Developers break ground on unique approach to senior living

December 3, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

The meadows in question may have been grey when local dignitaries joined developers to break ground on the “Meadows of Aurora” last week, but a new approach to senior living will soon come into full flower.

Mayor Geoff Dawe and Councillor John Abel helped break ground on the first phase of the Meadows of Aurora, a 25-acre project in Aurora’s new 2C Development, which is slated to provide 400 housing units in total when everything is said and done.

The Meadows of Aurora is being undertaken by York Region Christian Seniors Homes, founded on a non-profit model to provide “a caring Christian community for the aged” combining traditional housing with assisted living services as the complex continues to develop.

Operating slightly differently from a condominium concept, the Meadows of Aurora works under a “life lease” program, which Simon Frankruyter, President of York Region Christian Seniors Homes, says results in a 25 per cent reduction over normal condo pricing.

“A life lease is like renting for the rest of your life, except you get to pay for it up front and you get the money back when you are done,” he says. “This is a huge issue for seniors as they don’t always have a lot of money to throw around. The main thing they are looking for is community. We really stress community. We will have lots of amenities that focus on the community, not only the community within the building, but also outside the building.”

Inside the building, the residence will feature exercise areas to allow people to keep in shape. This works, he says, in conjunction with their location which connects to Aurora’s trail systems just steps from their doors. Woodworking shops are also planned in the first phase to keep the mind active, along with a coffee shop and fellowship hall where residents can come together for a variety of purposes.

Outdoor gardens for growing vegetables in-house will also be featured.

“We’re trying to provide for the total needs of the person,” says Mr. Frankruyter. “We’re going to make sure they can age in place and over time we will have an assisted living facility as well so they can stay in the same building.”

Although the multi-phase project is built on Christian principles, and run by a non-profit board also governed on Christian principles, Mr. Frankruyter says it is a facility that is open to all.

“Our core principles are Christian principles, the main one being to love one another and a strong emphasis on community, which is all about helping one another,” he says. “That is what we want to try and instill in how this whole building is run in the future as well. It is run by board members that believe in those principles.

“Meadows…gives seniors a chance to be together with other seniors to form a true community. I think this is where the Christian aspect comes into play. It is a community where everybody shares with each other, cares for each other’s needs, and supports each other – especially through the challenging years. I am a senior myself and I have a wife who is somewhat disabled, so you have to recognize there are a lot of chances for people to have issues in their lives and it happens more and more. Therefore, it is nice to have a community around you that can support you when you are dealing with these issues.”

Over 150,000 life lease condos currently exist in Ontario, he notes. York Region Christian Seniors Homes currently operates a development in Stouffville, while similar facilities exist in communities such as Brampton, Barrie and Whitby.