In a retirement living community you have a personal living space (ranging from a studio to a two bedroom suite) and sharing congregate spaces for meals, leisure and recreation. Meals, weekly housekeeping and recreation are provided and non-medical staff are available 24 hours a day.

Independent living suites are apartment rental accommodations with a bedroom, living area, bathroom and kitchen.  Tenants do your own cooking and cleaning. Tenants live independently with no monitoring.

Suite rates vary depending on the square footage of the suite and the resident’s income.  Rental rates are based on square footage and services and range from 60-78% of a tenant’s gross household income.

Available services may vary between lodges, however generally your meals, weekly housekeeping, recreation services, 24 hour non-medical monitoring, access to community services, water & sewer, natural gas and basic electricity are included in your rent. You would be responsible for telephone, cable, internet, parking, laundry, pendant and freezer costs.

Suite square footages and layout will vary within each lodge as well as vary between lodges. The suite sizes vary between 200 to 785 feet squared.

Yes, all rooms have a private full bathroom.

In some of the lodges, the suites do have a separate bedroom however most of the rooms do not. Separate bedroom suites are available at Sandstone Lodge and Medicine Tree Manor.

The majority of the rooms in the lodge do not have kitchenettes, however many suites at Medicine Tree Manor have kitchenettes.

Yes – all residents can come and go as they please, all that we ask is that you notify lodge staff that you will be leaving the building and when they may expect you to return.

Westwinds Communities maintains a Master Wait List which qualified applicants are priority rated. If you are flexible about location and suite then the wait list is shorter.

Individuals requiring medical supervision are not eligible for our accommodation as we do not have medical staff at any of our locations. Residents residing with Westwinds Communities must be functionally independent. Many of our residents receive Home Care from Alberta Health Services.

Functional independence is the physical, mental and emotional ability to look after your own personal needs and be able to interact socially with other residents.  Examples of functional independence include:

• Willing to follow the residential lease agreement
• Able to maintain your suite in a tidy condition
• Live amicably with fellow residents and staff
• Manage personal medications or with assistance from Home Care
• Maintain appropriate personal hygiene
• Able to get from your suite to the dining room for meals

The average age of the seniors residing in the Lodges does vary, in general the average resident age would be mid-eighties.

You must be 65 to apply for housing. For couples, one person needs to be at least 65 and the other person needs to be at least 60 years of age.