Lists of reports on this page:
Find care details, insights, and insider perspectives gained from 20+ years of helping seniors and families.
What to know about this topic:
- Retiring to Kelowna from out of town
- Independent & assisted living in Kelowna
- Heavy care (Long-term care) in Kelowna
- Alzheimer's care in Kelowna
- Cost of Retirement in Kelowna, BC
Located in the heart of Okanagan Valley, right beside Okanagan Lake, Kelowna is an ideal place to retire. Kelowna retirement homes offer a wide variety of services depending on the senior's needs. Move into one of the senior living communities below, and you'll be surrounded by peers and helpful staff.
IN-DEPTH REPORTSRetirement communities in Kelowna
Orchard Gardens Seniors Community
At Orchard Gardens Seniors Community, we offer quality services and a variety of amenities. Choose from a studio or one-bedroom suite with independent living monthly packages.
Lifestyle Options: Apartments, Independent Living
Hawthorn Park Retirement Community - Verve Senior Living
Living at Hawthorn Park Retirement Residence means you have choices & can customize the services you need, as you need them. We offer three lifestyle opportunities; supportive living, assisted living & complex care.
Lifestyle Options: Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Long-term care
The Vineyards Residence
The Vineyards approach to assisted living & memory care allows people to go about life as they always have, despite health changes. Beautiful suites & homemade meals. Discover for yourself why we say Life’s Better Here
Lifestyle Options: Assisted Living, Memory Care, Long-term care
Cristalina PARC
Lifestyle Options: Independent Living
Sandalwood Retirement Resort
Life at Sandalwood means your needs are taken care of: dining, linen, housekeeping, transportation & 24 hour security. Enriching activities & events will engage you. Choose from bright spacious 1 & 2 bedroom suites.
Lifestyle Options: Independent Living
Retiring to Kelowna from out of town
If you are moving from out of the area, Kelowna’s humid continental climate affords residents four distinct seasons, punctuated by hot summers and cool winters. Like the seasons there is a wide variety of retirement home options in Kelowna. Assisted living Kelowna still provides ample opportunity for winter and summer sports, which are sometimes organized by Kelowna retirement homes or are put together by home care Kelowna agencies. Paddle sports and sailing take place in Okanagan Lake during the warmer months and are replaced by skating and snowmobiling once the water freezes. The popular ski destination Big White is located very close to Kelowna.
Kelowna Region is on our list of the best places to retire in BC!
Retirees who claim they want every day of their retirement to feel like a vacation are in luck as Kelowna was recently named one of the world’s 10 best regions to visit by USA Today. The whole of Okanagan Valley is considered a tourist attraction, as such most Kelowna residents are employed in the service industry.
The hospitality focus is also evident in the Kelowna’s retirement homes as well as adult day programs, and the many assisted living Kelowna providers. Kelowna restaurants regularly appear on best in Canada and best in North America lists and have also won prestigious culinary awards. There are over 100 wineries within 90 minutes of the city centre that are very popular for Kelowna retirement homes to visit for organized tours.
Most retirement homes and assisted living facilities in Kelowna are located close to Kelowna General Hospital. Kelowna retirement homes generally offer shuttle style transport around the city and in some cases throughout Okanagan Valley. Popular destinations such as Orchard Park Shopping Centre, City Park, and Apple Bowl, an outdoor stadium seating over 2,000 people are accessible by bus. Kelowna Airport is one of the busiest on the west coast offering regular flights to popular destinations within Canada and abroad.
Independent & assisted living in Kelowna
There are several degrees of assisted care that caters to different states of senior health. Throughout Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley there are independent retirement communities primarily focussed on their guests’ amusement, though they do have medical staff in the event of an emergency. These facilities are comparable to luxury hotels in that their primary function is to make their patrons as comfortable as possible. Guests in these Kelowna retirement communities are typically very healthy and tend to explore all the more adventurous activities around Okanagan Valley.
Assisted living in Kelowna includes a wide variety of services that allow seniors to remain independent while receiving specialized help that fits their needs. Assisted living Kelowna is sometimes confused for independent living as seniors maintain a tremendous amount independance at both care levels while living in Kelowna retirement homes. Technically assisted living, in Kelowna and anywhere else includes any residential property that helps people live fully with daily assistance (bathing, dressing, medication..etc). In Kelowna and throughout Canada, assisted living is a popular way for seniors to maintain their routines, sense of self, and dignity while still receiving necessary professional care to live a happy and healtly life.
Assisted living care also encompasses Kelowna retirement homes where the guests require regular medical attention. In Kelowna, there is still an impressive range in these patient health at these facilities. Like a retirement community, a typical Kelowna retirement home will provide patients with apartment style seniors housing and employ dedicated recreational and nursing staff. Both types of facilities will offer day trips and guest speakers, however the locations of the trips might vary. Assisted living retirement homes separate themselves from independent retirement communities with the level of medical care they are able to provide. Doctors are normally on staff and if there is no on site pharmacy, arrangements are made to fill patient’s prescriptions. This more intense level of care comes with increased supervision and tends to attract Kelowna residents who still have plenty to offer though require more assistance with day to day tasks or managing their illnesses than home care Kelowna can provide.
Heavy care (Long-term care) in Kelowna
Long-term care mostly takes the form of Kelowna retirement homes where seniors enjoy a more focused type of heavy care assisted living. Once a senior moves into a long-term care retirement residence it is considered they require 24 hour care and/or medical assistance. Long-term care homes are ofen known as nursing homes. Many are provincially funded, and may have long wait lists, while you may also be able to find private long-term care homes in Kelowna.
Alzheimer's care in Kelowna
These Kelowna retirement homes are very similar to regular retirement homes only their medical facilities are specifically tailored to dementia and memory care patients. Alzheimer's care homes in Kelowna will have strict supervision to prevent wandering in addition to tighter security protocols. As with any senior housing Kelowna facility, a great deal of emphasis is placed on comfort with medical renovations never appearing intrusive. Any assisted living Kelowna facility will organize games for their patients though this is especially common at Alzheimer’s facilities as memory games and social interaction can be an integral part of therapy. In major cities like Kelowna, an Alzheimer’s residence will either have a dementia specialist on staff or one who makes regular visits and is reachable in the event of an emergency. These types of Kelowna retirement homes are also more than capable of managing any other medical conditions their patients have, only they are focused on providing care for more evasive diseases.
In Kelowna and other Canadian cities it is possible to participate in adult day programs while living in a retirement home. Many retirees gradually move away from their personal homes into assisted living Kelowna facilities or another form of senior housing in Kelowna as part of the transition from home care to long term care. These assisted living Kelowna homes offer medical care in addition to a rare opportunity for patients to interact with their peers in social, non-hospital settings. It is for this reason that many Alzheimer’s and hospice care homes will encourage visits and organize social events with modifications accounting for their patient’s conditions.
Cost of Retirement in Kelowna, BC
Kelowna is an affordable city to retire in. Monthly rental rates for Kelowna retirment homes range from $2,500 to $5,000 depending on the retirment home you choose and the level of care required. See how Kelowna stacks up against the costs of BC retirement homes.