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Orleans, Ontario retirement homes

One of the best places to live in the Ottawa Region

Orleans (or Orléans), Ontario, is peacefully secluded from downtown Ottawa and the hustle and bustle of Canada's capital.  Retirement homes in Orleans, Ontario offer the very best of retirement living, situated along the meandering Ottawa River. The city's many features, copious greenspace and rich character make it a truly desirable place for senior living.

Find the right senior care in Orleans

Your senior care options in Orleans include independent senior living, assisted living and memory care. Orleans' retirement residences offer the full suite of care . Before you even begin your search for an Orleans retirement home, be sure to download our retirement home checklist.

Independent living retirement suites are found in a number of local residences. Here, you can settle in style, make new friends and let other people take care of those tedious tasks you no longer want to do. Meals will be provided for you, housekeeping will be a thing of the past, and you'll have time to relax, socialize, and take advantage of some of the excellent amenities that you will find in today's senior homes. Homes will also provide some extra care requirements, quite often on a per-item fee basis. Other features of a care community are also nice to have, including emergency response and the easy availability of people with which to socialize. Many Orléans and area retirement homes create close-knit communities of good friends who look out for each other.

Read Ottawa Region retirement home reviews before you commit to any local senior care.

Orleans is home to some of the finest senior apartments in the entire Ottawa Region, where a continuum of services is available to meet the needs of today's seniors. There are a range of options from affordable housing services to superb luxury condos close to the River. Many homes feature dedicated staff and excellent support services, with up-to-date top-of-the-line care facilities.

Assisted living suites are a deeper level of care. People avail themselves of this type of care when the time comes that they need help with bathing, transferring or other tasks of daily living. Today's care homes are more open than ever to adapting to the needs of residents. As we have been told by one care home staffer, "We say, what exactly is it that you'd like assistance with? Every person's needs are distinct, we find, so we don't create cookie-cutter solutions but instead we meet the client where they are. We work in their home, they don't 'live in our workspace.'"

Memory care in Orleans and area is state-of-the-art, offering the best care and therapies for clients with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia. Memory care facilities now include features like colour-coded hallways, light therapies and other related therapies, along with a progressive-minded care suite. Care facilities are the best equipped environments to help those who have Alzheimer's, and care staff are well-trained to deal with symptoms of dementia and offer detailed care. Some of the care offered in retirement homes includes elements such as catheter care, oxygen assistance, feeding tube assistance and many other highly detailed care options that fully enhance the care and comfort of your loved one.  Orleans is home to the first seniors' community in the entire Ottawa region that is 100% dedicated to the care of those with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Long term care homes in Orleans and area are government supported. If a loved one needs long term care, you can contact your LHIN to find out how to proceed. 

Short term stays are one more way to get a taste of today's retirement residences. People need not consider a retirement home as a permanent residence. Many homes offer short term stays including:

• respite stays that give caregivers of Alzheimer's patients a break
• convalescent care stays help you recuperate and recover in a health care environment where staff is ready to assist

Your local retirement home can be an excellent resource for families, and you should go into homes to learn fully what help they can offer you and your family members. It's a health care environment that's a very suitable middle ground between hospital care and being alone at home. Contact homes to learn more about the many flexible options they offer.

A survey of retirement home costs in Orleans

Here’s a look at a variety of retirement homes' monthly fees, from homes in Orleans and area: 

Choosing a retirement home in Orleans

Get a glimpse at the selection process in the video below.

How to Choose a Retirement Community from Comfort Life on Vimeo.

Living and retiring in Orleans

Orleans is a bustling, rapidly growing city that offers a bedroom community for Ottawa. Orleans' significant francophone population gives the suburb a distinct character. The city has grown over 20,000 people and 20% in population in the ten years from 2001 to 2011. Plans to extend the Ottawa light rail transit (LRT) into the city will help the city continue to grow at a rapid rate.

The LRT will also make it easier to retire in Orleans and find easy traveling into Ottawa to meet up with family, or vice versa. Retirement living in Orleans is projected to be peaceful and easy going for the foreseeable future. Proximity to the Ottawa River makes it amenable to many excellent recreational activities, hiking trails and more. Petrie Island parkland connects several small islands, and the beach there is very enjoyable. There's also the nature centre and many superb nature trails with scenery such as Princess Louise Falls and more. The projected LRT and the ease of travel on Highway 174 make it very amenable to daytrip into Ottawa and enjoy the many attractions and activities offered by Canada's capital. On its own, Orleans has many attractions, of course, including Shenkman Arts Centre and more. 

Retirement home regulation in Orleans

Care homes and seniors' residences in Ontario are regulated by the Government of Ontario through its Retirement Home Regulatory Authority (RHRA). Homes in Orleans and throughout the Ottawa Region must meet high standards in terms of safety and cleanliness. For homes offering long-term care and nursing care, there is also the Long-Term Care Homes Act (2007). This Act governs all long-term care retirement homes in Ontario, concerned primarily with safety, consistency of care, and treatment of residents.

Learn more about regulation of homes in this city from the following organizations:

• The Ontario Retirement Communities Association (ORCA) 
• The Ontario Long-term Care Association (OLTCA) 
• AdvantAge Ontario (formerly the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors: OANHSS) 
• The Canadian Association of Retired People (CARP)