1.

We’re trusted by professionals who guide families.

Professionals referring clients to retirement communities often rely on Comfort Life to streamline their research.

Take Mitzy Dadoun, a Lifestyle55+ Master, Certified Professional Consultant on Aging, and Real Estate Broker. She uses Comfort Life to do preliminary research for clients—seniors selling the family home and seeking their next chapter.

Some of the differentiators clients are concerned about are: Can they have pet? Balconies… swimming and fitness. One client wanted a community where people played bridge.” For her, it’s critical that “Comfort Life is well organized. You can zero in on what particular area you’re looking for.” This convenience means that she returns to the site whenever a new client is considering senior living.

Jasmine Nadarajah, a community support worker with the University Health Network, agrees that Comfort Life is “well-organized and clear.” She appreciates that she “can find what’s provided by the community, with definitions that help me understand what’s included in each care level and services are provided under each.” She especially likes that “the price was shown up front and was obvious.”

From health network professionals to real estate advisors, Comfort Life is a go-to source—used regularly to help clients find the right fit.

2.

Real voices win: video interviews and reviews build confidence.

Video interviews are powerful. People want to hear directly from others who've been in their shoes.

Mitzy says this is “definitely something clients find helpful.” They benefit from listening to “video testimonials for retirement homes. … It gave them the comfort to hear it from someone in their own voice.”

Anne Hilstrom, researching a move from Sault Ste. Marie to be closer to family in southern Ontario, relied on Comfort Life to cross-check communities she heard about “and read what people had to say or what Comfort Life had to say about it.”

She’s forthright about the importance of this: “If it sounded good, I phoned them, and if it didn't, I didn't.”

Authentic stories—whether in reviews or video—offer the kind of reassurance facts alone can’t provide.

3.

The search is overwhelming. People appreciate all the support they can find.

Finding the right retirement or care home can take years and weighs heavily on families. Jenny Chow, from Burnaby, reflects on the emotional journey of finding care for her mother: “It was a long, stressful journey. … The Comfort Life magazine, newsletter, and articles helped us understand what to look for. … They were informative and uplifting” when she needed a boost.

Jenny, like many, ultimately chose a community listed on Comfort Life, equipped with the guidance she trusted.

Angelica Aguilera echoes Jenny’s thoughts: “Touring can be overwhelming.” Tools like our comprehensive Tour Checklist helped her family “focus on what was important to us.” When researching a monumental decision like this one, it’s efficient for people to have one source they trust.

For Angelica (as well as others), Comfort Life became “a one-stop shop [from] an unbiased perspective: everything we know, up-to-date, with advice and genuine information [that] answered the questions we had.”

4.

Many people research outside of their immediate area.

Half of ComfortLife.ca users who’ve volunteered to talk to us researched retirement homes nowhere near their current location. For some, this was because they were moving.

Anne (see above), was looking in London or Kitchener, to be near her son in Stratford. “On the internet, when you start researching things, you get pop-ups [and ads] like crazy.” She liked “being able to look at all of them together in one place.”

Judy McDonald, based in Stoney Creek, ended up expanding her search all the way to Waterloo. Throughout her evolving search, she “kept going back and looking at different residences and [could] just open them in a new tab.” The ease of use helped her easily understand those that were the best fit for her.

Others use the site to help parents in other provinces.

Tony Tighe in Calgary, was helping his mom in White Rock, BC. At first, she was looking in Vancouver, then considered moving to Calgary to be near him, but was hindered by the complex process of moving from a different province. Now, “she's back to White Rock and Surrey again,” but through it all, ComfortLife.ca is his go-to source: “I'm going back and finding a whole new list there.”

Heather Pysklywec, in Ottawa, is searching in Calgary, on behalf of her parents. For her, “The site was particularly helpful in shortlisting locations.” She had an easy list of options in Calgary that aligned with what she wanted for her mom and “could go down the list, fill out the forms, and reach out. … It made it a lot easier for me to review [places and] understand what they're about.”