I have found it very difficult to eat healthy at Ashby Ponds. One year after my September 2015 move to Ashby Ponds, I discovered that my LDL cholesterol had risen 44 percent. I met with Ashby Ponds’ Director of Dining Services, the chef, and dietician. They acknowledged the problem. Three years on, despite the efforts of residents, the problem persists. While a few “Healthier Choice” items have been added to menus, the overall dining experience has declined. It appears that Ashby Ponds still doesn’t have a plan to provide healthy meals to residents in independent living. We’re charged over $600 per month for one meal a day. One resident was told that if she can’t handle the food, go find another place. Ashby Ponds healthy eating criteria don’t include added sugar, one of three known killers. The other two are salt and saturated fat both of which one gets in generous amounts at Ashby Ponds. Too much sugar can cause insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes. Too much salt can cause water gain and high blood pressure which can lead to heart failure, heart attack and stroke. Statins to reduce cholesterol (I had to double my dosage) can aggravate these problems, and cause memory loss, confusion, and muscle damage. The 122-page, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines may be summarized as follows: eat real food; eat a variety of food; eat in moderation; consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from added sugars; less than 10 percent from saturated fats; less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium. These guidelines are the product of a massive effort by many committees inside and outside the government. New 2020-2025 guidelines will be out before long. Ashby Ponds is years behind in providing healthy meals to residents in independent living. Here’s my challenge to Ashby Ponds: consistent with the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines, prepare a healthy eating plan for a week of dinners at any Ashby Ponds restaurant.

My father was in assisted at Ashby Ponds in Ashburn. He was almost 94 and was originally in their independent living area for almost two years. My father had stage 4 kidney disease and was being seen by Dr. Ro, their resident internist. In February he started complaining of tremendous pain and went to Dr. Ro. No tests were done and he was told to take Motrin. A few weeks later he began falling out of bed and still nothing was done. He finally was taken to the hospital and they found he had such a bad kidney infection, he almost died. He also had at least a dozen kidney stones which were taken care of two weeks later after the infection began to subside. Dad also was losing weight because the infection caused him to sleep a lot, the food was so bad, and noone came to wake him for meals. A few weeks later he fell twice in one day and the second time broke his hip. The doctors at the hospital told us he needed surgery and that he would not survive the injury. We put him in hospice at Ashby ponds and the care go even worse. He was 94 and a Holocaust survivor. The only thing we requested is to let him die with dignity. they did anything bu that. If not for his three children by his bedside daily, he would have laid in wet diapers, been given little pain medication, and not been fed. He finally did pass away at 7:30 in the evening. To make things even worse they this company already had, they called my sister at 1 a.m. and told her she needed to come get the body. We were devasted by the lack of care, empathy, and just common sense on the part of the staff and administration. Everyone knew about my father and just let him die with no dignity and in pain. Thank god we lived nearby and were able to care for him as best we could. The entire 6 months he was there was a nightmare. I would stay as far away as possible from that place!