This year Falcons Landing, located in Potomac Falls, Virginia, celebrates three decades. Originally a retirement home for veterans and their spouses, the retirement community is now open to all. Photo courtesy of Falcons Landing

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As they prepare to celebrate their 30th anniversary in May, employees, administrators and residents at Falcons Landing in Potomac Falls, Virginia, are reflecting on what makes their retirement community special, a place where staff and residents have stayed for decades.

Retirement communities often experience high staff turnover. Senior Living News reported that “the turnover rate for all assisted living employees increased from 44.05% in 2019 to 53.11% in 2020.”

Falcons Landing — which offers independent and assisted living, short-term rehabilitation and memory care — is an exception.

Thirty-year employee and dining services director Robert Besserer was Falcons Landing’s first executive chef, who launched the community’s dining program in 1996. He has several reasons for his long tenure at the job.

“I have the best staff. I have always had the best staff,” Besserer said. “They make my job so much easier.”

His staff’s resilience and dedication showed during the Covid-19 lockdown.

“My staff showed up for work every day. They put their lives on the line to serve the 700 meals they delivered daily. The [residents] received a quality meal each day. We were all scared, but they kept showing up every day.” He calls that time his proudest moment.

He’s proud of the home-cooked food he serves, too. “From day one, I’ve always prepared fresh stocks, soups — everything is homemade. We get deliveries daily of fresh food. We do everything like a top restaurant.”

It’s not just his colleagues and the quality of the food, but also the residents who inspire Besserer’s loyalty to his job.

As he sees it, he said, “I have 435 best friends here. I love the residents. I’m out all the time talking with them. We talk about dining. We talk about everything.”

Original residents

Sandra Motsinger, 85, is one of Falcons Landing’s original residents. She and her husband, who passed away last year, moved there when it first opened in 1996.

At that time, her husband was nearing retirement and had grown tired of shoveling snow and handling other chores typical of single-family home ownership. Falcons Landing allowed them to travel the world without worrying about their house.

“It’s a safe environment, and the people are friendly,” Motsinger said. “I feel very fortunate that we were able to afford to live here.”

She and her husband were both active in clubs and volunteer work, and she emphasized that the sense of community and fellowship are major attractions.

Although some friends have passed away, Motsinger said there are always opportunities to meet new people through activities, volunteer work and shared meals.

Originally for military families

Although the community was initially created for military families, who make up most of the 500 residents, it recently opened to the general public.

Other military retirement homes have also made that change, according to CEO Gary Handley, who retired from the military and has worked in senior living for 25 years, with the last five at Falcons Landing.

“The staff is what makes it magical,” Handley said, adding that generations of people work there, including a college student who works at the desk at night whose grandmother also worked there.

“It’s a community, and the residents treat staff like their family. You don’t see that nowadays.”

Handley noted that even when outside contractors come to work on the buildings, they comment on the positive work environment.

“I can’t even walk a few steps without people stopping me to talk. When you talk to contractors, they are blown away by how friendly the residents are.”

Over the years, Falcons Landing has won several awards, including LeadingAge Virginia’s Workplace Excellence Award four years ago. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report named the Johnson Center, Falcons Landing’s skilled nursing facility, one of the best in the country, giving it five stars.

Honoring the past

Handley, Motsinger and Besserer admit that there’s a tough part of working in senior living: the passing of people they’ve grown to care about deeply. “The worst part is, we have to say goodbye oftentimes,” Handley said.

Those living and working at Falcons Landing will honor those who have passed away as well as those still there, as they prepare for a year of celebrations marking their 30th anniversary in 2026.

Reflecting the community’s military connections, the events will also celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, featuring patriotic decorations and monthly activities that pay tribute to both the community and the country’s milestones.

For more information about Falcons Landing, call Leah Daily at (703) 404-5155 or visit falconslanding.org.