Interview with Parkland on Eglinton West resident, Lorraine Irvine

It has been an adventure. I came to Parkland on Eglinton West by myself. I came on a day you’re not supposed to come, which was, I think, a Saturday. Because I could get a flight from Florida, we got the call while I was in Florida, where we have a home, and they said, "You need to get here within five days." So I booked a WestJet flight by myself and came. I got a taxi, it dropped me off, and that was it.

I joined in immediately, partly because I know people at Parkland on Eglinton West. I came there one time for Christmas dinner because I have people I call Auntie Bev and Uncle Hal, who I’ve known since I was 2 years old, and they are there. Their eldest daughter is my best friend, and she couldn’t come because it was a big snowstorm and she couldn’t drive from Brockville on Christmas Day. So we had dinner with Auntie Bev and Uncle Hal, and I said, "This place is nice, I think I should come here." So I contacted Pawan and put my name on the waiting list, and it came up while we were in Florida. I came up by myself, and we’re a lot more along now that Mike has joined me there after his hockey tournament.

It’s great. It really is a nice sense of community. I make a point to try and go down for meals at least once a day and sit with people I don’t know, so I will meet them and get to know them. That has been fabulous. That’s not something my husband’s comfortable with because he’s more of an introvert. But for me, that’s the way to meet people. I’ve met all kinds of people and had friends visit me.

Poker night was amazing. I like playing cards. I like playing poker. I’m not very good at it, but anyway, I went down there and the looks I got from the guys, because there are no women, was that I must have had green skin and snakes coming out of my head like Medusa. I mean, the look was like, "What are you doing here?" Well, I came to play poker. "Really?" Yes, really. Then, to make matters worse, in the first game, I won a lot of chips at the beginning, and they accused me of being a bit of a shark. I said, I’m so far from a shark, it’s not even funny. Then, at the end of it, I lost all the chips again, so then I redeemed myself in their eyes. I’ve been back again for a second poker night, and they said, "Oh, great, come sit here." They were very welcoming. But the first night was like, what? A woman?

The staff at Parkland on Eglinton West is amazing. People know my name and knew my name within the first week. You go down the hall, and people say, "Hi, Lorraine." I find that amazing, that they would know my name, and they come to the door, "Oh, hi, Lorraine!" It really does make a big difference.

I take the Globe and Mail, and my husband takes The Star. So the newspapers are coming and the mail is coming, and everything is just working out well.

We haven’t got all the stuff yet because a lot of it is still in the condo, which is still for sale, and they want some stuff there for showing it. Not all of it is there yet, but most of it is. I bought a lot of stuff from Wayfair and things like that. We’re going to have a lot of excess beds by the end of all this, and that’s okay. We’ll take them up to the cottage, and we’ll do something with them.

I’m pleased with the decorations at Parkland on Eglinton West. The units are very nicely designed. So it’s just a matter of knowing where the light switches are, how you can get to them, and where the pots and pans are, and that kind of thing. I think we’re getting there.

I think I do feel at home right now. I’m an early adopter, as they say, and this place feels good to me. I feel safe there, and it feels like I’m at home.

I would say that if you’re at that stage in life where you need assistance, then Parkland on Eglinton West is a place for you. My husband has had a great deal of difficulty agreeing to come, because he doesn’t need the assistance. But he recognizes how good it is for me.

I would probably not be in Florida and have to come up by myself. But you can’t do anything about that. The room came up, and so you had to take it. We did what we had to do, and I’d probably do that again if I had to. It’s not ideal, obviously. But it is good.

You need to know yourself. I just go downstairs to talk to folks, and I’ve met all kinds of people and made connections, but if you’re not capable of doing that and you just want to sit in your room, what kind of life is that? That is not how most people want to live. So I would say make sure you’re at least a little bit outgoing, and you’re prepared to try things. You just have to get stuck in. You have to be prepared to do that. You can sit in your room, you can enjoy the ambience, and never go out, but what is the point? We’re social creatures.

You’ve got to make an effort, and you’ve got to get out there. So it’s important to do that. I think that would be what I would recommend for anyone coming in: that you should do yourself a favor, get out there and join.

There are some people who are determined to be miserable. I’ve met some of those, too. Their dinner is not done the way they wanted, they haven’t got their coffee, and the staff tries, they try hard. Because it’s not exactly as you would do it, well, that’s too bad. Get over it, is what I say.