A special way of living

North Kildonan

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/08/2023 (784 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When people go to live at Bergen Gardens, they do it on their own terms.

Located at 1475 Molson St. in North Kildonan, the residence is billed as a unique seniors community where those who live, visit and work experience a culture of creativity, choice, and well-being.

The new, state-of-the-art building has been designed to contribute to and promote physical, mental and spiritual wellness, with a big emphasis on memory care. It’s also a pet-friendly environment, meaning that residents can live with their beloved animals.

According to its website, Bergen Gardens offers a dementia-friendly community where people living with cognitive challenges, such as Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, feel safe and supported by the people in their community. It has 48 private healthcare suites grouped within four cottages, with 12 individuals in each. Residents all have their own private bedroom and bathroom and share a common area with kitchen, dining, and living rooms. Each cottage is its own neighbourhood, where meals and activities are planned as a group.

Residents began moving in a couple of months ago, and around 20 per cent of accommodations had been leased at press time. There are 149 retirement suites, in all, to choose from, where residents can then customize their package.

Kristy Rennie, community health director at Bergens Gardens, said one of the main goals of the facility is to move away from traditional institutionalized approaches to help personalize the experience for its residents.

“We want to provide an environment for our residents where there are opportunities in place for them to enjoy it entirely on their own terms,” Rennie said.

“We don’t want them to conform to any agendas, and we want them to live as they lived in their previous homes, just under a different roof with a few differences.”

“We want this to be like a home-away-from-home for anyone with any sort of challenges with lots of options and services under one roofs. This extends to memory care and assisted living — anyone who needs any kind care of care,” she added.

“We can cater to any needs, whether it’s physical or cognitive.”

Services include a town square that features a corner store and vending options, a cinema, a licensed bar with a pool table, a wellness centre, spa and salon, and art studio — to name a few.

“It’s important for our clients to be able to continue to live their own lifestyle, and we still want them to be able to have their own choices,” Rennie said.

She said staff meets with residents on a regular basis to discuss things such as where they’d like to go on an outing.

“It’s very important to us that they have that voice.”

Examples of the flexibility on offer at Bergen Gardens is a loose daytime mealtime structure — “we don’t have set mealtimes, but we have a lunch guideline between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.” — and residents are encouraged to continue to help building the community library with books, texts and other items of their own.

“It can be hard. Coming from family homes, some of our residents find it hard to let go of things.

“Here, they can bring their books and games from their basement. As well, because we’re pet-friendly, they don’t have to let their pets go,” Rennie said.

“And we’ll help people with their animals as their needs change, and our recreation team will evolve with this.”

Rennie said its crucially important to try and keep spouses together, not least because of all the emotions and grief felt when they are separated, and Bergen Gardens allows spouses to stay together under the same roof.

“Each spouse can live on each side of the building, which means one gets the care they need and one gets the respite they need,” she said, noting the healthier partner would live in the assisted-living part of the building.

Until Aug. 31, Bergen Gardens is offering a summer lease promotion where individuals who sign a lease by that date receive a $750 prepaid Visa.

Go online at www.bergengardens.ca for more information, or to book a tour.