Many of us have watched the construction of the large blue and gray building at the Bayside Centre, or Foodland Plaza as most call it, and wondered “what’s going on here?”. Beach BOOSTER reached out to Garden Developments to find out, and we are excited with what we hear.

The new Gardens of Wasaga Beach Retirement Residence is a 102 unit residence, designed for retirees.

The Gardens people who are making this project happen, have been in the retirement living and long term care business a very long time. “Most of us have spent our entire careers in retirement living and when you start adding up years of experience, it gets very embarrassing very quickly. Before you get to the fourth partner, you’re over 100 years” said Bill Mardimae, Senior Partner of Gardens Developments.

The issue of supply (enough retirement residence suites in a community to meet the demand) will become significant in the next number of years. The leading edge of the baby boom hits 80 in 2026 and that’s often the age when people find that their life situation is changing, and perhaps they start looking for options to their residential home.

In our conversation, the motivation for moving into a retirement residence came up. “For most people, something happens and it makes their current situation no longer ’okay’. For many people the loss of a spouse is often a catalyst for a move. The house was manageable with two people, but when alone it gets big. Losing a spouse also spells a lot of loneliness for people and this type of retirement living (retirement residences) gives you the opportunity to wake up each morning and decide if you’d like to be a little more social or a little less social. There will be over 10,000 square feet of amenity spaces in the Gardens of Wasaga Beach, and lots to do. But if you’d like to simply relax; your suite will be a quiet retreat” Mardimae tells us.

Other situations or concerns can often generate interest in retirement residence living, such as if someone needs assistance in the care of a loved one. It may start off being manageable, but as things progress it becomes necessary to find someone to help the caregiver. We are told: “we’ve built our residences so they bridge the gap from your residential home to long term care. If someone needs additional care or service over time, at the Gardens, you stay in the same suite and we add the additional care.” Nutrition is also on the list of things that cause people to question whether they should be making a move from their residential home. “One of the biggest surprises when people make the move to the Gardens is often the three nutritious meals a day, that can have a big impact on peoples’ health” Mardimae comments.

It’s agreed that retirement residence living won’t be right for everyone, but it certainly could be a terrific option for a lot of people.

The Gardens of Wasaga Beach leasing office opens in early May, to be located at 654 River Road West (beside the Royal Bank) and the residence is on schedule for an October 1st opening.

To take a took right now, visit the Gardens website at:
www.gardensofwasagabeach.ca

by Joe Bickerstaff
Beach BOOSTER Media Group
Wasaga Beach, ON
705-241-9762
www.beachBOOSTER.com