When Alavida Lifestyles opened their Ravines location four years ago, Peggy Moffatt and her husband Jim were one of the first couples to move in. Peggy’s now 80, Jim just turned 90, and they both feel “the past four years have been great!” “It’s a great way to live,” she said. “It’s like being on a cruise ship — you have all your meals and entertainment. In the winter on a miserable day, you don’t have to go out, we have a pool party!”
All the Alavida Lifestyles’ communities offer events and activities that are adapted to the interests of their residents. The joy of living at Ravines, one of three Alavida Lifestyles locations in Ottawa, is “the fact that you’re no longer alone, sitting in an apartment,” said Peggy. “You’re as busy as you want to be. We take part in everything that goes on around here.” They both go to aquafit and chair exercises twice a week, and Peggy also does tai chi.
Bill Johnston, almost 91, is another resident who lives at Ravines with his wife, Betty, almost 88. They have been with Alavida Lifestyles for three years, starting in the seniors’ suites and then moving up to the retirement residence as their care needs increased. “We were being teased on ‘movin’ on up,’ ” Betty laughed.
At each Alavida community you can seamlessly transition from independent to assisted living in one place, so that you can maintain the lifestyle and friendships that you’ve made. “We like the friendliness,” said Bill. “It’s everything we hoped it would be.” “It starts out with going into the breakfast room and hearing ‘Hello everyone!’ in the morning,” added Betty. In the evening, “we have friends and go to the games room and the men play pool, and then we all sit and play bridge. Then for entertainment, we have The Ravines Review, which gives us a rundown of all the happenings to choose from. We also have a wheelchair van if required so everyone can get out. There are all kinds of bus trips for shopping and restaurants and optional excursions.”
Alavida Lifestyles is an Ottawa-based organization that listens and adapts to residents’ needs. Services range from short-term stays and independent living seniors’ suites to assisted living retirement residences with a full package of services. They also offer a Healthy Minds program in each community dedicated to residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“I think it’s a mistake to stay home,” said Peggy. “As people get older they should be with other people. It’s a health problem if you fall at home, but there’s security and safety here. And there are so many nice new people coming in that you can relate to because they’re your age.”
For more information, please visit www.alavidalifestyles.com.
