Interview with The Village of Arbour Trails family member, Mavis Morton

It has given me great peace of mind. I’m not nearly as worried as I used to be. I know that my dad is being checked in on multiple times a day, and that has been a significant change, perhaps more for me than for him. Just that peace of mind that there are resources, people, and attention when needed is really a major one.

The ability to call for help, unfortunately. My dad moved in in November, and on New Year’s Eve, December 31st, my family and I went over for an outside visit because that was all we could do at that point. My dad came out to wish us Happy New Year and hand us a bottle of wine for us to have for New Year’s Eve, and he fell and broke five ribs. Of course, we were all horrified, but immediately I was so grateful that I called the nurse that was on call

Within a minute after he fell, the nurse was there, she attended to him, brought him back in, and then was able to make everybody feel better. She offered him the option to go to the hospital, which he didn’t feel he needed. She checked on him multiple times that day and reported back. That would have been a very different scenario had he not been in a place like The Village of Arbour Trails.

One of the challenges has been that he has not been able to benefit so much from the social life yet because he moved in in the middle of a pandemic. Only recently have things really started to open up. That has been a challenge because there have not been a lot of opportunities for him to meet other people.

The most ongoing social event is the three times a day that he meets with at least one other person, now three other people, in the dining room. They have had, through the pandemic, the odd hallway exercise event, and there were limited capacities to meet in the library or in the pool room. But because my dad really didn’t know anybody, he has frankly been reluctant to do much of that. The social life, frankly, we’re still anticipating some more value in that area.

The physical space has really been a positive thing. My dad, even though he is 96, is quite independent. He was finding that the apartment he was in, which had no services or supports, was getting to be a bit much. The great thing about the physical space that he has is that it’s a one-bedroom apartment. He has a nice, big bedroom that doesn’t have a big window, which is a great thing because it means that he can have a dark place to sleep.

The other main space is just the perfect amount of space. He has a little kitchenette, a television, a computer desk, and a little corner area for his computer. He has a couch, a chair, and a coffee table. It’s the perfect size that allows him to live comfortably, and we were almost able to move just about everything that he had in his previous apartment.

The other great aspect is that he’s on the main floor, and he has access through a back door right outside. So he is a walker, and every day he goes out to walk. Instead of having to walk through the entire residence, he can just walk right out his door and go for a walk and come back in. That setup and layout, and access have been really important for him.

One of the improvements that I have noticed is actually around food. Because he doesn’t have to be responsible for getting groceries in and making food, that has really been a benefit. We certainly hear that for one person, lots of single people find it difficult to maintain their nutrition. So he knows, and we know that he’s getting good food three times a day, and that has really been useful.

I think that has been something that he has benefited from. He’s put on some weight, not still quite as much as maybe he would like, but he has put on some weight and knows that he’s getting good quality food. Again, that takes away a major stress for him, and he likes the food. He’s talked very positively about the food.

The Village of Arbour Trails is a welcoming place. I certainly see people literally from the minute you walk in the door. There’s someone there who greets you with a smile, is encouraging, and makes you feel welcome

Because of COVID, there have been changes to what is required over the course of the time that we’ve been involved. They’re always very informative in terms of what you need to do and how to do it. Both my dad and I have had very positive experiences with the staff. People are generally friendly, they acknowledge you, and they are happy to answer questions or help if you need something.

I used to have a lot more sleepless nights knowing that even though he wasn’t physically too far away, I was worried a lot about if something happened and how I would know. That was the big thing. How would I know if something happened? So that has been huge. I feel so much more relief and confidence knowing that many times a day someone’s coming in to provide medication or to take his temperature or whatever.

If he didn’t show up in the dining room, there would be someone who would come and check. Just knowing that there are a number of points in the day when I know that someone’s checking in is huge, huge peace of mind.

It was getting pretty isolating in his apartment with the reality that he wasn’t leaving because that wasn’t safe, and it was very difficult to have people coming in. So the sheer fact of physical presence and knowing that there are actually individuals that my dad is engaging with on a daily basis has been huge. If he wants to be engaged with people, he can go out his door and find other people.

That has been huge for me, too, because we know the research for everyone, but particularly for senior populations, the impact that isolation has had has been huge. I’ve now gotten to know many of the staff, and he has gotten to know many of the staff, and that familiarity and feeling like there’s someone that you can, even if it’s just a quick little conversation or “how are you doing,” it’s a pretty big deal.

When we were looking at what might be available that would fit my dad’s needs, I was really happy to have the opportunity, even in the middle of a pandemic, to physically go and see the property. I would encourage families to do that. It’s a beautiful property. There are lots of really nice things to look at from the outside. There’s a nice big body of water. Having grown up on Lake Ontario, okay, it’s not quite Lake Ontario, but it’s still pretty nice to see some water. There’s a fountain, there are lots of beautiful flowers.

Inside, again, it’s a well-kept, clean place. It’s got lots of big high ceilings and nice bright lights. It’s decorated very nicely. It has the right balance between feeling comfortable and also looking like a really well-maintained, contemporary place. It feels very open. It does not feel closed. There is lots of physical space, and now that things have opened up a bit, there are often many people moving around in different ways.

I see canes and walkers and scooters and people on foot. I see dogs. There really is good physical space. There’s a nice library that looks really comfortable. It has lots of books. It has a computer. There’s a pool hall that’s a nice big open space where residents can just pop in and play pool. There’s a big TV room where you can sit and watch TV or watch other people playing pool.

There’s a little café, which again is nice and open. There’s an outside area just off the café where you could get a coffee or tea or just go out and sit outside at a table with an umbrella. So the physical space is probably one of the more positive things that I noticed as a person checking out the space, and I was very happy to be able to see the different rooms and what physical space was available.

I was also really impressed with the way that they helped to match up the resident’s needs with the community that you’re in. In my dad’s case, he’s in a community called Williamsburg, and that means certain things in terms of what your need situation is. That appears to me to be a really great way to work as well, because you know that the people who are in your community are in a similar situation that you’re in.

As part of the space on the way to my dad’s room, there’s a sort of nurse’s station. There are always at least one, if not a number of staff that are in that area. So without knowing the ropes, you know where you can go to get questions answered or to get help if you need it. There’s also a laundromat if you want to do your own laundry, and there are different dining rooms available.

They eat with their cohort, and there are two different meal times so that if you like to eat early or later, those are available. The physical space is certainly an advantage for sure.

My advice is to do your research. The best thing that you can do is be well-informed. You don’t want surprises. You don’t want to expect one thing and then be disappointed. It was very helpful to get information that we could read and to be able to physically go check out the spaces. When it’s not a pandemic, I understand that you can even go for a meal. Spend as much time as you can there.

There’s nothing like hearing what it’s like not from the people who work there, but from the people who reside there. I am a big advocate of doing your homework, doing your research, spending time, asking questions, and getting information.

I had known about the Village of Arbour Trails for years. When my mom and dad first came to Guelph in 2012, I did look at Arbour Trails then, and at that point, it wasn’t totally finished in terms of all the different options and buildings that are there now. But I was aware of the Village of Arbour Trails, although I didn’t know as much about it in terms of all the different care options. I live close to Arbour Trails, so that was a positive. It was always part of the shortlist, especially after my mom passed — when I thought about options for my dad. I also have friends and colleagues who had parents at Arbour Trails.

My dad was living in an independent apartment, and he was working with a financial advisor. He was talking to her about how he was starting to feel like things were a little too much to maintain in the independent apartment. She was the one who said to him, “Have you ever thought of Arbour Trails?” I had already known about The Village of Arbour Trails, and I had talked to my dad about it, but she really kind of said to him that she had a parent there and gave him the lowdown of all the benefits. That was the turning point for my dad, hearing from someone else who had a positive experience, when he said “I’d like to find out a little bit more.”.

The right space in combination with the right amount of care was what my dad was after. He continues to be a very independent soul, even at 96 years old. But the food, the meal preparation, was really a significant challenge. So that was a really important consideration, to know that at least three times a day, you’re going to get good meals. That was something I had heard about, that the meals were good.

That combination between what your needs are, both physical needs, but also medical needs or service needs and care, seemed as though The Village of Arbour Trails had the right fit for where he was at. My dad is not ready to move into a bed. So having the opportunity for a really nice suite that gives room, he walks when it’s not nice outside, he does lengths inside, was important. The physical spaces that are available in combination with the services are what he needs at this point.

Then there’s that continuum of care, knowing that in the future, he doesn’t have to get kicked out. He can actually just move to a different neighborhood, or access additional services and resources that could come in or be provided by The Village of Arbour Trails. That flexibility in terms of space and care is important.

While my family was helping finish moving in, I went to the admin desk and did the paperwork. Nick went over with me all of the rules and requirements, and just going over everything again in terms of what was expected. We did all of that within a couple of hours. He got his first dinner brought to his room, which was really well received, and he really enjoyed it. The move-in was really well organized, with good information. There were no surprises.

One part of gathering information that I really appreciated was that a care coordinator from The Village of Arbour Trails came to my dad’s apartment prior to him moving in. Not only were we making sure it was the right fit, but they were making sure it was the right fit. That made us feel more confident about things. Melinda came to my dad’s place, very friendly, and she was the first major point of contact for us prior to that transition.

Melinda is still very involved in my dad’s life and mine. During that meeting, she asked a number of questions. We had to fill out a survey. It was a way for the staff to get to know who was going to be the new resident. Part of that set of questions was asking things like what are your favorite snacks and what do you like to do.

The day my dad moved in, there was a lovely basket on his little kitchen counter that had some of the things that he had answered in that survey and in those questions with Melinda. There were chips and ginger ale and reading material, historical reading material. That was a really nice touch.

I expected it to be a little easier to get to know people once my dad was there and get involved in things. I knew that there were a fair amount of activities, but context matters. He happened to move in in the middle of a pandemic, and it was late November. That transition was really difficult, because of the pandemic.

I think I would have found out a little bit more and perhaps helped the staff plan a little bit more about some more specific targeted activities. That would have given my dad an opportunity really early on, as soon as he was out of isolation, to get to know people. It’s hard to show up in a place and suddenly walk up to people and introduce yourself and make friends. That social engagement and transition has been the most difficult, and I think I would have done more to try to make that a little easier.