Interview with The Residence at Orchards Walk resident, Claudia Monsma

You’re talking to the happiest lady who lives in The Residence at Orchards Walk. I’ve been there a little over five years now. My husband and I moved in just before COVID. He passed away last year, so I’m on my own now, but I don’t just live there; that is my home. I feel very fortunate that I’m there. I’ve made lots of very good friends, and I’m a very happy person.

We had a members meeting yesterday, and our activity director was telling us what was going on this month. She’s got 27 events planned for us, and that doesn’t include the ones that we do on our own, like cards and games and Pictionary, et cetera. You’re as busy as you want to be. For myself personally, I have something that I do every day, sometimes two things, but I keep myself busy.

That’s one thing that everybody remarks on when they move in there. They weren’t expecting it, but the feeling of community, of family, and how we care for each other is very strong. I think I pretty much know everybody by their first name. We’re family.

They are family as well. The servers are not like servers in a restaurant. This is family. We’ve got one young gentleman who just joined us about two weeks ago, and he’s from England, and he’s going to university, and we already know a little bit about him. We know all the staff. They’re very, very special. I think of them also as family, right down to the cleaning ladies. We’re very, very fortunate.

When my husband and I were turning 80, we had been snowbirds for 28 years. We figured maybe now it’s time to look for plan B. For about two years previous, we were checking out different homes in the Kamloops area. The residence was just a new building, and the first time we came through it was pretty cold because it was new and there was nobody around, so we weren’t too sure. Then, when it came time to make the decision two years later, there were about 40 people living there, and we had the opportunity to pick the rooms we wanted. We moved in, and it was the best thing we ever did. We absolutely love it.

We’re very fortunate with the location. Right across the street, we have a clinic, a pharmacy, a Tim Hortons, a Taco Bell, and a liquor store, all the things that are important to old people.

We were very fortunate because we weren’t moving from a home. Because we were snowbirds, we had a place down in Arizona, and then we had a small place, just a small park model, a little bit bigger than a trailer, in Chase. When we came to move, I didn’t have any big furniture or anything, and we had two weeks to move in. I came every day with two buckets, and I would put those buckets away. When it came time to the day we moved in, all I brought was what was in the fridge. Ours was a very easy transition. Very easy.

I enjoyed it right away. It was nicer than living in an apartment, of course, because you’ve got people around you all the time. But when it really, really hit home how special The Residence at Orchards Walk was, it was when my husband went into a care home, and I was on my own. That’s when I felt the real feeling of community and how people cared, and it made things so much easier for me.

There are a few girls in there, and one or two fellows as well, who have lost their spouses since they moved in, and they pretty much say the same thing. We help each other. It’s better than living by yourself. Much better.

One thing I mention to people when they’re touring The Residence at Orchards Walk is that if you plan on moving in there and losing weight, it’s not going to work. We’ve got a fantastic chef and a menu that other places are very envious of, and it changes every Monday, and we’re very, very spoiled.

I do tell people not to wait too long. Move in now while you can still get to know everybody and have fun, and join in on everything. We had a members' meeting yesterday, and our activity director has 27 events planned for us this month. It’s like that every month. We’ve got everything from pumpkin carving to Halloween costumes to early voting on the 16th. Our pharmacist was there for the meeting, and he told us he’s coming over toward the end of the month for our flu shots. We are so, so spoiled.

No. If I think of something that might pop into my head, I just come down and talk to Jody and he says, “Well, that’s a good idea.” Then it’s implemented, or he says, “That’s not going to work for some other people, sorry.” If you have a suggestion, we are encouraged to come up with ideas.

A lot of the things that we do in the evenings and the afternoons, we instigate ourselves with encouragement from the staff. We do play card games and Crib and all that, and we organize that. We check with the boss, and she says, "Sure, go ahead." Jo keeps us pretty busy with all the things that she’s planned.

I wouldn’t bring as many pots and pans. That’s about it, really. I don’t have to bring any cleaning supplies because that’s all taken care of for us. We have a cleaning lady once a week, so all I’ve got in there is a broom, and I do have a duster somewhere, but I can’t find it. The girls come in once a week. My kitchen floor and bathroom floor are all washed, everything. This is the life. Honest to God, this is the life.

Once you’ve found the one that feels good, do it right away. Don’t wait, because once you move in, you’re going to say, why did I wait so long? It’s absolutely a fun life. We’re all at the age now where we know we’re in the exit lane. But you come in there and there are no old people

I sit at the dinner table most nights with the lady who’s 97. Ninety-seven! I want to be like her when I get older. She is still full of fun and participates in conversation with us at the table. Just a wonderful lady. So there are no old people there. It’s a wonderful life.