Interview with Baycrest Terraces resident, Connie Price

I got to know the community through my uncle's living here first, [and I learned that] this was not just an apartment building, it was a community… The staff that interviewed him were wonderful and they were so caring and respectful to him. He was 84 when he moved in and he had never lived in a retirement community before… He got very involved in the choir and very involved with people in the dining room. Management matched him up with some residents that weren’t new, and they sort of took him under their wing and introduced him to people. 

When I moved in… they paid attention to what my needs were and they were attentive. They knew that I knew the community and had become a part of it. My first reaction was, ‘I'm home. This is a place where I can stay, and stay with comfort.’ 

[My move] was a little bit more planned… It was very smooth because I felt like I already knew people… The social worker gave me a choice of two dinner tables... He did a personality match for us and I chose the one table. We got to be really good friends… and I'm still good friends [with] the people that were at that table.

It doesn't feel like I'm in a big residence or an institution. One of the really nice things about this building is that there are no long hallways… we don't feel like we live on the floor with a lot of people because there's a lounge area in two parts of that triangle. There are significant pieces of art on all of the walls, on all of the floors… On a winter day, when it's not nice to go out, it's kind of fun to go around and see the artwork… That makes [your day] bright. 

The front lobby is very inviting…There's a really nice gathering space, a big assembly room for main events. There is a large dining room that has a terrace… There's a room called the Fireside Lounge where activities take place. There's a synagogue on the main floor… There's a really beautiful greenhouse and that's one of my favorite places to hang out. [It’s] always open and it's a very peaceful place. 

Group activities range from movie nights in the assembly room to, in the summer, there are ice cream socials and a barbecue. There are Yiddish classes. There are concerts every week. Really a range of things!

We're close to a lot of things, which I really appreciate. I used to live in downtown Toronto where everything was close, and when I first came up, I didn't know the neighborhood at all. But it's a really nice mix of nice residential area, quiet on the one hand, but very close to shopping on the other. I felt at home right away.

You get to know everyone and start to feel comfortable. We have a new neighbor now on my floor. Someone encouraged her to come to Bingo… and it was nice because right away I could welcome her and introduce her to about 30 people… People start to feel at home when they start to make friends and make acquaintances. 

People here pretty much look out for each other, and if there's somebody new, they invite them to go to dinner with them or outside… the welcome couldn't be warmer. 

The staff is really good about being open to questions… Everything worked out so well… because of the way the staff functions together, the social workers, the recreation team. And therapists, the nurses. There's a doctor here every day.

[This is] a community of very mixed abilities and very mixed ages, and that's an asset, it's a really good thing. 

We have really good, good food here. For a lot of people, the food is [important]. Families should know they do really well, and that the food staff is flexible to meet people's needs and any dietary things that they need.

If somebody needs to be where there is a nurse available all the time… look at that. That's one of the things that I need: to be able to have a medical response. And I've needed that a lot. We have the emergency alarm system. That's a need that I have over and above everything. 

One of the things that really did impress me here was that all the bases were covered… I had a good gut feeling [concerning] the respect that he would have when [my uncle] got here. That was really important to me, that he wasn't just going to be a resident in a building, but he was actually going to be part of a community that he could interact with, but also where he could be safe… and have access to medical care. And I think for most of us, that's what it is. We need the access to medical care…and good social work. The social work team here is amazing, and the recreation staff is amazing.