Berwick On The Lake Retirement Residence

Welcome atmosphere, friendly staff.

My mother has lived at Berwick for a year. It is a gorgeous facility located on a picturesque lake. Unlike other Senior facilities, that have a very contrived, sterile atmosphere, Berwick feels like a classy Inn with a friendly atmosphere. The interior design of Berwick is exceptional. The food is excellent. I especially like the Bistro feature where you can have meals prepared by a chef. They are scrumptious and every bit as good as a high quality restaurant. The staff are friendly and there is a high level of service provided for my mother. I feel that she is "in good hands at Berwick." This is in sharp contrast to other Senior's facilities that she has lived at in Nanaimo where she often waited for close to an hour for assistance with personal needs. A huge to thanks to all the workers at Berwick who make my mom feel welcome, comfortable and cared for.

Would highly recommend Berwick on the Lake for respite care on the Brio Intermediate Care unit. Berwick is a beautiful facility right on the Lake with the most beautiful views, gardens, and the entire facility is lovely! Dining Room staff were great and the food usually was excellent. Brio Unit is filled with very caring and nurturing health care aids and some excellent LPNs. My father had high intensity and complex needs as a palliative and end stage renal failure patient. Having RNs on staff would have been beneficial. Luckily we were able to access the Island Health Palliative Care Team Nurse Coordinators, Palliative Care Drs, Island Health Physio and OT which were a needed addition to my Dad's circle of care. We did hire a private "companion for family care" for night shifts as Dad's condition deteriorated. He needed more care than 1 LPN and health care aid could provide for 37 clients on nights.
Dad was on the Brio Unit for 6 weeks until his passing on Friday. We are very happy that Dad was able to enjoy all that Berwick offered him. The night of his passing in his private room overlooking the calm lake, the gorgeous gardens with family surrounding him with love, music, candles and tears created a very intimate and best environment possible for his death. The staff were so caring, gentle, respectful and compassionate with our beloved Dad and family. Having jugs of ice water, tray of sweets and sandwiches was so appreciated and unexpected while we watched over him in his last hours. Thank you Berwick for your wonderful care and making the loss of our Dad a little easier for all of us.

Berwick on the lake.....now excellent. For example, the new bistro is a superb addition serving interesting and delicious food every day. The renovation is beautiful and has opened up several new eating spots and improved on existing facilities. Bravo!

Lovely views over the lake. Attractive apartments. Generally good in all ways except one major thing....food varies from average to awful. I am speaking as a frequent guest. The food was better a year ago. Maybe time for a new cook.