MOOSE JAW — Residents of Atria Mulberry Estates were greeted by an atmosphere defined by soothing music and ambient lighting during a recent afternoon of indulgence and light-hearted conversation at “Spas & Sips,” the retirement home’s second Social Series program of the year.
The afternoon featured a range of spa treatments to pamper senior residents with individual attention and care including massages, manicures, and facials provided by four students from Elite Hairstyling & Esthetics Training Centre.
“This is one of our monthly events that we host, and every month it’s a little bit different,” explained Tricia Oblander, the community sales and marketing manager at Mulberry Estates.
“Today we had more of a spa vibe. We had eye patches, some lip coverups… some spa music in the background, and some colouring for Valentine’s Day.” This included homemade granola bowls, baked goods provided by Baking Life Better, a Mary Kay cosmetics vendor, and plenty of sweet treats for Valentine’s Day.
Oblander said the themed event also provided an opportunity to do something without venturing outdoors into the cold. Compared with the earlier “Journey to the Blue Zones” event on Jan. 9, which saw two outside guests in attendance, Spas and Sips drew 10 guests to the home — suggesting that the program is starting to gain traction.
“There were definitely a bunch of good laughs,” she said. “(Residents) felt relaxed at the end of it after the massages… which is always nice.”
The Social Series program is part of an ongoing project at Atria Mulberry Estates and includes a monthly afternoon event based around a rotating theme.
“The basis of (the program) is to hopefully get people to come out, whether it’s our residents or guests that come in, to just to be more social (and) get that activity and movement going. Even just having a conversation makes a big difference,” Oblander said.
The four student hair stylists from Elite Hairstyling were the guests of honour and included Jorja Martinook, Shelby Ismond, Bridget Kropf, and Ryland Dunn.
“We were given a really good opportunity to give back to the elderly community, (and that demographic is) mostly (who) comes into Elite to visit us,” Dunn explained. “(That’s the demographic that) we learn on, and we like to give back, so we came to visit today and talk to whoever came to us to get a hand or arm massage.”
Social Series events are always open to the public and participation is a great way to connect with Moose Jaw’s older residents.
“We’re looking for more people all the time,” Oblander confirmed. “We just encourage people, if they do want to attend, to give me a call and make sure we have space available for them because space is limited.”
The next Social Series event is “Makers Showcase,” where guests can share and discuss the work of local artisans on Thursday, March 20.
If you would like to participate in upcoming events, simply call 306-694-5020 and ask to speak with Tricia Oblander. The program is free to attend and is open to guests of all ages.
Atria Mulberry Estates is located at 220 Mulberry Lane and prides itself on providing exceptional care for adults over the age of 55. For more information visit AtriaRetirement.ca or 'Atria Mulberry Estates' on Facebook.
