Senior Living on Vancouver Island

Deciding where to retire is a hard decision. The bustling, busy big cities may begin to feel overwhelming, but moving somewhere mundane would be a bore. Sherwood House in Duncan BC gives the best of both worlds. The city of Duncan in the heart of the Cowichan Valley is a serene town near the ocean in southern Vancouver Island hosting a vibrant atmosphere for retirement living. 

Retirement Living in Cowichan Valley

Sherwood House is surrounded by lush gardens and situated right beside a beautiful green forest, providing calming nature from the comfort of home. Duncan takes pride in their vast green spaces throughout the city, which are lovely to visit and an excellent area for our residents to get fresh air and socialize. 

Aside from its tranquil natural environment, Duncan has a vibrant and exciting downtown area, which is a short (and flat) walk from Sherwood House. Duncan also offers public transportation services and residents can easily hop on a bus and find something new to explore. Duncan is a unique little town with an array of eclectic shops filled with everything you could want. Although we offer tasty home cooked meals in house, going out to eat is special and exciting. Downtown Duncan hosts a variety of cuisines, from those with adventurous tastes to picky eaters, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. 

Retiring on Vancouver Island
Retirement on Vancouver Island is all about enjoying everything life has to offer and even on rainy days when you want to stay cozy inside, we have all you need at Sherwood House. Share a cup of coffee and play a board game with friends. End the day off with our in house happy hour and a hearty meal. Independent living is all about living your retirement, your way. Retirement life on Vancouver Island has it all and we always love to see new faces in our tight-knit community, take a look at our virtual tour to see if Sherwood House is for you or your loved ones.

Benefits of Dog Therapy at Sherwood House

Black dog looking at camera wearing a white bandana

At Sherwood House in Duncan BC, we value the joy and love that pets bring into our lives. As we age, it is more difficult to take care of pets of our own, but we still want our residents to be able to connect and spend time with our furry friends. This is why we schedule an ongoing Dog Therapy program for the residents of our community. These Pet therapy sessions are not only fun, but are also beneficial to our residents’ health and wellbeing. 

Woman in chair sitting beside black dog

Benefits of Pet Therapy 

Pet therapy is a great form of compassionate care that has been popularized over the years, primarily on school campuses and across communities. The research on pet therapy’s effect on our aging population is remarkable. Pet therapy has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety.  By providing connection and comfort through animals, pet therapy is extremely beneficial for feelings of stress and anxiety. Some studies even show positive results on mental functioning through pet therapy. Playing with animals is also a fun way to increase mobility as we age. 

Our Dog Therapy Program 

Our Dog Therapy program has been a big hit in our tight-knit community. Every Friday morning, residents are invited to come to play with our Saint John’s Ambulance Therapy Dog. She is a lovely Labrador, Border Collie mix who absolutely loves people and greets everyone as they walk by. Her friendly and calm demeanour never fails to put a smile on residents’ faces. Our amazing activity coordinator, Ardelle decided to combine dog therapy with a friendship circle group to create an engaging activity for everyone. Residents enjoy a cup of coffee while they chat and enjoy visiting time with the dog.

 After so many years of Covid isolation, socialization is more important than ever, and we value the need for connectedness. We love this activity so much and look forward to carrying on the fun!

Woman leaning down to pet black dog