Holland Gardens retirement residence opened its doors and welcomed its first resident on Monday.
Jill Macrae arrived this morning and was greeted with champagne, and a welcome home sign spelt out in balloons. Over the next 30 days, she will be joined by 25 new neighbours who will move into the six-story, 138-unit facility.
“When I drove up and walked in the door, that’s when I really thought, 'holy smokes, I have a space that’s mine,'” said Macrae.
The Bradford residence is equipped to meet the needs of its residents all under one roof with nurses on call 24/7. Each care floor has a kitchen, dining area, lounges and activity areas.
For Marisa Jeronimo, general manager for Holland Gardens, the residency is intended to provide seniors with the support they need to age gracefully and in one place.
“Depending on where they are in their life, health-wise, we can support them here and help them throughout their lives within that one home,” she said.
The second floor has memory care suites, and the third has both assisted-living and independent-living suites.
Jeronimo says devoting specific resources to dementia and Alzheimer’s patients is a growing trend in seniors’ homes.
“We needed to have that type of home here that is secure and you don’t have to worry about mom or dad wandering away or being left alone,” said Jeronimo.
For Macrae, today is just about getting settled into her new home.
“[I’m] just looking forward to seeing my stuff and seeing what will fit upstairs,” Macrae said. “It’s kind of exciting.”
