Brian Mitchell

All of us want to let you know of our appreciation for the care you have given our mother.  Not only in the day to day care but in providing her with a sense of family that she would not otherwise have had. We can’t properly express just how much it has meant to us for all you have done for our mother.

Thanks again Brent-and to Natasha, Julie, Colby and Grace for all your amazing patience and love in dealing with mom.  We know just we know just what a difficult task that could be at times and appreciate your willingness to take it on.  Mom was very happy at the Keeping House- she loved her room, the lovely pond and courtyard flowers-it was a perfect place for her to be.

In June 2014 we brought our 98 year old mother out to Nanaimo from Ontario.  She had never lived anywhere else for her first 98 years so it was important to find the right place for her to live.  We looked at several places in Nanaimo but found nothing until we found the Keeping House.  There are only 10 residents.  This is a family run home with all levels of care – from residents that  need no assistance with mobility to palliative care.  All the meals are homemade and nutritious.  If anyone is not able to come to the table, meals are delivered to them.

The most important feature of the Keeping House is, however, the care.  Each resident is treated with respect, kindness and dignity and made to feel that they are the most important person there.  Every holiday is recognized with large festive meals with the Keeping family and the residents all enjoying each other’s company.  Birthdays are festive occasions as well – our mother’s 100th birthday was a very special moment for her – they brought in a musician to lead us all in favourite songs from my mother’s generation and a large cake was arranged for her.  The residents always have something going on for them – from weekly music concerts at Bowen Park, to bingo once a week.  When the residents could not go to the music in Bowen Park anymore because of mobility issues, the Keeping House brought the music to them with a “sing-a-long” every other week.

In summary, what we valued the most was the sheer kindness of all the staff at the Keeping House.  I never worried about her care while she was there.  It is a very sociable environment, family are welcomed at all times.

I highly recommend the Keeping House to anyone looking for a special place for their parent to live.   10 stars out of 5.