Interview with Courtyard Gardens - Verve Senior Living family member, Carol Tong

The thing that stands out most about our experience with Courtyard Gardens is how hard-working and caring the staff are. All three of us kids are remote. Both my mom and dad were in assisted living, and we learned you can rely on the staff to do their bit to take care of your parents. What really meant a lot was when my mom passed away in December, the staff went out of their way to make sure my dad was OK. And not being able to be close, it really means a lot.

He has mild dementia. So, you know, the fact that he was suddenly alone, he really needed extra support and none of us could be there right away. And of course, with the pandemic, even if we had headed over to the West Coast, we would not have been able to visit him in person. So, it meant everything that the staff were willing to help us facilitate, you know, a video call to talk to my dad and tell him what was going on. And they kept an extra eye out for him. They really did what they could. And that meant a lot.

The facilities there are great. They have an outdoor garden space above ground level. I guess they're named for this: Courtyard Gardens. And it provides a really nice space for residents to get out and sit in the sun. There are beautiful plantings all around. They actually keep a bunny there. And so there's a bit of animal life to interact with. And as well, the common areas are really nice. They've been renovated in the last couple of years.

There are nice sitting areas where they redesigned them to be distanced, and there's a grand piano. And that's also been a really nice thing for our family because my dad plays, and the fact that he can go out and play. He's not just sitting in his room; it's really nice that they have this ability for him to get out and do something for himself. I think he plays some sort of the American songbook kind of stuff, and he plays it by heart. So he taught himself to play, and he doesn't need music. So he's not playing classical music, but he's playing popular songs from probably the 40s and 50s.

We've had the caregivers take some video, and there are some really sweet scenes. There's a woman with a walker who will kind of dance with her walker as he plays. It's really sweet.

Oh, it definitely made life a lot easier for them. My mom was getting a bit frail, and so having the burden of getting groceries, cooking, and all the household tasks taken care of for them was a real relief for them. And they had access to the dining hall three meals a day, extra help with laundry, whatever they needed. But there are à la carte services that you can request. So if the residents need help with laundry, you can have laundry done once a week for you. There’s so much less to worry about. They could kind of enjoy retirement living.

Yeah. I'm very impressed with the amount of activities they have arranged. My parents don't do everything. But, just looking at the calendar that they send out every week, there are three or four different types of activities every day from chair exercise to bingo, like virtual music during the time of the pandemic. But there's a lot to get involved with. There are monthly birthday celebrations as a group for people who are having a birthday that month. Yeah, there's a lot to do.

The amount of caring and professionalism amongst the staff is the biggest thing we noticed, other than the values. It's a really welcoming place. When you walk in, any staff member you meet is always smiling and friendly. And so willing to help, and we've been so grateful for some of the individual staff members who we interact with. They never say something's too much to do for you, but it's really pleasant interacting with the staff.

There's less worry. The fact that they're in a facility, that there is somebody there around the clock, that they're not having to cook to get good three meals a day. That some of these everyday tasks they can get help with if they need it. It’s wonderful, being able to know that somebody is there for them when we couldn't be there.

I would highly recommend Courtyard Gardens. It's really given us such a peace of mind to know that our family members are in a caring community. All the staff are wonderful. They really make it an enjoyable living environment for our family. Having a place where they can be looked after, they have three meals a day, they don't have to do their own cooking or their own laundry, it really brings peace of mind to us. There's also a great range of activities. They're not just sitting in their rooms. There's plenty to keep them occupied and to socialize.

It was my parents' choice. I know they were looking for a place that was close to where they lived at home for three decades. And they had a friend who was in another very senior living community, Gilmore Gardens, and that had come highly recommended. One of the deciding factors, I think, that helped was the flexibility when they signed up that they knew they could be on the waiting list and even if a spot came available for them, that they could defer if they weren't quite ready. It was important they had a friend that lived in another facility and that was highly recommended by that friend.

At Courtyard Gardens, they really liked the facility, the amount of common space, the fact that there was a piano in the common room. There were comfortable seating areas. There was a lovely courtyard garden on the upper level. So my parents felt that it seemed like a facility where they wouldn't just be in their suite without much to do.

I think the most important thing is to see the facility for yourself. When you actually visit, you'll get a good feel for the environment. The sort of atmosphere, you'll meet some staff, hopefully, and I know when we went to Courtyard Gardens, it was immediately obvious that residents were happy. As I said before, the staff are smiling and pleasant. It was just a really nice-seeming environment.

We had a chance to try a meal at Courtyard Gardens. And one of the features of their dining, too, is that residents can invite guests. So there is a separate guest area in the dining room that I think seats up to maybe eight people. And so it's quite nice. Residents can invite you for dinner or lunch, and the food's quite good.

I wouldn't do anything differently. I think my parents made absolutely the right choice for them.