It’s easy to feel at home when you’ve known a place since the day you were born.
Thanks to Heaton Place Retirement Residence’s location on the grounds of the former Armstrong Spallumcheen Hospital, some of its residents can truthfully say that their lives have come full circle.
“Some of our residents were born on this site at the old Armstrong Spallumcheen Hospital, so it’s really neat that they’re able to come back and live here 70 or 80 years later,” says Carrie O’Neill, Resident Relations Coordinator at Heaton Place.
Farmer, logger, hunter and outdoorsman Glen Maw was born on the site, as were his children, and now he’s back calling Heaton Place home.
“I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing being born on this property and 93 years later being back on this property!” he jokes. “I would just as soon be in the outdoors!”
The building is rich with history, both from its storied location and its adventurous residents. Often that history comes out at the Sharing Circle, a weekly gathering where residents tell stories from their rich lives or discuss interesting questions pulled from a hat.
“We’ve celebrated our history even in our name,” says O’Neill. “Heaton Place was named after William Charles Heaton Armstrong, a London banker who helped finance the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway and is the namesake of Armstrong as well.”
Secure and inspiring
Nestled in the rolling hills and mountains at the north end of the Okanagan Valley, Heaton Place is a peaceful, inspiring place to call home. The 76-unit condominium building was built in 2011 with architecture and technology customized to residents’ needs as they age. Wide hallways allow for safe travel in walkers and wheelchairs, and motion sensors keep careful watch over residents without disturbing their privacy.
“Each suite has a motion sensor that indicates movement. We check a software program twice a day to ensure our residents are up and moving around,” O’Neill says.
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Housekeeping, delicious meals, snow shovelling and yard work are all taken care of by caring and talented staff, leaving residents more time to pursue their passions. Enjoy cooking? Every suite is fitted with a full kitchen. Crave the outdoors? Take in the trees and flowers in the spacious courtyard.
“We have a hair salon and a house doctor with her own medical room on the main floor, so our residents don’t have to travel for appointments,” O’Neill says. “Plus we have a stagecoach van service, scooters, and indoor scooter parking to help residents get out in the community.”
But with a pool table, shuffle board, Wii games, happy hours, music circles and other activities, there’s plenty of excitement inside Heaton Place to keep residents social and engaged.
Heaton Place is conducting COVID-safe move-ins and tours of their one- and two-bedroom suites. Find more information at heatonplace.com and follow along on Facebook for the latest news. For a tour, call Carrie O’Neill at 250-546-3353 ext 506.