The Bradley’s live-in management team is available for residents 24 hours a day
When Craig and Elaina Wonnell, the live-in managers at The Bradley, received an emergency call from a resident at 5 a.m., they organized medical help and her transfer to hospital within minutes.
Such an immediate response to an emergency call can save a life. This is why the Hawthorn retirement community, of which The Bradley in Kanata is one of the newest members, always has live-in managers and live-in assistant managers, usually two person teams, on hand in the company’s retirement communities.
“There’s a set of managers on call at all times,” says Craig Wonnell, noting that the emergency cord in each apartment also helps accelerate response time. “We’re here to help whenever we’re needed.
“More than that, we’re here because we care,” adds Wonnell. “When you move in — as a resident or a manager — you soon have more family members than you ever knew you had. I love living here.”
Simply put, he emphasizes, residents always come first. Managerial support for residents is evident in many ways. During mealtimes in the spacious dining room, for example, managers socialize and help serve the high quality, multi-course meals provided by a culinary team in the state-of-the-art kitchen.
“We eat the same great food as the residents and enjoy their company,” says Wonnell, who, with his wife Elaina, was part of three other Hawthorn communities before moving to The Bradley. “This is our home too, as well as home for everyone here.”
In addition to the distinctive feature of the livein managers being part of the expanding family of residents, The Bradley differs from other retirement communities by focusing entirely on independent living in a luxurious setting.
“We’re the only 100 per cent independent retirement community that I know of in the Ottawa area,” says Wonnell. “Residents bring in whatever care they might
need and age in place.”
And, he emphasizes, the place in question is beautiful. “It’s bright, light and spacious with all kinds of great features. I guarantee people will be pleasantly surprised when they come here and discover what we have to offer.”
From the front door they will see open spaces, curved staircases, thick carpeting and chandeliers. Wide corridors with handrails and couches and fireplaces with conversation corners, as well as the spacious and well-appointed suites further explain the gracious-living label that Hawthorn applies to its 80 retirement communities across North America.
The suites, ranging from large studios to one- and two-bedroom suites in various layouts, have individual climate controls. Many have balconies overlooking the landscaped grounds and walking paths. All offer the same sense of spaciousness and attention to detail as the communal areas. For example, the oversized bathrooms all have heat lamps and grab bars.
Among the communal aspects is a well-stocked library that offers a changing supply of books, many of them current bestsellers. The movie theatre — a real theatre, with its own popcorn machine — also offers the opportunity for residents to play their own home movies “for trips down memory lane.” A computer room, beauty salon/barber shop, a fitness centre, an ice cream station and a 24-hour snack corner are all available to residents at any time. And The Bradley bus can be booked to take residents for medical appointments, scenic drives, museum and theatre visits and shopping trips (pandemic restrictions permitting) as required.
Another interesting highlight on offer is the Hawthorn travel program. Residents of any of the Hawthorn communities are invited to book into the guest suite at any other location across North America and stay for a week free of charge.
“We’ll book the guest suite for you, wherever you want to go,” says Wonnell. “Once you’re there, everything’s included, just as it would be in your home community. The pandemic has put a stop to that program for now, of course, but once it’s over, the travel program will happen again.
“We’ve been very fortunate here,” he adds. “We haven’t had any COVID-19 cases. We’re very strict about social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing. We want our residents to stay healthy and happy so that they can enjoy all we have to offer.”
For further information about The Bradley, visit www.seniorlivinginstyle.com/senior-living/on/ kanata/the-bradley/ or call 613-801-3804.