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Contact: Leslie Beard
[email protected] / 780-952-2033
March 22, 2021
Imagine starting your day with a dip in the saltwater exercise pool followed by breakfast in one of the seven dining areas with food prepared by Red Seal-certified Chefs. Then you have many different activities to select from: A short game on the rooftop putting green, a morning stroll through the garden, time in the art studio, or maybe a group yoga class. Perhaps quiet time reading in the library or relaxing at the spa and enjoying an in-house massage is more your style. The bistro has snacks available or settle in at the pub or relax on the rooftop patio.
(Sherwood Park, Alberta) Optima Living, and partners Pangman Development Corporation, and the founders of Synergy Centre today opened their world-class seniors’ community in Sherwood Park, welcoming the first residents who plan to make Aster Gardens their home. The 157-suite community was designed and built with the different needs and interests of all seniors in mind.
On opening day Sherwood Park Mayor Rod Frank received a tour from Karen Fitzgerald, Aster Gardens General Manager, and Ali Shivji, Principal, Optima Living.
“In everything we do at Optima Living,” said Shivji, “we’re guided by our North Star -- Let us welcome you home. We believe passionately that our success is measured by the degree all residents who live in our seniors’ communities feel like it’s home,” he said. “Surrounded by friends and family, everyone has the opportunity to live with purpose.”
During the visit, Fitzgerald pointed out the many services and amenities offered to create a community within the larger community of Sherwood Park and Strathcona County.
“A great deal of effort went into making Aster Gardens a place where people can live their best lives,” she said, “and we hope residents experience that sense of community when they invite family members and friends to come and join them for a meal or to take part in one of the activities.”
Mayor Frank thanked Optima Living and its partners for selecting Sherwood Park for its newest seniors living development. “What Aster Gardens means to me is that older Albertans ready to explore different housing with extensive services and supports have a perfect option right here. They don’t need to move away from Sherwood Park and Strathcona County to find it.”
Such a major investment represents a commitment to Sherwood Park and Alberta from the private sector to grow jobs, provide excellence in seniors living and optimism in a post Covid recovery.
The more than two years to develop and build Aster Gardens involved many local businesses. Pagnotta, a major construction and concrete manufacturer in Edmonton provided key building materials. Dialog, an award-winning design firm with offices in Edmonton, managed the overall design of Aster Gardens.
Last week, Jordan Walker, MLA for Sherwood Park, and Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta, and MLA for Strathcona-Sherwood Park also visited Aster Gardens.
“I was so impressed by what I saw,” said MLA Glubish. “I love how Aster Gardens has made an effort to integrate with the local community, including local physicians, pharmacists, and academics with expertise in memory care. This state-of-the-art community will offer a great choice for local seniors to stay close to their families in Sherwood Park.”
MLA Walker added, “This is such an extraordinary project. Not only will it attract people from the local area, but I fully expect we’ll get seniors from across northern Alberta and elsewhere seriously considering Aster Gardens when the time comes for a different type of housing.”
In addition to meeting the needs of active seniors who can live independently, Aster Gardens also offers a best-in-class memory care program, a form of specialized care for people with Alzheimer’s disease, and other related dementias and memory concerns. The memory care program has been carefully curated by the Optima team with more than 70 years, in total, of knowledge and experience. Optima also worked in close collaboration with the University of Alberta and Manitoba to produce a leading-edge memory care and brain health program built in partnership with world-recognized thought leaders in this field.
A grand opening event will be held at Aster Gardens once Public Health COVID-19 restrictions and protocols allow.
About Aster Gardens
As one of Optima Living’s six seniors’ communities in Alberta, the name Aster Gardens comes from Sherwood Park’s indigenous flower, the Aster, which is known to bloom later in the season. Aster Gardens is a 157-suite residence designed for people able to live fully independent lives. The Optima Living Memory Care Program, for people with cognitive concerns, is rooted in person-centred care and developed in collaboration with the University of Alberta and the University of Manitoba.
About Optima Living
Since 2007, Optima Living has established a strong reputation as an owner and operator of seniors’ residential communities located in western Canada. These communities range from Independent to Assisted Living, Long term Care to Memory Care Living, and Residential Mental Health. Optima Living currently manages more than 800 beds and has almost another 300 beds under construction in Alberta and B.C. Optima believes its North Star – Let us welcome you home – is what allows the company’s unique culture to flourish in all its seniors’ residential communities. For further information, visit www.optimaliving.ca
For more information:
Optima Living: Leslie Beard 780-952-2033 [email protected]