.5 miles)
• P.F. Chang's China Bistro (4.5 miles)
• BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (4.5 miles)

Parks

• Yorktown Battlefield (4.7 miles)
• Gloucester Point Beach Park (5.8 miles)

Places of Worship

• Warwick United Church of Christ (6.7 miles)