Our Stories

The electrical lines wind off into the distance. Footsteps and soft murmurs echo through the tunnel as mothers come forward, cradling cardboard boxes. Inside the boxes, swaddled in blankets, is one of the only things they were able to bring with them. Gently, they lower the babies onto the dead electric lines, where they will spend the night safe from the German bombs raining down on the surface.

Born in 1924, Angelo was only 19 when he joined the Italian Army to fight against the Nazis.

In 1944, 20-year-old wireless operator Patrick Gallagher was killed in battle in Berlin, Germany. Later that year, his younger brother, Charlie, followed in his footsteps, joining the British Royal Air Force.

Dennis Cutting is no stranger to the sound of the wind rushing in his ears. A sergeant in the 250th. Light Company RASC 1^st Airborne Division, Dennis served as a paratrooper in the Second World War.

Here is a tribute to the everyday heroes who help the thousands of wonderful people we have the privilege of calling residents.

The white vases, filled with flowers, jitter lightly as the cart makes its way down the hallway. Behind them, 73-year-old Donald smiled broadly.

 “The home opened in 1969, and I started on January 16, 1971,” said dietary aide Mark Reid, reflecting on his 46 years of employment at Rockcliffe Care Community in Scarborough. This makes him a prime candidate for the longest-serving employee at Sienna Senior Living, from a workforce of more than 11,000 people.

Residents, team members and friends renewed their wedding vows in a joint ceremony at Cedarvale Lodge Retirement Residence in Keswick. Watch this heartwarming video and learn how they’ve managed to keep their love.

Twice a month, 100-year-old Catherine Butler grabs her white cane and walks a mile and a half to see her sister, Margaret.

The soft noise, not unlike fabric rubbing together, fills the room as the mechanical loom works. Thousands of wool strings are woven together, producing a striking red rug in celebration of Canada’s 100^th birthday.

Michele Hunter can do a thing or two around the house. At Fox Ridge Care Community in Brantford, where she has worked since 1988, her creative methods for putting smiles on residents’ faces seems to know no limits. 

Stars, glittering silver and gold, hang down over the scene. Women dressed in their evening best, and men in black, ironed suits dance around the room to the beat of a well-known song. Lincoln Park’s first-ever seniors’ prom is in full swing.

Verna Clancy dreamed of studying art at university, but never had the opportunity — until now.