10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Burnaby, BC

Love Astoria! From the first steps in the door we knew this was the place for Dad. The decor, the facilities, the rooms, and especially the friendliness, both of staff and residents, made Astoria stand out above all other residences. The staff bent over backwards to accommodate us and make Dad welcome. The pricetag is high, but the quality is excellent.

I have been able to spend some weeks at the Guildford Seniors Village during the past year as a respite resident. It's one of the best places around for respite care. Well-located in the downtown part of Guildford, it's a clean and secure environment with delicious meals, excellent staff, and lots of good recreational choices. My first two-week stay was in August 2018 when I was beginning to recuperate from an aneurysm/stroke I had in November 2017. At that time, I could not do much by myself so relied on the capable and loving care given to me by everyone at the Village. My second visit was in December 2018 before Christmas. On this visit, I was able to sit on the side of the bed for a short period and feed myself with my left hand only. I was still quite needy for assistance to bathe and dress. I was taken in a wheelchair to meals and other events. Staff were always happy to help me whether it be bathing, dressing, or taking me to recreation activities. I felt very lucky to be in my 'home away from home'. My third visit to the Guildford Seniors Village was in April 2019. After seven months of physiotherapy, I had improved considerably. I was now in a walker, feeding myself, and dressing myself. However, I am 88 and still need assistance with some daily activities. The Village has been the perfect place for me at all stages of my recovery.

I placed a family member at Dufferin Care Centre on a private pay basis. Unfortunately, the patient needed more attention than was provided, continually getting out of bed at all times of the night. As well, the other patients seemed to be more severely affected by dementia and inability to communicate than my family member so I decided to have the patient return to family care in our home. The staff advised me ahead of time that they did not provide continual one on one attention. The staff members I met seemed totally competent, friendly and concerned about their activity. I had to pay for 15 day's notice (as agreed when the patient was admitted) which made the whole exercise very expensive. The facility seemed to be well-staffed, clean and organized. My biggest problem was coming to terms with the depressing condition of most of the patients, but allowing for the fact that their mental capacity is somewhat diminished and such facilities are needed to handle a large number of seniors, I would say that the facility is doing a good job. In hindsight, I would have been better to have arranged for a respite period rather than commit to the normal arrangement.