Welcome to The Tree House
New recreational space opened at Valley View Villa
First it was an office, then a meeting space for staff. Then it was an office again. Then it was nothing.
Now, it’s The Tree House. On Oct. 25, staff, residents and family members gathered to celebrate the opening of a new space at Valley View Villa in Riverton.
“This room came as a result of lack of space for families to get together, for residents to have some other space to hang out in and for some small recreational programs to take place,” said recreation director Cathy Ryan.
She hopes it will be a place that people can enjoy spending time together in the future.
When staff was trying to choose a name, a contest was held for family members to come up with ideas.
Those entries were then voted on at the last family council meeting, with Teresa McKay’s idea of The Tree House selected as the ultimate winner. She came up with the idea because each wing in the long-term care facility is named after a tree.
Cindy MacLean, a longtime staff member at Valley View Villa, was given the responsibility of turning the former office space into something inviting and comfortable for residents.
“She was very instrumental in all the decorating of the room in there,” Ryan said. “She goes above and beyond.”
MacLean said she tried to make the room something that residents would enjoy and put a lot of photos of familiar Pictou County sites on the walls, such as the footbridge in Hopewell and the former Garrets by the Bridge Building.
“It’s the nicest I’ve seen this room,” she said.