Rimmer House opened April 17, 2005 with three of us lads moving from home to an assisted living environment. Although it has been a big change from living up till then with mom and dad, it is nice to now be on our own, becoming even more independent as time goes by.
Since 2005 we have welcomed a new housemate to join us. With this gentleman came changes to our home to accommodate his needs which have enhanced our living experience even further. We are a wheelchair accessible home and have overhead tracking in our two bathrooms and one bedroom. You see, we were all mobile and his life had changed to accommodate a wheelchair. We are all so proud of his accomplishments of late.
A typical day starts with us taking a walk to our day programs Monday to Friday or doing activities with staff, if staying home. These activities can vary from learning a new daily living skill (baking to venturing off to explore anything from what is happening in downtown Perth to the local festivals and scenic prospects of the area such as Westport Foley Mountain. They participate in grocery shopping for the house. Our weekend adventures can take us further afield to Upper Canada Village, Kingston, the Rideau Canal Locks, Tulip and Winter Festivals in Ottawa to mention a few. As you see we are ready and able to explore new worlds.
This does not mean our families are no longer part of our lives, it just gives us more opportunity to share our experiences with them and our families have the peace of mind that we are well cared for in our new home. It is always great to go home and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions such as Christmas and Mothers’ Day etc. with them.
We welcome guests on a regular basis into our respite care program and share our adventures with them when they are here. So you can see our home is a great place to live and we love to share it with those in need. Here’s hoping you will come visit and share your life with us.