Walking into the Oxford you would think you were entering a five star hotel. In the centre of the huge lounge area with its smart grey tiled flooring, high ceiling and white walls stands a piano with soft piano music playing in the background. Comfy sofas, marble dining tables, two wall mounted TV screens, a meeting room and tall potted tropical plants are also features, as is a bar area with tea, coffee, juice and snacks being offered throughout the day. Off the spacious corridors located on either side of the lounge are bedrooms with modern hardwood floors containing a bed, chair, nightstand, dresser and wardrobe with their own ensuite washroom. Outside is a stone patio with tables and chairs and lush landscaped garden.
This is no hotel, however, but a new type of luxury care home – the only giveaway perhaps that it caters for a special type of client being the ceiling lift and pull cord call bell in each bedroom. The Oxford Senior Care is one of eight care homes owned by The Care Group in the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island. Nestled in a quiet upmarket residential area of Abbotsford, the 84 bed facility reopened after renovation in March 2017. A registered nurse is on site 24/7 along with care aides who attend promptly to the needs of residents. Healthy and nutritious food is provided three times a day by professional chefs in consultation with a dietitian. Recreational activities are also offered ranging from physical exercise sessions to music and artistic: singing, drawing and painting to fun pursuits like bingo and baking. Other services include housekeeping, laundry and a visiting hairdresser once a week. In the words of Jennifer Wright, Director of Care, “the aim of the Oxford is a happy and healthy resident” and it is succeeding!
For me personally the Oxford has proved to be a lifesaver going that extra mile to cater for all my care needs. As a 53-year-old Canadian permanent resident stuck in the UK with a neurological condition and limited mobility confining me to a wheelchair, I desperately wanted to return to BC but had specific requirements that most care homes couldn’t or wouldn’t meet. Thankfully I was introduced to the Oxford via A Place for Mom which finds appropriate care facilities for seniors and they provided me with a unique and outstanding respite care package that has exceeded all my expectations. A TV and telephone were put in my room in readiness for my arrival as a foreigner from abroad as I wasn’t able to bring my own. My needs are different to the average resident in terms of bathing and food – at the Oxford I can have a shower every day rather than once a week which is the usual provision and their kitchen cooks me an exceptional vegetarian and pescetarian menu to order. Wine is also purchased on request. The standard of care is superb – better than in any care home I’ve stayed in, the residents are quiet, pleasant and well-behaved, and every single member of staff is friendly and professional. Even the hairdresser is excellent!
I can’t recommend the Oxford highly enough and can’t understand why every one of the 84 rooms isn’t filled with a waiting list. Luckily for future residents there are still vacancies. I strongly advise a visit.