Lunch at Bloom Oshawa: Experiencing Retirement Living Firsthand

We got to enjoy Lunch at Bloom Oshawa with Jacquie Platten, Retirement Living Consultant at Bloom Oshawa, and six real estate agents.  All six agents support older adults downsizing in Durham, and got at least 18 out of 20 on the Senior Living Certified Level 1 quiz – demonstrating a commitment to help their clients understand the fundamentals of retirement living and long-term care. Instead of hosting a presentation, we wanted to actually walk around the home, ask questions, make observations, and enjoy the same lunch that was served to residents that day.

Thank you to Bloom Oshawa for hosting us, and to Jacquie for show us around and giving us a sense of what life looks like at Bloom Oshawa.

Bloom Oshawa Retirement Community

This was my 4th time at Bloom Oshawa, and I’ve always found it to be warm and inviting. It’s designed around lifestyle, care, and community, making it an ideal setting to host our first Lunch at event for Senior Living Certified real estate agents. Being in the home allowed everyone to move beyond brochures and websites to get a feel for day-to-day life.

For families starting to explore retirement living, talking to someone with this firsthand experience in touring retirement homes can makes the difference between feeling overwhelmed and confident.

Why Lunch at Bloom Oshawa with real estate agents?

A lot of us don’t know where to start when we decide to downsize into a senior living home, and we’ve found real estate agents are one of the most common professionals families turn to for help. While this falls outside the normal scope of work, we’ve come across a number of agents who have learned the system to educated themselves about what long-term care is, what to look for at a retirement home, and how to apply for both? We want to support agents going the extra mile for their clients who are downsizing into a senior living home by creating opportunities to spend time inside a retirement home.

Senior Living Certified Real Estate Agents

All of the real estate agents who attended Lunch at Bloom Oshawa earned the Senior Living Certified Level 1 badge by successfully completing an online quiz focused on retirement living and long-term care in Ontario.

The quiz is designed to confirm a practical baseline understanding of:

• What is a long-term care home?
• What is a retirement home?
• What is the difference between long-term care and retirement homes?

It is about helping families to identify agents who can help older adults and their loved ones take the first step to find the right retirement home or long-term care come. Agents who pass the quiz receive a Senior Living Certified badge and may be invited to participate in Elderado events like Lunch at Bloom Oshawa.

Why the Senior Living Certified badge matters

For families, the badge signals that an agent has taken the time to understand the basics of senior living before offering guidance.

For real estate agents, it demonstrates a commitment to serving older clients with care and professionalism.

For retirement homes, it helps ensure that the professionals touring the residence with families understand the senior living landscape.

Want to become Senior Living Certified?

The Elderado Senior Living Certified Level 1 quiz is free, and open to real estate agents who work with older adults or families planning a transition.

Request to take the Senior Living Certified Level 1 quiz: https://tally.so/r/EklDGq

Lunch at Bloom Oshawa itinerary

Lunch at Bloom Oshawa began with a roundtable where we talked about retirement living.  We tabled all the lingering questions we’ve each had about retirement living, before Jacquie walked us through the steps a new resident takes when they decide to move in.  After that we got to go on a tour that included a walk through of a 1 bedroom model suite, and a number of the amenities, which included the horticulture room, library, bistro, kids play area, salon, gym, and pool.  After that we sat down to lunch in the private dining room.  We started with soup. The two daily specials were Asian stir fry or Meat Lovers Pizza, or a selection of sandwiches from the a la carte menu.  For dessert we had warm, fresh baked cookies.

Amenities at Bloom Oshawa Retirement Community

On our tour we got to see all the amenities at Bloom Oshawa. Touring these areas together helped answer the question, how do residents actually spend their time?

“One of my favourite amenities is the courtyard. I’ve never seen a retirement home with that type of courtyard. ” — Riyad Ali, The DR Group

“One of the amenities that I love most was the play area for kids, where all the seniors can have a little bit of time to take to play with their grandkids. ” — Valeria Perepeliuk, North2South Realty

“What I loved most, being a dog lover myself, is that dogs are allowed, and in the courtyard they have an area for your dog to run around. ” — Corina Goss, Royal Heritage Realty

“One amenity that really stuck out to me was the horticultural room. I love living plants and being able to walk out to the outdoor area. ” — Rai Mohan, REMAX Rouge River

“The fact that they’ve got grocery stores, and shopping plazas, and all kinds of fantastic things right across the street.” — Jess Whitehead, Royal Heritage Realty

Amenities at Bloom Oshawa include:

• Raised garden beds
• Craft kitchen
• Bistro
• Shuffleboard
• Pool
• Library
• Play room for kids
• Car wash
• Hair salon
• Exterior courtyard
• Spa
• Activity room
• Underground parking
• Private Dining Room
• Dog park
• Tuck Shop
• Pub

Inside a 1 bedroom model suite at Bloom Oshawa

We got to tour a 1 bedroom model suite in independent living at Bloom Oshawa.  It was a spacious suite with a kitchenette and a balcony off the bedroom.

“My two favourite features of the model suite was the bathroom – the finishes were unbelievable, and the space – it felt like a modern condo.” — Riyad Ali, The DR Group

“They’ve got a really functional kitchen with lots of storage space, with the ability to do some of your own in house cooking – which is fantastic.  They also had a nice balcony off the bedroom, perfect to have a coffee or tea in the morning.” — Jess Whitehead, Royal Heritage Realty

“One thing about the model suite I really liked was the size of the bathroom. Really great for people who have walkers to get in and out of the shower” — Rai Mohan, REMAX Rouge River

Enjoying the same lunch as residents

With the event name, Lunch at Bloom Oshawa, it’s safe to say lunch was the central part of the experience. The group enjoyed the same lunch options available to residents, offering a firsthand look at the quality, variety, and atmosphere of dining at Bloom Oshawa. Food plays a major role in everyday life in a retirement home, and sharing a meal helped give first-hand experience.

“Lunch here was amazing and super delicious. I had chicken with salad, or I could also get it with fries. The presentation, the service was absolutely amazing.” — Valeria Perepeliuk, North2South Realty

“I have to say kudos to Chef Trevor. Lunch was fantastic.  I had an Asian stir fry that was delicious. Excellent food here at Bloom Oshawa.” — Rai Mohan, REMAX Rouge River

“I had the meat lovers pizza for lunch with a caesar salad and it was fantastic. The portion sizes were great and the flavour was wonderful.” — Corina Goss, Royal Heritage Realty

“I had for lunch today their Asian special dish. It was absolutely delicious – it’s probably one of the best stir fry’s I’ve had in a long time.” — Jess Whitehead, Royal Heritage Realty

“Asian stir fry noodles were amazing. Good portion sizes and I was definitely full after.” — Riyad Ali, The DR Group

Most retirement homes will offer a complementary meal when you take a tour – which we always suggest taking advantage of to try the food for yourself.

Understanding the move-in process

A key part of the visit was hearing from Jacquie Platten, who walked the group through what happens when someone decides to move into Bloom Oshawa.

Jacquie explained the process step by step, from the initial conversation through to move-in day. Most of us have no idea what it looks like to move into a retirement home until it’s something we need to do for a loved one or ourselves, which can make this process feel more complicated and overwhelming than it needs to be. The information Jacquie shared empowered the agents to be better equipped to help their clients to reduce anxiety and give families confidence in their transition into a new home.

Senior Living Certified Real Estate Agents at Lunch at Bloom Oshawa

While everyone toured the same residence, everyone’s perspective is a little different, and this highlights why it’s important to tour multiple retirement homes when you’re considering retirement living.

Corina Goss, Royal Heritage Realty

Jess Whitehead, Royal Heritage Realty

Rai Mohan, REMAX Rouge River

Riyad Ali, The DR Group

Valeria Perepeliuk, North2South Realty

Daniel Sutherland, eXp Realty

Together, these perspectives reinforce the value of seeing a retirement home firsthand rather than relying only on descriptions.

Bringing it all together

Lunch at Bloom Oshawa offered a firsthand look at what retirement living at Bloom Oshawa looks like. We are grateful to Bloom Oshawa for hosting and to the agents who took the time to learn, ask questions, and engage the Bloom Oshawa community.

For real estate agents interested in learning more

If you are a real estate agent who works with older adults or families that consider downsizing into a retirement home and long-term care, you can request to take the Elderado Senior Living Certified Level 1 quiz.

Request to take the Senior Living Certified Level 1 quiz: https://tally.so/r/EklDGq

For retirement homes interested in hosting a Lunch at Your Residence

If you are a retirement home interested in hosting a Lunch at event at your residence, reach out. Lunch at is a meaningful way to showcase daily life, and help local professionals learn about retirement living at your home.

Email [email protected] if you’re interested in hosting.