Seniors Lodge welcomes public for annual Cookie Walk

Jasper’s annual Cookie Walk will be held at the new Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge this Saturday Dec. 6 and Caroline LaVictoire, manager of the lodge, says everybody should come down and check out the new facility. 

The event will give the public a much-needed opportunity to come in and see what really goes on at the Evergreen Foundation building, LaVictoire said, as it seems there has been confusion about the type of care offered.

Though help is available when needed, LaVictoire and her employees are focused on getting residents moving on a regular basis, which may surprise some, as there were misconceptions from outsiders and residents alike that there would be more assistance given on a regular basis. “With the two year span of waiting for it to build, people have had a number of opportunities to sit down and get their own perception of what they thought it was all about.”

The lodge, which still smells of fresh paint, offers residents not just a room, but also a hairdressing studio, laundry, a roof top patio, lounges, meeting rooms and much more. This is mainly for convenience, LaVictoire said, so that residents don’t need to go out but they are encouraged and welcome to come and go as they please from the independent living units.

“We’re here as a facility for seniors who are ready to live,” she said. “You’re not restricted to any area. You have a room, it doesn’t mean you have to stay in it, this living room we’ve made is yours, the multimedia room is yours. You’re welcome to use all of the facilities that are here: they’re available to all of the residents. Come and go at your leisure. We have monitoring devices so if you have an emergency and if you need our help, you just push that button and we’re there.”

Rooms are decorated by residents, who are welcome to bring their own furniture and decor. With 37 in total, the lodge has 16 daily assisted living rooms for residents who need full-time care. This section of the lodge is currently full, which means with added demand, people will have to go into acute care in the hospital until a room becomes available.

The other 21 rooms are mainly upstairs and are for independent living. “They have to be able to care for themselves,” said LaVictoire. “Dress themselves, clean themselves, make sure that they get down for their meals and try and be a part of most of the activities that we will have offered.” LaVictoire is quick to point out that should any of the residents need extra care, due to an illness, or if they were just having a bad day, the staff are happy to assist them.

The residents of the independent living portion of the lodge also have the option of catered meals and their laundry being done. The choice is totally theirs, LaVictoire said, they can have one meal catered for or every meal catered for: it’s all their decision.

The Cookie Walk takes place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 6.