Interview with Wildpine Retirement Residence resident, Suzanne Beauchamp

All the administrators are really good people. They make you feel comfortable... The care I received was unbelievable. Everybody was so nice to me, so good and helpful… I've never been in a place like this, but if I talk with residents here who’ve been in three or four different retirement homes, they say, ‘This is the best.’ 

In the dining room, there's normally four people together. You make friends with people and you walk around. We play Bingo. I really look forward to that. So do the other residents. We also get together on the patio in the back, the beautiful patio with a putting green… People make friends with different people. On the back patio we have some activities at times… We leave puzzles out and everybody puts a piece in while they're passing by. That's a lot of fun, too. 

My suite is terrific. My room is quite big, so I have enough space to put my craft works. I enjoy my room… I'm quite happy there.

People have no idea how much my life has improved! When I came here, I was sick, I had surgeries, but then I started getting better. [At first] I just wanted to go home [but] now I like it. It's just the idea of leaving all your belongings behind. You can’t take it with you, but I tried. I feel in a secure place. There are people that care about each other, and the staff and the management care about you very much… It improves your life. You don't think it will, but it improves your life. It's a good thing I'm here. It's a fun place.

The service we get is phenomenal. It is so much and so good. Like I say, I feel secure. If I go outside and [something happens], they're right there. It takes them five seconds and they're there.

It's a very nice place and it's a very clean space. I love it… The activity manager and her staff are so much fun. I really like her and her helpers.

[If you’re considering Wildpine] come on down! You'd be so happy here. At the beginning, it's hard to adjust. I'm going to say that to everybody and the people I talk to, the new people… But the management and staff are wonderful. They go out of their way to make you feel at home. I would suggest that this is the best place you'll find. I think we're cheaper than other places… I talked to other seniors, and they say the same thing, I just want to be home. But after a while, you see them making friends and talking to the staff and they love it.

My son and his wife went around the city and then came here, and it was the last place they were visiting. They said, ‘Hands down, this is the place for mom.’

[They] furnished my entire room with brand new furniture and dish towels and everything else.  And yes, I did have a lot of resistance. [But] when I got here, my room was set up. It took me quite a while. I'll be very honest with you… When I was feeling better, I decided that, yes, this is the place. [We’d] made a good decision.

By talking to me, with different staff members coming up to my room looking after me while I was ill…  You see that they care about you. You're not just another resident, you're an individual. That's the way they treat you.