"Bethany Collegeside-Red Deer Alberta"

Quick background - On my father's death bed, he asked that I check on his best friend for him after he was gone.  His best friend had never been married, had no siblings and was an adopted part of our family for as long as I could remember.  I honored my fathers request and checked on our friend probably weekly for a few years.  It finally happened that he was no longer able to live alone and had been assessed as needing Long Term Care.  Being involved in all of this process as his Enduring Power of Attorney was all new to me and was somewhat stressful.  As it happened the first place that had space for him was Bethany Collegeside in Red Deer.  I remember the first person to reach out to me from there was the Social Worker.  She was very friendly, explaining and walking me through the paperwork that needed to be filled out, where to enter the building, who would welcome us, etc. etc.  The transition into this facility was very easy.  The Social worker over the years was always there to either address any concerns my friend or I had or find the right person to address them.  This was also true about the Care Services Manager who always seemed to go above and beyond as far as taking any calls, meeting with me on short notice or looking into any concerns my friend or I had. This doesn't mean that there were lots of concerns - it just means that these people demonstrated a commitment to being friendly, personable and as helpful as possible whenever they could be.  My friend was in his 90s and did not participate in a lot of the activities offered at this facility but whenever I was there (almost twice a week for over 4 years) there always seemed to be something going on.  Communication from this facility was awesome.  They were quick to notify me if my friend was needing anything or having any medical issues etc.

My friend passed away recently - although in his later 90s - it was kind of unexpected.  The staff notified me very quickly and were very professional and compassionate with the entire situation. 

I guess the big picture is that I was very happy with the care that my friend received at this facility for over 4 years and would not hesitate in recommending it to anyone.  I miss my friend and I miss a lot of the people I met that were instrumental in his care for the last chapter of his life.