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~ TESTIMONIAL 1 ~ It was Dec. 22, 2005. It was my first day at West Shore. After having raised 10 children, living on a farm and being very active in the family business, | was a little reluctant about this move. However, like many of you, | was recovering from a medical issue, and it was clear that | would fare better in an environment where | had my own space so | could still live independently. | would have housekeeping, meals, activities and most of all, other seniors like me, nearby. When | moved in everyone was so friendly and helpful that it was easy to make this my new home. Aside from my daily routine of getting up at 7 am, getting dressed, making my bed, saying my prayers and having breakfast, lunch and dinner, | decided to get involved with many activities offered here. | play games, cards, bingo, exercise, volunteer at the tuck shop, and get involved in making the gardens beautiful and colourful, and help to keep them weed-free. For others, there are bus trips to see the autumn colours, White Feather Farms, weekly trips to Walmart and outings to places like Lindsay and Oshawa. My kids often kid me about winning (sometimes losing) at bingo or euchre but | really enjoy the socialization. Being a part of the community at West Shore | learned about making new friendships. A new friend- that you have with, but tactually have every- thing in common; you are both he d to hi ife. That is something special, and rare at this time in life, but it is out there so you can’t be shy about meeting new people. ti is zrealy wonderful to nave someone to walk with, to have a I if wine) with, and to learn about someone cae life. Many of us enjoy the monthly wine and cheese, the birthday celebrations like sing-alongs, the seasonal activities like treasure hunts for Easter, Canada Day BBQ’s, Strawberry Socials and Christmas celebrations like the annual Christmas Barre: which is one of my f us work with thi ment to make the best homemade Christmas cakes you will ever have. Wel pai sell out and my own family knows that if they don’t put in their order early, they might be out of luck. | really like living here. When my family comes by | can visit with them in my room, outside, upstairs or on the front porch. They can join me for lunch. Often we manage to have a game of Scrabble. Sometimes it can be as simple as an afternoon chat and cocktail. Other times, when | am on my own, | will knit dishcloths which | give to my family members, and | also like to contribute knitted toques and scarves for the less advantaged. Looking back at my reluctance to move into West Shore | realize that much of that was about change. Change can be hard at any age, but change as a senior is a real challenge. Who wants their life to change? No one... although we often have no control over these things. So after the first 3 months of new people, schedules, activities and surroundings, | finally embraced my new place. Thanks mostly to the staff and other residents who encouraged me to enjoy this new part of my life. Now after almost 10 years of being a West Sh newcomers to give it a little time, meet some new people, join in on some new things and enjoy their new home. : ‘ ~ TESTIMONIAL 2 ~ | moved into the | West: Shore bungalows i in Jan 2001 and loved my new home, until | had to mak ilding in 2014, It was avery hard transition, but I knew it was the right one. The staff look after y to help, whether it isin the Office, kitchen or healthcare staff, they all work as a team! The staff is honest and hard working, and many have similar interests and have fun learning new things. The location is superb; it is a short walk to town, close to the bank and shops as well as the library. Th lots of bench it on along the way to the lake if you feel like relaxing and listening to the birds lam very happy to call West Shore Village my “home”. Native artist ‘August Swinson was commissioned to create a painting to celebrate the 20th anniversary of West Shore. Faye Koss, his mother and Kent Farndale, chair of West Shore Community Advisory Board, unveil the work. WEST SHORE, aay, YeRca ELEGANT LIVING BY THELAKE 293 Perry Street, Port Perry 905-985-8660 © 1-800-248-0848 www.westshorevillage.com FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2015 17