Vasa Lund offers seniors a holiday setting

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/11/2001 (8911 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Perhaps forsaking the house for a seniors complex isn’t jumping ship but weighing anchor.

That’s part of the thinking behind Vasa Lund Estates, a seniors housing development in Charleswood.

“I tell them it’s just like going on holidays,” says Bill Cody, Vasa Lund Estates’ development co-ordinator.

“We really try to focus the building towards hospitality; it’s not just buzzwords in the marketing, and that’s why most of what you’ll see here could easily be in a hotel.

“If you look at our lobby, it should be reminiscent of going to a lodge somewhere. You’ve got the manager and you’ve got a 24- hour live-in caretaker. If friends come, you’ve got a spot for them in the hotel suite.”

Located at 5429 Roblin Blvd., this non-profit, 64-suite project is Charleswood’s latest “55 plus” life-lease residence. Offering picturesque river property, the Vasa Lund, (Swedish for King’s Park) location certainly contributes to the makings of a resort retreat.

Cody says hotel chains such as the Marriott are also getting into the seniors housing business. “You can’t tell the difference when you walk in if your in a hotel or in a housing project. That’s where the inspiration comes from,” says Cody, who adds that the site lends itself well to the concept, with acres of old growth forest, riverbank access and a new dock.

“It should also have that service core to it,” says Cody. “If you have a problem, there is someone you can go to, just like a front desk. Like if the fridge doesn’t work, instead of worrying, you just go downstairs and get it solved and that’s part of the package here”

The building includes common areas shared among the residents. There is a large resident lounge featuring picture windows to take in the tranquil view. A physiotherapist does exercise class for the residents once a week.

The lounge also features conversation areas, fireplace, television, and garden door to a screened summer room and outdoor patio and BBQ.

There is a common kitchen for larger functions, reception desk/ mail pick up, a hotel suite for visitors, a billiard room, exercise room with equipment, workshop, underground parking and extra storage facilities in the basement.

Residents can participate in various activities like the gardening committee, potluck diners, and other events.

The building has extra space to accommodate future added services. A hair salon, and limited meal service are among the proposed ideas.

The suites feature balconies, large in-suite laundry/ storage, the latest in modern finishes, are all wheelchair friendly and include new kitchen appliances. Although some suites are larger and cost a bit more, the typical one bedroom requires a $55,000 entrance fee and $840 a month in rent. The typical two-bedroom entrance fee is approximately $65,000 down with a monthly rental of $950. Rents include taxes and all expenses except phone, television and underground parking maintenance.

When a resident leaves, their entrance fee is refunded in full.

Mrs. Leonoor Jansson and her husband were among the first residents at Vasa Lund, choosing a larger corner suite with an exceptional country-like setting and view of the forest.

Jansson says that the emotional and psychological strain of moving, downsizing, and sorting through belongings, deciding what stays and what goes, is it’s own challenge. “Doing this before your partner becomes ill or immobilized or in the hospital, I think you make a smart move,” says Jansson.

She has seen the toll that not planning ahead can take on people her age. “One or the other has a stroke or heart attack, or diabetes gets worse, or arthritis gets worse and then they are faced suddenly with the reality that they’ve got to move,” says Mrs. Jansson.

The social aspect is what the Janssons were especially looking for. “When there’s a whole lot of people in the building, there are some you really click with and that is important when you get older,” Says Jansson. “It becomes your support system and then if anything happens to any one of you, you’re in a situation where you have friends and neighbors.”

As a member of the residents’ executive committee, Mrs. Jansson says, “Decisions are not just your decisions anymore, they’re a joint decision and there’s a lot more steps and hoops to jump through. You learn to look at the good of the whole building and look at it in a broader way. That’s an interesting adjustment too,” says Jansson.

“To me, the choices that you have are really important. If you spend 20 years in a place that you’re not really exited about, and every time you look out the window you look at the parking lot, you say, ‘I wish I could see some green or some trees’, that in it-self is very demoralizing.”

For further information on Vasa Lund Estates, contact: Suzanne Hall or Kevin Moist, RE/MAX 837-700

PHOTO