How Families Stay Involved in Decisions at Optima Living Communities
Finding the right senior living community is a decision that touches every part of life: daily comfort, health, personal independence, and the desire to feel connected. For many seniors, family remains an essential source of encouragement and a steady, grounding presence. You might be wondering how family fits into the decision-making process once you or a loved one moves into a community. The answer is simple: at Optima Living, family is woven into the heart of how we support each person.
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Keeping your mind active doesn’t have to feel like work. Simple activities like conversation, reading, games, and new experiences can all support cognitive wellness in a relaxed, enjoyable way. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s engagement, curiosity, and connection. We make space every day for moments that help keep the mind stimulated while still feeling fun and stress free. A healthy brain is nurtured through warmth, community, and small daily habits that truly fit your life.
For Christmas friends, family, and residents came together for a delicious, festive roast turkey dinner. Aster Gardens’ residents enjoyed live entertainment, great service from an amazing team, and lots of smiles.
Wisteria Place’s residents celebrated together with Mike Kinal, sharing laughs, holding hands, waving sparkles, and singing “Auld Lang Syne” as they counted down to the New Year. Moments like these remind us how special our community truly is, full of connection, warmth, and celebration.
The knitting/crocheting club at Country Cottage proudly donated over 50 items to people in need through “Chase the Chill”.
This initiative was featured on CTV [click here to view article]. The group of knitters spent the year creating hats, mittens, and scarves for those in need, later displaying them along city fences.
Everyone at Cottonwood Village stepped out of their roles to compete in ‘Staff vs Residents shuffleboard’. They had a lot of fun and shared many laughs. The residents won the trophy 10/12 times this year. Congratulations residents!
Cottonwood Village celebrated Saint Nicolas day for Ukraine and we invited some of the local Ukrainians to come visit and help us build Didukh (grain centrepieces representing respect for ancestors). Such a treat!
So many residents helped set up our fantastic Christmas display and Cottonwood Village is proud to have such a good looking display.
Painting can be super therapeutic and good for the soul. Residents are making new paintings and our classes are super easy. Step by step directions that guide you as you create a masterpiece.
Laurel Heights’ residents took part in a German-American holiday tradition, searching for the hidden Christmas pickle! The lucky person who finds the pickle is said to receive good luck and a little extra joy in the year ahead. There were lots of smiles, laughs, and very determined pickle hunters.
There was so much laughter, teamwork and Holiday spirit, as Laurel Heights’ residents and team members competed in festive games, cheering each other on, smiling from ear to ear, and bringing the holiday magic to life! The room was full of excitement, and lots of giggles. Every game had a crowd, every crowd was cheering, and every person left with a big smile. By the end, the whole building felt brighter, lighter, and filled with that warm holiday joy.
Winter sessions are officially underway. Everitt Gardens’ residents loved kicking off Baby Story Time with the St. Albert Public Library. So many smiles, songs, and sweet moments.
Everitt Gardens says thank you to Loida for the AWESOME Santas!
Over the holidays, Santa and Mrs. Claus took time out of their busy schedules to drop in at MacTaggart to visit their residents, so many smiles… I guess everyone was on the Nice List!
Rutherford Heights’ residents enjoyed smiles with Santa, joyful music in the air, and moments they will remember long after the season ends.
Students returned to Summerwood Village to enjoy dice games, tic tac toe, and board games with their residents. The smiles and gratitude from our seniors made it clear just how special these visits are. We are so happy to have the students back in our community. Summerwood Village is thanking Elk Island Catholic Schools Division for visiting!
Music, festive cheer, and delicious food filled the holiday season at Parkwood Place. So many special moments were shared throughout the celebrations!
The Kensington welcomed the new year in style.
Deer Park Village’s Christmas door decorating competition was an a-door-able success! They had way too much fun decorating and an even harder time choosing the winners. Here are some lucky winners with their prizes!
Deer Park Village hosted a Christmas dinner for their residents. Such a great night spent together, with residents’ families, and friends. They even had a special guest make an appearance.
The Hamlets at Duncan shared photos of a special moment between their residents and Santa, recreation dream team and the leadership team.
Happy New Year! The Hamlets at Duncan’s residents had some fun making New Year’s resolutions!
We have suites available across our various communities, and we’d love to show you around. To get a feel for what living in our communities is like and to meet some of our residents and team members, you can book a private tour. Click the link below to schedule your visit. We hope to see you soon!
“Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life.”
– Albert Einstein