Finding Home Again: Heather and Her Dad’s Journey to Delmanor

Last June, Heather and her siblings moved their dad, George, into Delmanor Aurora. As a senior real estate specialist with RE/MAX, she knew exactly what to look for in a retirement home, and Delmanor ticked all the boxes for both her and her dad.

Read below as Heather opens up about her dad, why a move was necessary, why she knew that Delmanor was the best place for her dad, and how it is going so far.

Who is George?

Heather’s dad is a retired plumber and widower who owned his own business for many years. His two adult sons, David & Leonard and his other daughter Janice now carry on the family business.

How the Family Knew it was Time for Their Dad to Go into Retirement Living

Eight years ago, George’s family noticed that he was having trouble living alone and managing daily tasks as he had before. He wasn’t eating well and had experienced some falls. Heather, her sister and her brothers were worried about his safety, and so they convinced him that it was time to go into a retirement community.

At first, George was living in a retirement home in Oak Ridges. Heather relates how he was happy there at first, but after a few years, things started going downhill, and her dad became very unhappy. This was when Heather’s brother David suggested exploring a move to Delmanor. Now, a few months later, George couldn’t be happier and loves everything about his new home.

Why Delmanor?

In her job as a senior real estate specialist, Heather deals primarily with assisting seniors in transitioning from the family home to a condo or retirement residence. As such, she has visited many retirement homes over the years and interacted with many people, and she places Delmanor at the top of her list.

According to Heather, four things are very important to look for when visiting a retirement home:

1. Care of the building and overall cleanliness
2. The menu and food options, specifically if there are a lot of choices and they are healthy, nutritious, and well-balanced
3. How receptive, friendly, and adept the support staff and managers are.
4. That there is a busy social calendar and extensive recreational facilities

Delmanor checked all these boxes for her and her dad. George loves the atmosphere and the food. Heather, for her part, loved how friendly and caring the support staff and managers were. She appreciated that they gave her dad a lot of attention and even helped introduce him to other residents.

Location was also important to Heather and her family, and a large reason why they chose Delmanor’s Aurora location for their dad. It was very important for them to have their dad in a home that they could easily visit often.

What is Life Like Now for George?

When asked how she feels about her dad living in Delmanor, Heather gave a big smile and let out an easy laugh. “I love it, my dad loves it. Dad says, they couldn’t pay him to leave.” Without a doubt, she feels it was a positive change for her dad.

Heather knows that her dad is getting the best care possible. Five weeks ago, he suffered from a congestive heart failure episode. Delmanor responded immediately, and her dad was taken to the hospital. Once stable, the hospital sent him to a rehab facility to regain his strength.  Unfortunately, it became clear to Heather and her family that Dad was not getting the care he needed.  Delmanor “went beyond the call of duty” to get dad into one of their respite suites and organized the care he really needed.  George is now in the process of transitioning back to his own independent living suite at Delmanor.

If you’d like to experience the warm and welcoming atmosphere that George and his family found, we invite you to join us for lunch and a tour at Delmanor Aurora — a full-service retirement community in Aurora, Ontario.