Senior Living Options in Ontario

Explore Chartwell's living options:

Senior Apartment Living
Independent Living
Assisted Living
Memory Care

Senior Apartment Living

Are you at a stage in life where you’re ready to “right-size” to gain more time and energy for the people and passions most important to you? Ideal for downsizers, couples, and active older adults, Chartwell has over 14 locations in Ontario offering seniors’ rental apartments or townhomes. They provide the ideal balance of a simplified, maintenance-free lifestyle with convenience and community.

There are many reasons to choose our seniors’ apartments and townhomes instead of a traditional all-ages apartment or condominium, such as:
- You may want a quiet, safe community to live in, with built-in opportunities for casual socialization with people who share your interests and outlooks.
- Retiring from home maintenance chores like snow shoveling, lawn care, cleaning, and costly repairs brings with it more time and energy to focus on what you want to do each day.
- If you’d feel better living in a home where you have access to staff anytime you need them—at night, in the event of an emergency, or simply when you’d like some company—you’ll find great peace of mind in one of our apartments.
- There are valuable services you can add to your package, such as à la carte meals, housekeeping, and transportation services to appointments.
- Don't forget on-site amenities like a private dining room to host family celebrations, beautiful outdoor space and walking paths, fitness centres, libraries, and bistros.
Our seniors’ apartments and townhomes come in all shapes and sizes, but all feature full kitchens for cooking. Another advantage of calling one of our seniors’ apartments home? If your needs change in future, you’ll be able to opt into more services and care in the main retirement residence. Not only are those services delivered by the staff you’ll come to know well, but having the option helps you avoid the need for another big move in future.

Independent Living

Independent living in a Chartwell retirement home in Ontario is a lifestyle option that caters to a wide range of seniors’ needs, and thus provides access to a myriad of beneficial services and flexible care options. Whether you’re an active and independent older adult looking for convenient services like dining, housekeeping, and social activities to make life easygoing, or you’d benefit from some daily support like medication management or assistance in the morning or evening to feel your best, independent living can deliver the personalized lifestyle you’re looking for.
An enriching social life, friendly staff support, and a sense of personal safety and security are the cornerstones of independent living at Chartwell. If you or a loved one choose independent living, you can expect to benefit from:
- Delicious and nutritious meals in our social dining rooms
- Regular access to freshly baked snacks and hot beverages in our on-site bistros
- Housekeeping services to keep your suite feeling fresh
Depending on your Chartwell retirement residence, included or optional add-on services that may be available are:
- Personal laundry or linen services
- Transportation to appointments
- Access to visiting health care professionals or clinics
Don’t forget a bevy of on-site amenities and optional life enrichment activities that you can choose to participate in at will.
Flexible care and support options

One of the most appreciated aspects of independent living is having access to staff 24/7, as well as call-bell systems or personal response pendants to get in touch with staff day or night. Then there’s access to our flexible, in-house care services through Chartwell’s Care Assist program. You have the choice to build a plan of care that reflects your unique lifestyle and preferences, choosing from a menu of à la carte services or all-inclusive care packages designed to maximize your independence and comfort. Consider services like:
- Medication management
- Assistance with your morning or evening routine
- Bathing or showering assistance
- Oxygen services
- Pharmacy services
- Many more personalized services you or a loved one can choose to add to your package
As a result, you’re empowered to comfortably age in place, adding or removing services as your needs change for that just-right level of personalized support.

Assisted Living

What does assisted living in one of our retirement homes in Ontario entail? If you or a loved one would benefit from significant daily support to live in comfort and with the quality of life you deserve, then our assisted living lifestyle may be the right choice for you.
Supporting moderate-to-heavy care needs—as well as seniors managing mobility challenges and mild cognitive impairment—some of the valuable services you may typically see our assisted living residents opting into include:
- Medication management and distribution
- Assistance with morning or evening routines
- Showering or bathing assistance
- An escort to meals and activities
- Hand and foot care
- And many more specialized services
In addition to our own nursing and support staff, you or a loved one can also benefit from access to on-site physicians and nurse practitioners, meaning most of your health care needs can be attended to within your own home. Rest assured, our Assisted Living Managers are here to partner with you to build a custom plan of care and will review it with you often to ensure we are safely meeting your unique needs and preferences.
Care and support services aren’t the only advantages of choosing assisted living; you or a loved one can also enjoy a worry-free lifestyle thanks to:
- Three meals a day
- Snack services
- Weekly deep-cleans of suites
- Daily room refreshes
- Weekly personal laundry and linen laundering
- A host of engaging activities, entertainment, and outings
You’ll find our dedicated assisted living neighbourhoods on secure floors within our retirement residences, providing a warm and inviting setting where family and friends are welcome. Our specialized dining and life enrichment programming is conducted in our very own dining rooms, lounges, and outdoors spaces for maximum accessibility and convenience. All other amenity spaces and activities found in our main retirement residence are at your disposal too.

Memory Care

Are you navigating early stages of dementia, or have an aging parent, spouse, or family member living with dementia or Alzheimer’s? Do you want to find an inviting home that feels safe and secure, with access to specialized services and support that can help you or a loved one lead a good day, every day? Then Chartwell’s memory care services in Ontario may be the right fit for your next chapter in life.

Chartwell’s memory care programming takes place in our dedicated assisted living neighbourhoods—secure floors within our retirement communities that benefit from:
- High staff-to-resident ratios
- Access to nursing staff
- Amenity spaces like dining rooms, lounges, and outdoor space
- Specialized dining and activities to support our residents living with dementia, incorporating their unique interests and abilities to create an environment that is engaging, interactive, and entertaining
When it comes to the care services you or a loved one will receive, our Assisted Living Manager will partner with you to build a customized plan of care, designed to maximize independence, comfort, and quality of life. In addition to three nutritious and tasty meals a day, snacks, housekeeping, and laundry, you may receive valuable care services like:
- Assistance with morning or evening routines, such as dressing, grooming, showering or continence care
- Cueing assistance and an escort to meals and activities
- Medication management
- And many more specialized services
Most unique of all is Chartwell’s person-centred approach to memory care. Our staff are specially trained to see the person—not the disease they are living with—so they can concentrate on who each resident truly is, their likes and dislikes, and what brings them joy and happiness each day. Additionally, learning how each resident experiences dementia empowers our staff to better understand personal expressions and respond in a way that soothes and redirects.
When it comes to the care services you or a loved one will receive, our Assisted Living Manager will partner with you to build a customized plan of care, designed to maximize independence, comfort, and quality of life. In addition to three nutritious and tasty meals a day, snacks, housekeeping, and laundry, you may receive valuable care services like:
- Assistance with morning or evening routines, such as dressing, grooming, showering or continence care
- Cueing assistance and an escort to meals and activities
- Medication management
- And many more specialized services
Most unique of all is Chartwell’s person-centred approach to memory care. Our staff are specially trained to see the person—not the disease they are living with—so they can concentrate on who each resident truly is, their likes and dislikes, and what brings them joy and happiness each day. Additionally, learning how each resident experiences dementia empowers our staff to better understand personal expressions and respond in a way that soothes and redirects.

Chartwell’s Memory Living Program

Currently offered in six of our retirement residences in Ontario, Chartwell’s Memory Living program provides an elevated experience for seniors living with dementia. Each retirement community offering the program has its own specially-designed neighbourhood that is a warm and secure setting for memory living residents—where suites and amenity spaces cater to the experience of dementia using soothing colours, cueing signage, and design features that promote easy navigation, accessibility, and independence.
With a high staff-to-resident ratio, memory living residents benefit from a person-centred model of care celebrating their unique history and fostering understanding and empathy. As a result, staff form meaningful, trusted relationships with residents, and go beyond delivering care by “living” in the residence with them—watching a baseball game together, setting the table for dinner, gardening, folding laundry, or any other simple, yet important aspects of daily living that gives you or your loved one purpose and happiness.

Uniquely, we also seek to support the families of residents living with cognitive loss by offering the services of a dedicated Memory Living Manager and Social Worker in each neighbourhood. They are there to:
- Update families on the well-being of loved ones
- Facilitate family conferences
- Lend a listening ear as caregiving family members take on the challenging, yet rewarding task of caring for an aging loved one with dementia
Click on your province of residence above to discover if our Memory Living program is available at a Chartwell retirement community near you.

Chartwell Communities Near You

Click on a city near you to see our residences

Cost of Senior Living in Ontario

Depending on the senior living option you select—including the level of care you require to feel your best each day—the monthly rental cost in a retirement residence can vary widely. Other factors like the size of your suite or apartment (studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom layout, etc.), additional services you add onto your retirement living package, the luxuriousness of the retirement home you’re interested in, as well as the geographical location also influence how much you or a loved one may pay per month.

You can find starting at prices for each Chartwell residence on their webpage, which can help you get a better idea of costs in your area. Alternatively, contact us today and we’ll walk you through the specific pricing of Chartwell retirement communities in your neighbourhood and help you understand the costs associated with the services, support, and suite sizes you’re interested in.

What is the difference between senior living and long term care?

Uncertain about what makes a Chartwell retirement residence different than a long term care home? Many people assume the two senior care options are the same thing, but they are very different in several ways, including the level of care offered, how waiting lists and the move-in process work, as well as how they are regulated and funded by the Government of Ontario. Read our blog to learn about the key differences between retirement residences and long term care homes.

Read our blog

Why would I choose retirement living over homecare?

If you or a loved one are considering your aging care options, it’s natural you may be looking at aging at home with private or subsidized homecare services as a possible choice. There are some important differences between retirement living and homecare in terms of benefits that are worth exploring before making your final decision. Review our comparison chart to see how the advantages of each option stack up against one another.

Questions about the lifestyle and care options at Chartwell retirement homes in Ontario? Contact us today to speak with one of our knowledgeable Retirement Living Consultants or to book a tour at a Chartwell residence in your neighbourhood.

View our comparison chart