Interview with The Shores of Port Credit - Verve Senior Living management, Jodi Flanagan

What I love most about working on this particular project is the incredible diversity of projects. The Shores of Port Credit is really composed of three different areas and has three different ownership styles and an incredible offering. It is really a campus. There are townhomes, three-story townhomes, obviously designed for seniors, with the ability to have your own elevator. There is an apartment building with upscale, beautiful apartments for those people who choose to rent as opposed to own.

Within that retirement residence are even three levels. There’s a full-service retirement residence for those seniors who require additional support. There’s an assisted living household for seniors who require extra and continuous support. There is also a fantastic memory care household, which is going to be unlike anything else on the market today.

The Shores of Port Credit also has a wonderful location on Lakeshore Road West in Port Credit, just west of Mississauga Road, down from Snug Harbor. I have had the privilege of being up in the construction and being able to tour around a little bit, and the views are just spectacular. There are beautiful views of the lake, of the city of Mississauga, and of the city of Toronto. This project has so many exciting things about it in and of itself.

This project dates back a number of years. The developers are a partnership between a development group known as the Port Credit Group, who are a small number of local investors and developers, and Verve Senior Living. This is a joint venture between those two, and Port Credit Group has been working on this project for many, many years. They spent seven or eight years collecting the amount of land that was required for this type of project and putting it all together.

Right from day one, that group really saw the incredible nature of Port Credit itself, lending itself beautifully to a retired lifestyle. You’re on the lake. It’s very community-minded. There are all kinds of festivals in the summer, the farmers market, and the very popular jazz festival. There’s already a very active, connected community feel in Port Credit, and it lends itself beautifully to those who are enjoying a retirement lifestyle.

The Shores of Port Credit is designed for seniors, no matter what age or stage of health they are coming to it from. When I talk about senior living, I always talk about this as being a wellness issue, not an age issue. You can be 100 years old and be running circles around me, or you could be 65 years old and requiring some support. This really is about a wellness angle, and The Shores of Port Credit is designed with health and wellness built in.

There is a beautiful saltwater swimming pool, and there is also a secondary pool in the wellness hub that is more of a therapeutic pool. That is where you are going to have warmer water and hydrotherapy. Within that wellness hub, you have access to physiotherapy, exercise spaces, and a full gym for things like yoga classes and Pilates. We will staff that and put people in place to be able to walk you through a fitness and wellness plan for each individual.

Mental wellness is a huge part of aging well, and we have something that we’re calling the Saddington Studio, which is a lifelong learning environment. It is set up as a display kitchen, so if our own chef is going to do cooking classes for you, the demonstration will be shown on cameras and TVs around the room. We'll have current event discussions, guest speakers, and engaging conversations around learning about what is happening in the world and other lifestyles and places.

We also have a golf simulator and a golf lounge. Right beside that, there is a wine cellar and a wine tasting area that has the chef’s table in it. You could actually have your friends over and plan a whole evening there, whether we’re catering it or you’re using your own wine. There are two dining rooms at The Shores of Port Credit, one being the formal dining room and one being our bistro bar, which is kind of a New York, Paris-style bistro café.

The whole community is really designed around the concept of wellness. There are plenty of opportunities for socializing, dining, exercising, and fitness. Whether that is mind, body, or soul, we are looking to facilitate and partner with all of the residents in how they choose to live and how they choose to live well.

There is a very specific design to The Shores of Port Credit's memory care households. Anybody who has a family member or a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s or any of the dementia illnesses, and who knows they are no longer safe at home, is going to be absolutely blown away with what we have to offer within our memory care household. The household is intentionally designed to be contained. That is as much about safety and security as it is about familiarity and comfort.

We have very small households. Each one of the households is just for 15 residents. You are not thrown into a situation where there are hundreds of people around you, which can create confusion and upset. That household will have access to outdoor space as a constant, and it is absolutely flooded with light. We know through study that natural light is incredibly important for people who are suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The household is designed absolutely like a home, just like any home, not a residence or a facility. There is a living room, and we just call it the living room. There is a kitchen, and we just call it the kitchen. It is very familiar to people. We want comfort and ease. We want our environment to support calming a resident with memory care and dementia issues, as opposed to agitating and creating upset.

There will absolutely be opportunities for somebody from memory care to come down and join us for entertainers or seminars. That would likely include a staff member or a family member supporting them in doing that. So there are opportunities right in the household itself as well as opportunities to join the rest of the community.

There are two dining options. We do not just have one dining room to come to. You can choose between coming to the main dining room or going to our Bistro Cafe. The Bistro Cafe offers more café-style things, lighter fare, panini sandwiches, pasta dishes, and a more casual feel. The main dining room is the larger dining room, and it also has a family dining or private dining space, so you can join your friends and family there if you choose.

Verve Senior Living is committed to a program called Living, Loving, Local. That is a real farm-to-table approach to seasonality of food and to what is available. Each month, they highlight what is seasonal, what is available, and what is natural within that community. Whether we’re in Vancouver, Winnipeg, or Port Credit, what is local and in season for us is going to be featured throughout that month on the menu.

That encourages chefs to plan what they can do with what is available right now and bring that real farm-to-table experience. We are not eating from a frozen bag. We are really focused on nutrition, wellness, natural food, and seasonal food. In addition to the daily features, there is always a full menu to choose from, just as though you were sitting in a restaurant with daily specials.

One of the neat things about The Shores of Port Credit is that there are a number of retail spaces on Lakeshore Boulevard itself, and one of those on the corner is also a restaurant. That restaurant will be connected, although run by somebody else. So even that option is there for you. If you cruise by all our menus and none of those are tickling your fancy, maybe they’ve got something too.

There are definitely times that are dedicated, just like at home, when this is the time we get up, this is when we’re having breakfast, and this is the time we’re having dinner. There are set times when those things are available, but quite frankly, it's a much more self-directed and casual atmosphere.

There is a lounge just outside of both dining areas where you could come and have a drink with your friends if you’d like to have a drink before going into dinner, then choose what you’d like to go for dinner and proceed in when you feel ready, when your friends are ready, or when your own schedule makes sense. We really want to make it as much about personal choices as makes sense.

This has been a very interesting time for everybody around communication. [This conversation took place in 2021 at the end of COVID -- ed.] One of the things that gives us an incredible vehicle for communication is all of these types of things: video conference meetings, websites, social media, and platforms that allow us to communicate on a grand scale. From a communications point of view, there are all those traditional things, such as sending out a newsletter or an email blast.

We would send any formal communication probably by written letter and email. Then all of those softer things, like the newsletter every month that will show all the activities that are happening and what you can look forward to, are going to be posted on social media and on our website. We have a beautiful website, and it will continue to be a vehicle for communication. We can have a Zoom meeting right through the website and connect that way.

Resident and family communication is always critical. No matter if it is good news, bad news, emergency news, or just casual news, being able to talk with people and get that communication out in multiple different ways is a path to success. It would not just be one way. And of course, we never overlook the opportunity for one-on-one face-to-face conversations. It is absolutely designed around an open-door policy.

If you have lived in a community for 40 or 50 years, where you raised your family and where your history is, you're not too excited about leaving that, just because age has crept up on you and you've decided now is the right time to make a decision. We do find that people like to stay right within the community they have been in for the last number of years. That is very important. I would envision people from Mississauga, Etobicoke, and Oakville wanting to stay in the community they love.

The second thing would be that this is a destination location. We are at the lake, in the fantastic community of Port Credit, and there is so much happening there. It is very walkable. You can walk right into all the shops, boutiques, and restaurants in Port Credit itself. So there are those types of things.

The Shores is also ideal for people planning for future changes. They may be doing pretty well at home right now, but getting groceries, planning meals, maintaining the house, getting the yard done, getting the snow shoveled, getting the grass done, getting the eavestroughs done, and calling the plumber when something happens all become burdensome. This allows somebody to make a plan and take a look at what is there, all the way from completely independent living to knowing that somebody is there 24 hours a day to support you if and when you should need it.

The Shores of Port Credit is for people who are looking and can see that this is going to be right for them for years to come, and understand that no matter what happens with their own health and wellness, there is somebody there who can support them in that. We hope people choose us, but this is really a place where you can come to plan to stay.

Probably eight out of ten people who come in and take a look start to build a little bit of fear. They are getting a whole lot of information put onto them at that time. They can see that it is incredible, that it is fantastic, that they could appreciate all of the things happening there, but they do not know how they are going to do it. That is when the fear starts to build, because moving is a huge endeavor. Just thinking about all the stuff in the basement is enough to make people cringe.

We understand that the decision comes with anxiety. Anybody who has moved into a retirement residence has also gone through this. There are ways that we can support and help. Nobody expects you to do this all yourself. There is no one who expects you to pack every single box and clean out the garage. If family and friends are not close by or not willing participants, we can help connect you to people who can make all this happen.

The other side of it is emotional readiness. I love to explore with people when the right time appears for them and what needs to happen. I caution people strongly against waiting until they're forced into a decision. That's choosing out of desperation and making decisions in crisis, versus making decisions when you're fully capable and fully aware of your choices.

I encourage people to think through the decision when it feels good and when they're doing it from a place of security, as opposed to doing it from a place of fear and concern. Every individual is different, and every family is different, so my conversation with each family group is different. But if I can get people to appreciate making the decision from a place of calm versus a place of crisis, it is a world of difference.

If you're in the middle of your search right now, you're definitely going to be driven by location. Is this a location that you feel endeared to? That is probably one of your first determinants. Then look at the offering within the building and the community. Do they have what you need for different stages of your life? Personally, I would want to choose a place that did not require me to move because my level of wellness had changed.

Also look at whether you have access to the outdoors, access to a community that you love, and access from a walking or close driving perspective to your family, your friends, and other opportunities in the community. You are not limited just to what is in the retirement community itself. Take a look around you. Is that something that you can appreciate and enjoy?

Go to more than one place. When you do, you find out that some of the decisions are simply because that place was not the newest or the most beautiful, but there is something about that place that you just really enjoy. There is a spirit. There is a culture within each building, and you need to feel comfortable when you are in a retirement residence, and even just touring and walking about. So much of what is being told is unspoken, and it is really just an emotional response.

Take a look at the website and take a look at who owns the building. Is it secure? Do they have history? Do they have long-standing experience within this industry? Verve has a long-standing history. It is an Ontario-based, Canadian, privately held company, and they have just celebrated their 40th anniversary. There is a long-standing history there of people who know what they are doing and are in the business of serving seniors and extending the joyful life of seniors. This is not a simple business. It is a complicated business, and you want good people behind you.