Willowbend Book a visit
01/Come and see it
Visit on a Tuesday. Stay for lunch.
No appointment is strictly necessary — the door is open daily between 9:00 and 18:00. But calling ahead means Halina can walk you round personally and the kitchen will lay two extra places, which is a better use of the drive out here.
Before you come: ask us the four staffing numbers on the phone — we will give them to you
Visits daily 9:00–18:00 · lunch sitting 12:30 · (802) 555-3400
02/Request a visit
Tell us who you are visiting for.
We will call back within one working day to agree a time. Nothing here commits you to anything, and we do not pass your details to anyone.
Thank you — that is with the visits desk.
We will call back within one working day to agree a time.
If it is urgent, or you would rather not wait for the call, the nurse line answers twenty-four hours a day on (802) 555-3400.
Demo confirmation · nothing was sentReference shown for illustration only
What a visit looks like
About ninety minutes. The dining room, a vacant apartment of the level you are asking about, the sunroom, the loop path if the weather allows, and the Hollow Wing if that is why you came. Then twenty minutes sitting down with the actual numbers.
Ask to see
The specific apartment rather than a show flat, the current week's programme on the dining-room door, and a lunch service. We will not tidy any of the three before you arrive.
Find us
14 Fenwick Hollow RoadFenwick Hollow, VT 05602
Visits daily 9:00–18:00
Lunch sitting 12:30
Nurse line, 24 hours
Or just call
03/First call to move-in day
Five steps, and what each one costs.
Four of the five cost nothing. We say so up front because the uncertainty is worse than the number, and because the first conversation should establish whether the numbers work at all — before anybody drives out here.
01 /
The first call
Fifteen minutes with our admissions coordinator, on the phone. She will ask what is happening and roughly what the budget is, and she will tell you plainly if the numbers do not work. We are a private-pay community, so that is a real conversation rather than a formality.
No charge · same day or next working day02 /
The visit
Ninety minutes with Halina if she is in the building. Bring whoever else is deciding — siblings on speakerphone is normal and we will wait. Stay for lunch; it is the single most informative thirty minutes of the day.
No charge · book above or by phone03 /
Clinical assessment
Dr. Sowande assesses in person — here, at home, or on a hospital ward if that is where things stand. This decides the level of care and therefore the fee, and it happens before you sign anything rather than after.
No charge · about 90 minutes · family welcome04 /
The written offer
One letter: the apartment, the care plan, the monthly fee and the date it is available. Signed by Halina. Take it away and read it with whoever you need to — there is no expiry clock on it and nobody will chase you.
No charge · typically 3 working days after assessment05 /
Moving in
We send the dimensioned plan of the actual apartment so the furniture can be measured at home. Marguerite walks the empty room with you. The first fee is due on the day of the move and the agreement runs twelve months, then rolling monthly.
First month's fee due on move-in day · 12-month agreement · no depositIf you are on a waiting list
- Joining costs nothing and holds your place
- You may decline twice without losing your position
- Studios usually come free within 4–8 weeks
- One-bedrooms run 3–6 months; companion suites longer
- The Hollow Wing has its own list, currently 2 vacant
If you need somewhere now
- Respite stays run one week to ninety days at $215 a night, all-inclusive
- Subject to an apartment being free — ask, because it often is
- Used after a hospital discharge, during a carer's holiday, or as a trial
- Respite residents join everything; nobody is a guest at the edge of the room
- A respite stay converts to a permanent apartment without a second assessment
04/Twelve straight answers
Questions families ask us.
The ones that come up on almost every first call, answered the way we answer them on the phone.
What exactly is included in the monthly fee?
The apartment, all utilities including heat and Wi-Fi, three meals a day, weekly housekeeping, personal laundry, all activities and transport, and the care described at your level. There is no separate care charge and no points system. The only extra costs are a personal phone line, hairdressing, anything ordered from outside the building, and a one-time $400 pet fee. The full comparison table is on the care levels and fees page.
How is this paid for?
Most residents pay privately from savings, a pension or the sale of a house. We accept long-term care insurance and will bill your insurer directly. Some veterans' benefits may also apply. We are a private-pay community and do not accept state assistance programmes; our admissions coordinator will tell you plainly at the first call if the numbers do not work, which saves everyone a drive.
How often do the fees go up, and by how much?
Annually, in most years. Every change comes with ninety days' written notice and a letter from Halina explaining the reason — usually wages, occasionally insurance or fuel. The 2026 schedule quoted across this site is held for twelve months from the date you move in, whenever in the year that falls.
What happens if care needs increase?
Every apartment is licensed for assisted living, so the care comes to the resident rather than the resident moving to the care. Dr. Sowande reassesses, the fee moves to the corresponding level, and you get ninety days' written notice of any change. The only move that ever happens is into the Hollow Wing, and only when a secured setting is genuinely safer.
Who manages medication, and how?
A licensed nurse manages medication for every assisted living and memory care resident — ordering, storage, administration and reconciliation after any hospital stay. Independent living residents may self-manage or hand it over at any point without changing their fee or their level.
What is the staffing, day and night?
One carer to six residents during the day across the building, and one to four inside the Hollow Wing. Overnight it is roughly 1:14 with two licensed nurses awake and four care staff, plus a dedicated Hollow Wing carer who does not cover other floors. Nobody is on call from home. Ask every community you tour for these same four numbers.
Can my mother bring her own furniture?
Yes, and most people do. Apartments arrive empty apart from window blinds and the kitchenette. We send exact floorplan dimensions before the move and Marguerite will walk the room with you to check what fits — the most common mistake is an over-large sofa.
What are the visiting hours?
There are none. Family and friends come when they like, including overnight in the two guest rooms at $65 a night. We ask only that you sign in at the desk so the fire list is accurate, and that you tell the kitchen by 15:00 if you are staying for supper.
Are pets allowed?
Cats and dogs under 30 lb are welcome in independent and assisted living, with a one-time $400 pet fee. We ask for a named person who will take the animal if the resident can no longer care for it. Pets are not permitted in the Hollow Wing, but visiting animals come through twice a month.
Do you offer respite or short stays?
Yes. Respite stays run from one week to ninety days at $215 a night all-inclusive, subject to an apartment being free. Families use it after a hospital discharge, during their own holidays, or as a trial before committing. Respite residents join everything, and a respite stay converts to a permanent apartment without a second assessment.
My father has dementia but is still very independent. Which level?
Very possibly assisted living rather than the Hollow Wing. A diagnosis does not decide the level — what a person can still do decides it, and Dr. Sowande's assessment is about that rather than about a label. Plenty of residents live with a dementia diagnosis in an ordinary apartment for years. The secured wing is for when a secured setting is genuinely safer, and not before.
How long is the wait?
It depends on the apartment. Studios usually come free within four to eight weeks. One-bedrooms run three to six months and companion suites longer. Joining the list costs nothing and holds your place — you may decline twice without losing it.
06/Or simply turn up
A smaller place, on purpose.
Visits run daily between 9:00 and 18:00 and no appointment is strictly necessary. If nobody is at the desk, ring the bell — somebody will be with you inside a minute, because there is always a nurse in the building.