102 Independent Living near Facilities Merrickville, ON. Page 4

Excellent staff, facilities and food. Patient, kind and attentive to all residents. A wonderful caring environment! I recommend it to anyone who has an elderly relative w dementia or other issues.

My Mom is 89 years old and lived in her apartment until early this year. She was doing well but it was obvious that she needed not only some care but company throughout her day. She had family visits but we felt she needed more activities and personal contacts. She was not at all interested in looking at any retirement residences and very reluctantly visited Governor's Walk Retirement Residence with her Granddaughter. From the moment she pulled up to the building, her eyes lit up and she showed interest in viewing the residence. She said that as soon as she walked through the front door and was greeted, she felt at home and comfortable. She has lived there 9 months and has nothing but positive reflections on each day. She likes all the people who live there and all the people who attend to everyone's needs throughout the day. The management staff is professional and always helpful to her and to us as family members who make requests or ask for information. Everyone that helps Mom keep her room tidy, who make her delicious meals every day, who provide social activities, who provide medical and nursing assistance go above and beyond to make her feel at home. We could not be more pleased with Governor's Walk or with A Place for Mom who helped us find her new home. My Mom is very happy there and I hope for years to come!

Starting Out 2016 – With a Whole Hearted Thank you to the team at Blackburn Lodge. After my mom fell in late 2011, she was not able to return to her home. I had the daunting task of looking for a home for her at a Retirement Residence. I selected three Retirement Residences, based on my mom’s budget, the environment at the residences, the quality of answers to my questions and the location. My mom looked at all three and chose Blackburn Lodge. It’s coming up on 4 years now and my mom tells me on our daily calls that she is so very happy at Blackburn Lodge. I live over 3000 miles away and I feel confident and comforted that my mom lives in a very caring environment. The team are skilled, thoughtful and caring and I continue to see examples of their going well beyond to support my mom. If I raise something that needs attention, the team is opened to dialogue . I find them responsive and the necessary actions are scheduled as soon as possible. My mom also finds the activities are inclusive and welcoming and she is encouraged to participate. She regularly takes her walker out to the park across the street in the summer months to that she can enjoy the outdoors. When I visit, I often join my mom in the dining room for some tasty well-balanced meals, with the other residents, and I find the atmosphere very friendly. My mom’s friends in the Ottawa area enjoy visiting her at Blackburn Lodge, either in her room or for a meal in the dining room. My mom tells me that she wants to spend the rest of her years at Blackburn Lodge, due to the caring and attentive environment created by the team there. This says a lot. I'm so glad that my mom continues to enjoy her life at Blackburn Lodge. It really provides me with a great deal of comfort to know she is so well taken care of and that she is content. So, many thanks to the team at Blackburn Lodge for your thoughtfulness and continuous caring for my mom.