A local retirement facility has staged two rooms designed to help current and future residents and their families.
The rooms, the Beach Room and the Cabin Room, have a retro vibe and are to be used by potential patients, people needing respite care, and family members of residents at Chatham Retirement Resort.
Doug Hay, executive director at Chatham Retirement Resort, said two teams of staff members were tasked to convert the suites into the short-term stay rooms. The teams had the same room type, timeline and budget to create two independent “Retro Suites.”
“These suites are designed for people needing a short-term respite stay after surgery or to test the waters of living in a retirement residence to see if the lifestyle meets their current needs,” he said.
Amanda Cousins, retirement living consultant at the home, said it took a month to “pull the rooms together.
“We had to pull furniture that was already existing in the resort and we were given a budget of $700 to do the small touches – painting, accent wall, putting in a different headboard, etc.,” she said.
Cousins said the rooms are for when someone has surgery and they need to have respite care after coming from the hospital, for family members of residents, and for people just testing the waters on if they are ready to move into a retirement home.
A resident “may have nowhere for their kids to stay,” Cousins said of visiting family. “We can rent this out at a nightly rate that includes their three meals a day. They get to be in the same building as mom and dad.”
Donna O’Neill, a resident at Chatham Retirement Resort, said the rooms also help potential residents picture their living space when they opt to shift to a retirement facility.
“It shows people how you can decorate,” she said, adding it illustrates how to maximize your space as well.
In terms of popularity, the Beach Room, with its bright colours, was chosen as most popular by a committee of facility residents.
O’Neill said she likes both.
“The Beach Room is so bright and light. It feels like being on vacation,” she said, adding the Cabin Room “feels so homey. It’s a place you’d want to come to in the winter time.”
