The Best Retirement homes in Kitchener–Waterloo–Cambridge

I didn't enjoy living alone so I decided to move to Queen's Square a few years ago. I chose to live here because it's close to my church and because of the beautiful view from my room. I enjoy the people who live here and its easy to make friends. The staff are always there when I need assistance or just someone to talk to. I enjoy the freedom to choose what I would like to do. I enjoy going on the bus trips, the art programs and the ability to be involved in the larger community. I truly enjoy living at Queen's Square.

Visited Chartwell Queen's Square Retirement Residence with my sister for a possible temporary home for our mother who is recovering from bypass surgery and were given a tour by Brian Dugas. We were very impressed by what we saw. It's very beautiful, clean, and well organized. My sister was so impressed that she said that would be the place that she would love to retire. Brian was awesome. Answering all our questions and concerns. I can't say enough about the Residence except that it deserves every bit of the 5 star rating that I'm giving it. Thanks Brian!

My grandmother lived at Queen's Square for many years. The staff are second to none. Everyone was so friendly and the care she received made my brother and I feel at ease, knowing that she was so well taken care of. We only have great things to say about this retirement community. The building is clean, bright, open and welcoming. Thank you to all of the caring staff who impact the lives of the residents who live at Queen's Square in such a positive way; we are forever grateful.

The location of this building in Queen's Square is perfect, close to downtown Galt, where there are many beautiful buildings - churches, library, cenotaph, fine homes and stores. The structure, inside and out is excellent. The decor inside is attractive, and the rooms are comfortable for guests, staff and all who live here. There is excellent physical and mental care - entertainment weekly and church services weekly. Guests who live here have their rooms cleaned well each week, with fresh bed linens and towels provided. There are special programs for special days, for example Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Remembrance Day and birthdays. There is also bus transportation for many special occasions, just for fun and for different seasons of the year.

The staff is wonderful, my mother is very appreciative of Roslyn's caring and also Simone. I appreciate your dedication to your residents needs, whether physical or emotional. There are many fun events and programs weekly, music is especially important for our aging family members. One of my mothers favourite things to do is the wine and food paring. She really likes Rob, who looks after this event. Thank you Chartwell.

I am a delighted and appreciative guest of Chartwell Queen's Square as a respite stay for 1 month. All staff exhibit and effervescent and empathetic understanding of their responsibilities. Daily programs entertain and invigorate with thought provoking games and live musical entertainers. There are regular opportunities to participate in age appropriate exercise classes. I have enjoyed the peaceful and beautifully appointed facilities and suite. Outside, landscaping creates a shaded and peaceful environment. Personally I am delighted to say without reservation that I have acquired many new friends and acquaintances who collectively have made my time here a memorable and unforgettable experience.

Was it you who greeted me and gave me a friendly welcome? Was it you who gave me helpful comments as we made our way to my suite? In my experience, it would be any member of the staff at Queen's Square. You were the one who showed patience with an unhappy Resident. You listened patiently and carefully to what that unhappy Resident had to say and the issue was resolved. You were gracious as you listened to words both helpful and unhelpful, all of which make for a warm, caring environment in which to reside.

We want to thank everyone at Queen's Square for your excellent care and making our Mother's three year home so happy and making us her family so involved with her care.Each and everyone of you made our visit happy and always went out of your way to keep us updated on her day to day living. Again thank you to each and everyone of you and have a very Merry Christmas. The family of Dortha Little

The staff treats the people living here as their own family this is their home. The staff is kind, patient, and friendly. Staff goes above and beyond putting smiles on everyone's face. People that live here are treated with dignity and respect. Golden Years is an older home but well maintained to the best of their ability. The quality of care is excellent.

By beametz on Mar 21,2019 Overall I am a employee of golden years nursing home . I have been employed there for 25 years. Over the years we have seen a lot of change . The home May be old and “falling apart “ in some people’s eyes but you will never get the good care and the family setting as far as I’m concerned any where else. We have had residents leave due to wanting to go to newer homes and have regretted their decision on leaving due to the care that they have received at Golden Years. We still have some family members that pop in just to say hi because they feel like “part of our family” still even after their loved ones have passed . I guess what I’m trying to say here is don’t judge a book by its cover . Come in look around talk to some employees and residents before you make your decision.

Complete and utter sh*thole. Made the mistake of letting my mom move in here (retirement side, not long-term care side) and in the few months she stayed, she was stolen from, gaslighted, and neglected. Residents frequently smoked in the stairwell, staff knew and did nothing to stop it. My trips through the long-term care side were extremely depressing, staff made zero effort to engage residents in anything social, instead just wheeling them into the hallway to drool at each other. I understand by the time someone gets to long-term care they're typically far gone, but that's no excuse for what I can only describe as neglect that happens at this place. Even the retirement side had no real programming to try and keep the residents' minds and bodies active.

WORKED THERE A LONG TIME AGO. STUDENT PLACEMENT. LOVED IT!!! CLEAN! GREAT CARE. GREAT ACTIVATION PROGRAMS. STELLAR PLACE TO LIVE. :)

A relative has been living at Saint Luke's for the past two years. Nothing be great things to say about this organization. Great staff, great activities...even the food is great.

This facility is nearly 40 years old now and is about to undergo construction of a new wing and renovations to its existing facility. They tell new people coming in to Assisted Living that they will likely be displaced when construction begins. Wasn't impressed during our tour; facility is very large and amenities are all over the place. Person giving the tour sped through it not once stopping to check if my 92 year old Mother was doing okay. Not a good indicator of the care she could expect there.

Every time I've been there to vote I felt like people there R HAPPY

Friendly, clean and caring! Provide wonderful care and a real sense of community.

Great place

I'm saddened to inform you of my Mom's passing on Wednesday Dec 19, 2018. She was kind, caring and giving......never complaining and always thinking of others. She left a positive impression with all that she met and was dearly loved by all who knew her well. The last weeks of her life were enhanced by the loving care she received from the staff at Hilltop Manor Nursing Home. It's amazing to see such an unbelievable team of caring people take such great care of Mom during her short stay. A month ago we were virtual strangers, but over the past month, the nurses, PSW's and all of the support staff became part of our extended family. We spent as much time as possible with mom, but when we left, we knew Mom was in great hands with the team on the 3rd floor at Hilltop Manor. I never dreamed that such caring individuals would take such great care of a patient in any institution. On behalf of our family, and most importantly Mom, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the team at Hilltop Manor and especially the amazing team on the 3rd floor. They gave my Mom an incredible gift.....the opportunity to die with grace and dignity. For that I will be eternally grateful. God speed Mom......you are finally at peace. For years, our family struggled with the knowledge that it was inevitable that we would have to move Mom into a nursing home. Had we been aware of the quality of compassionate care provided at Hilltop Manor, we would have saved ourselves many sleepless nights. The nurses, PSW's and support staff are collectively the most incredible group of people I've had the pleasure to meet. This is not a job for them, they view it as their calling rather than a job. If I could give Hilltop a 10 star rating I would, and it would be easily justified. In my final years, there's only one place I want to be, and that is Hilltop Manor. Again, my heartfelt thanks and eternal gratitude to the Angels that took such great care of my Mom in her final weeks.

Amazing place,,, nice staff, nice residents.

Best r retirement community that I can think of it has so many options as to what kind of living you can do to be part of their community. And it is really a more than you would think it's a community center as well as a residential Center for a different levels of care and ability. The staff are super friendly. It's a clean facility and staff are friendly. Liz at front desk is especially pleasurable to have little conversations with.

My Grandparents were tenants for years. They never had any complaints and everything was always clean and well maintained. There were plenty of activities that kept them busy and involved. The staff were very attentive and friendly. Although this was not the "home " that they came from, it was a worry free peaceful , warm and cozy setting that became home to them.

They appear to take good care my friend.

A caring home with very good staff.

Great place for retirement living, my grandmother enjoyed her time here.

Donated some material and cardboard tubes to their craft room! They create seasonal gifts for their popular holiday bazaars! I bring McD coffee for a childhood family neighbor that lives there and we have many chats about times long past!

This facility is beautiful and the residents seems happy, but good luck getting in. Fairview offers 3 levels of living - Independent, Assisted/Retirement and Long Term Care. Waiting lists are extremely long for all 3 levels. Receptionist is always in a hurry and seems very rude. Housing Co-ordinator states openly she does not return calls concerning the waiting lists so her role in Fairview is a joke. Not worth the aggravation of trying to deal with them. Was told initially that it would be 3 months or so to get into Assisted Living and it's been 7 months now with no word.

I've been visiting people here since I was a child and it is always clean and up to date. There are three tiers of care here and so it's good to know which level you're going to since it is a large building. For those wanting to become residents, it is a long waiting list, so sign up sooner rather than later.

OK place

Building is beautiful airy bright lovely grounds meals were good to excellent however has constantly gone downhill. What was once served hot is now cold what was once sufficient amounts is now leaving my Mom hungry, She is a small eater and a slight woman who has lost weight since being here despite good and active health. If your loved one has a choice reconsider choosing this location to live.

Not sure why anyone would give less than a 4 or 5 star rating. Honestly my Grandmother is happy and the people there treat her really great and whenever I am in they treat me so nicely. Love going to their special events!!

What a great place!! Staff are super nice and the food is top notch!! My Mother loves it there, she wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Great Job Granite Landing!! Thank you!!

Definitely would not recommend working here.

if i could give this place a zero i would. I am a former employee there they have not done anything good for the residents, the quality is depleting as everything is starting to go bad. The mangers are more concerned about their pay and what they have to do to keep their job as opposed to what their workers are doing so there is no consequence for anyone's actions, the employees there are always under staffed. So if you apply there consider this if you are a hard worker you will be working with people that can "do whatever they want" and you will be always be doing more work then they are and will not get a pay raise until you put in the hours. It is not about the quality there, just if your reliable and can work long hours

I have a close relative in Memory Care for over one year. The first 9 Months were terrific. Since June, Revera CUT STAFFING and the resulting care has become minimal at best. But we are being charged for additional Care the staff can not possible provide. The food is exceptional, and the staff do care BUT be prepared because it all comes back to dollars over care.

I cannot say enough good things about the care and level of service my dad receives at this home. Being a longtime resident of the region, I am very familiar with the level of service by similar service providers. Granite Landing (formerly the Dunfield) is really a 5 star resort by comparison. Love their attention to detail. Keep up the good work

Granite landings is the best home for seniors I recommend it. It has the best staff and they care about the residence. They go on fun activities with the Director of recreation Stacey Cosgrove and she is very nice and cares about the residence.

GL is the best home ever

Excellent facility. Clean, friendly, family atmosphere. Terrific food. Fantastic staff. I highly recommend the Hanning House!

Nightmare ....owner is creepy ...my mother died early because of neglect ...avoid this place at all cost!

If considering Vila Nova for a loved one with Alzheimer's or Dementia, make sure that you are asking the right questions and investigating thoroughly before making a decision. This retirement home does not have the resources or Alzheimer's Memory Care as noted on several websites including a Place for Mom. There is a lack of communication between staff and management which makes it difficult for residents and family members. Management will tell you what you want to hear when seeking a place but things change quickly once you are there. Also, make sure that there is a proper cognitive assessment done on your loved one so that they are aware of what is required to properly care for the person. Management has trouble being collaborative with other Health Services that come into the home, a lot of conflict which also makes it difficult to provide the care that your loved one requires. It is important that you have everything in writing as stories seem to change consistently. There is also a lack of confidentiality between management, staff and residents. I will say that the staff is lovely, friendly and always willing to help. There just isn't enough of them to properly care for different needs as noted.

I don't know what these people are talking about but, just to let them know they can be prosecuted for false accusations! The place is nice and the staff is very friendly. My mother is living there for years and I have no complains ! Rude people!

Not returning calls, not paying their bills, lying about "Pedro is not in the building" Even their phone system is lying , they urge you to call a phone number that is not even assigned! Stay away! Do not provide any services! Sneaky, crooked, lying criminals ! How anybody can trust them with their elderly is beyond me ! Stay away !!!

This place is dark and grim, understaffed and not fit for living. Employees are unprofessional. Owner is very sneaky and not to be trusted.

I paid for 4 nights, my husband stayed for 3 nights and no offer of reimbursement.

I would like to start off by saying that I have no financial ties with Marsdale Manor, but I do have a ton of experience with administration in Care Homes. The individual Clair who made the previous review clearly has insight, but mostly into her unrealistic expectations. First off Clair, the Owners name is Orin not Owen. Secondly what have you done in your life to gage that $45 per day is a lot of money to care for someone? Have you previously operated a care home? It is so discouraging to see people like Orin working so hard with minimal government funding; only to be harshly criticized by people who know little to nothing about the real world costs. Most of the things you complain about are common in Care Homes because many (not all but many) of the people that get into them are come from challenging backgrounds and are people who enjoy causing issues for the establishment because that is easier than focusing on their life's issues. I am sure Orin is working hard to resolve issues and doing so with minimal funding. If you want better then go out and find it, but you'll find better starts at $100 a day right out of your pocket, not a subsidized $45 a day by the government. What you don’t have enough money, perhaps you practiced "poor management" with your money during your life. How does that feel?

This place requires new disabled employees to be more professional then their employees that have been at their job for some time. Really to pull things from the trash to reuse.This just goes to show that what Claire said about the kitchen staff is correct. Professionalism at it's best. By the way a person with a vision disability can't see which man out of 4 or 5 that someone is pointing at. If I asked you to grab a bowl off a table with 20 bowls, wouldn't a description of which bowl be helpful (i.e the red square bowl with the fruit inside). When a 20 year old can't stomach working in the kitchen for 3 hours, I can't imagine the poor souls who have no other choice but to live there And Ben Revoy, how dare you attack Claire for her review? . She only reviewed her own experiences from her time there..

I would be very interested to know what the "ton of experience" Mr. Ben Revoy has referred to in the previous statement. What "experience" do you have when it relates to having knowledge of the operation of a retirement residence? If you do not have a "financial" connection to Marsdale Manor or Orin Roberts, what is your connection? Are you a personal friend of his, sticking up for his reputation...or are you an impartial "professional" defending the industry in general? Do you have any factual information that would lead anyone to believe that Orin Roberts is actually taking measures necessary to eliminate the issues referred to in Claire's statement, or is this just your personal opinion...that Orin Roberts is "doing the best that he can"? It is possible that Claire DePlume has no idea what she is talking about. On the other hand, possibly she just does not know how to properly convey her concerns to the general public. Possibly you, Ben, have no idea what you are talking about and are merely defending someone that you know personally. Come forward with some factual information and not just some emotional reaction to someone's concerns and maybe you and I can interact and possibly I will share my FACTUAL information here in this forum. Have a good day BEN Revoy...I look forward to your response! Cheers, Paul T.

Marsdale Manor delivers what it advertises - a retirement residence offering room & board to both paying & subsidized residents. Marsdale at the time I stayed there (end of July to end of August 2012) had some issues you will not find advertised and may find concerning. The first was a period of approximately 3 weeks where there a continued elevator loss of use. Marsdale is a two-storey building offering the use of a single elevator and two sets of stairs, one at each end of the building. Loss of use of the elevator caused hardship for many of its residents especially those who used walkers or wheelchairs. Many also had mobility & balance issues and there were few people there at that time who were not greatly inconvenienced. During this time Staff were required to carry meals by hand to those who could not navigate the stairs or reach the dining room. The extended period of time to have this loss of use and elevator service/repair requirement for such an extended period of time appeared to be mostly an issue caused by cash flow shortages as well as poor management. Shortly after the elevator repair was finally completed, the discovery of bed bugs became the main focus. As with all insect infestations, fumigation was mandatory. Eventually the appearance of bed bugs seemed to be under control, but that issue may have returned as eggs & larvae can take months if not years to control. Although the meals provided met the minimum requirements for sustenance, there was a blaring lack of whole and fresh food. Almost ALL food served in the dining room was and possibly still is highly processed and as would be expected in dining rooms on a budget, food was over-cooked and over-salted. Beverages were limited to coffee and tea along with choice of one small glass per meal of fruit juices that were always sweetened with processed sugar. Over all, all foods and beverages served at Marsdale were and possibly still are the absolute minimum to sustain life. One other shocking feature during my stay at Marsdale was the lack of kitchen hygiene followed by most if not all kitchen staff. Obligatory hand washing was seldom if ever practiced. Food preparation at Marsdale as I witnessed it was unhygienic and did not follow safe practice. It is possibly still that way today. Personal safety issues? None that were imminently or overtly threatening, but during my one month stay, the police were called to address & control drug and alcohol issues. Arrests were made and a couple of the residents were also taken to hospital in ambulances. And one other item that must be addressed; "all the thieves aren't in Bagdad" applies when speaking of Marsdale Manor. Protecting your personal possessions and money from residents must certainly apply to management (Sean David the administrator and owner Owen Roberts). In my personal situation, I was charged a $300.00 security deposit plus $45/day. $45.00 a day seems like a lot, and compares to a stay in a Holiday Inn. I recommend that you do. Regretfully others who are senior and/or infirm in any way have very little option. About the issues mentioned? For me, they remain unresolved after almost ONE year. The administrator Sean David and Marsdale owner Owen Roberts both assured me on my departure that my deposit and any overpayment would be refunded. That has not been the case. As with all over-payment issues, there is only one year to reclaim money from landlords such as these. As stated, "ALL the thieves aren't in Bagdad." My recommendation? Don't stay there unless you have NO OTHER CHOICE. In my opinion, the YMCA/YWCA would be a better option.

So glad my family member no longer lives here. Managers dont care about the residents only the business side of things.

Can't say enough of the five star care my dad recieved by the third floor staff at Riverbend! Would recommend to anyone!

A good place for seniors who need various levels of care. There are waiting lists, so it could be a while until you or your loved one can move in. The only thing I don't necessarily like is their elevator situation.

Great place

One of the poorest run retirement homes in the kw area ! The personal support workers could use some people skills.. Totally disrespectful , and un professional..boo

Excellent dementia care in a beautiful brand new purpose built facility with a limited number of residents in each of two cottages. High quality care from a low turnover staff who provide consistent familiar top quality patient support, comfort and care in a secure home like setting. Part of the Inspirit Residence family which facilities the transition from independent living to assisted living and then an easy transfer to Highview.