Harvey and Rita meet with Rita’s mom, 100 year old Emily ! Bravo Emily !!!
Misconceptions galore, blasted away !
Recently, I had the pleasure of touring the VIVA RESIDENCES for seniors in central Pickering. I was looking for room facility for a number of seniors clubs for which I am coordinator. I went into VIVA with some preconceived stereotypical views of seniors.
My eyes were really opened !
Jen Churchill and Marteen Valleau, the VIVA community relations executives took me on a verbal and physical tour of the residence opening my eyes to the real world of seniors and the way they live at VIVA.
Misconception #1: Old and hardly moving
The residents are frail, slow moving old people who go no where and are hardly mobile.
Pshah !!! These seniors are robust, dynamic and energetic people who are actively involved in a tremendous number of activities in the residents and in the city itself. They go out for walks, jogs at a leisurely pace, and drive themselves to various places. I saw one resident carting in grocery shopping bags into the elevator. These are independent folks.
Misconception #2: Sedate, quiet living
The activities organized for the members are sedate, quiet ones as the residents lack the energy and well being for ones which demand more from them physically. Hogwash! These people have activities many younger people might be hard pressed into doing. Painting, cooking classes, pub nights and gardening too. No grass grows under their feet.
Misconception #3: Shhh, we want peace and quiet!
The resident is a quiet home for elderly folks who want it to remain so as these people don’t socialize much, nor want to. Baloney!!! They have a pub, with active participants coming in for a tibble in the evenings. The residents have a beautiful 50 seat theatre with a state of the art projection audio/visual system. A podium suggests that the room is used for guest speakers also.
I was surprised and overwhelmed with what I saw at VIVA. Frankly, if I were at that stage in my life and in the situation where I needed a retirement home, VIVA is one place I would give very careful consideration.
From what I saw, this is a lively, dynamic place to live. I have a sense, that if you want quiet at VIVA, you find it behind the door of your own private apartment. Otherwise, be prepared to meet with people who are active, energetic and socializers, people who want to know how you’re doing, what your doing and when…and not out of being nosey but because they don’t want to miss out on something themselves.
VIVA, a great place to live for retirees and a place that shattered all my conceptions and views about retirement home living !
You just have to see some of things they have going on at Viva:
FOOD FEST !
Visitors chat with a resident at the Food Fest 2015
Rita and Harvey meet with Mom, Emily…100 years old !!!
Resident Marie exclaimed, “This is really watermelon with herbs…Noooo !”
Really, they do watch their calories normally…but not at the Food Fest !
Lisa and Cindy enjoy a pause in the foodee charges !!
Everybody’s gotta take a break sometime.
Resident Leo says, “I think I have satisfied every sweet tooth I have.”
“Now just tell me this, which ones are sugar free !!”
