Regency Retirement Resorts, home to hundreds of retirees throughout the Okanagan, is decking the halls this holiday season. Regency makes it our mission to provide the most welcoming and festive holiday season possible. While some of our residents will go to their families during the holidays, others will stay at home on the big day, and we like to make our resorts feel like family. Our holiday season is made wondrous by using a three-pronged approach featuring festive events, warm food and holiday snacks, and cozy décor.

 

Events

During events and performances from guest entertainers, residents are always welcome to sing along and join in the caroling fun, but the most notable opportunity is the Regency Resident Appreciation. During this event, the staff will carol for the residents, and the residents are welcome to join. We spend an evening appreciating another great year collaborating alongside each other and wish one another a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays!

Throughout December, choirs come in and serenade the residents. These harmonic songs fill the halls and bring a warm and cozy feeling to the hearts of all. The turnout for entertainers like these is positive and increases companionship and belonging during the holiday season. Sitting with a group of peers and enjoying music creates a connection. Regency ensures everyone feels joy during the holiday season.

 Food

Regency always prepares a delicious Christmas and holiday dinner. With turkey and potatoes, stuffing, and veg, your holidays will feel like they did at home. Our amazing staff work on Christmas day to make you feel as pampered as any other day. Not only is there a hearty Christmas dinner, but we cook a luxurious New Year’s Eve meal, often with steak and champagne

Eggnog Shortbread and Gingerbread Cookies: During the holiday seasons, our chefs try to bring a little festive cheer into their desserts, namely their cookies. With flavors like Eggnog Shortbread and Ginger Snap, residents are welcome to these treats at almost all points of the day. These cookies may be small compared to larger festive food endeavors, but a bite of Christmas sure tastes better than an oatmeal raisin. 

Décor

A twelve-foot tree graces the dining room of the resort. Westwood’s tree is fit with a train while others are set in front of several windows which create wonderous reflections.

Residents are more than welcome to decorate their shelves throughout the year, but during December an annual ledge decorative competition takes place wherein the most festive décor wins a prize during the Resident Appreciation Party. Residents get out their Christmas and winter best to showcase how spirited they truly are. A walk down the halls feels like you’re in your own little Candy Cane Lane.

While to most, it’s the outdoor lights that matter most, Regency also likes to ensure that the Christmas lights indoors are just as wonderful. In some buildings, lights are strewn across the dining room, while in others the lights illuminate the three Christmas trees found in the dining room.

Garland staircases and fireplaces alike will be decked out in holiday cheer this December. This cute added touch makes the room look cozy and decorates frequently attended areas.

Santa, of course! What would the holidays look like without the big man? Whether Santa arrives on Christmas day or just for Resident Appreciation, his presence is found throughout all the resorts.

 

Our mission is to make the holiday experience feel warm and welcoming in the best way we know how. This holiday season, come in and experience a warm and welcoming retirement resort and see what makes Regency so enriching.

 

Fall may slow some of us down, but our residents will be bringing their busy summer schedules into the autumn season and you can too with these fun festive fall activities. Here is a list of five fall events throughout the Okanagan as stated on their website.

 

1. Scarecrow Festival

September 25th | 11am-4pm

Just picture the leaves around you, the smell of the straw, and the feeling of autumn without having to leave the city! Everybody is welcome to come and try their hand at creating their own unique Scarecrow to be entered into our contest for prizes. Come out and shop your local favorites, listen to some live music, and join in all the activities we have to offer!

 

2. Peachland Fall Fair

September 10th | 1-6pm

September 11 | 10am-4pm

With the atmosphere and content of an old-fashioned country fair, right in the heart of beautiful downtown Peachland, this is a September event not to be missed. Now is your opportunity to bake or preserve something, plant some seeds to nurture, crochet or knit something, quilt, carve or build, and take photographs. You might even win a prize!

 

3. The Great Spallumcheen Farm and Food Festival

September 25 | 10am-3pm

Experience the tastes of food and beverages produced and/or processed by local vendors. Take a stroll into the field adjacent to our mill to take in the ploughing competition or take a step back in time to enjoy the vintage tractor display and demonstrations, an antique threshing machine at work, or treats from the clay bake oven.

 

4. Penticton Community Market

September 3rd-24th | 8:30am-1:30pm

The Downtown Penticton Association hosts the weekly Downtown Community Market, located along Main and Front Streets and Backstreet Boulevard. Rain or shine (May to mid-October) the Downtown Community Market brings Penticton to life each Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until the early afternoon. Each season Penticton’s regular marketeers and visitors alike are delighted with the hundreds of vendors who feature handmade goods including clothing, food, and jewelry, collectibles, antiques and furniture, as well as the weekly food vendors, live music and entertainment that combine to create a fabulous downtown vibe.

 

5. Corn Maze at O’Keefe Ranch

Now until October 30th

As of July 21st, our corn maze is up and running! Bring your family, friends, and guests to traverse the maze together or challenge yourself to see how fast you can finish it! Each year the maze changes so don’t expect to be an expert just yet. Admission to the maze is $5/person and you may complete it multiple times in the same day!

Not only are Fun things happening all over the Okanagan, but our residents will have their hands full this fall with a packed activities schedule. Below are the fun things enriched retirees living in Regency have to look forward to in these next few months:

1. Oktoberfest, celebrated every year between September 17th and October 3, will be a fun event for Residents to enjoy with their peers and families. Resorts all over the Okanagan are set to celebrate beer and the Bavarian culture together. Fit with pretzels and cheese dip, you too can make this Oktoberfest one to remember!
2. Halloween is done in a big way throughout Regency. Across the Okanagan, residents dress up in their spookiest, whackiest, or downright cutest costumes and show up to fun parties and gatherings. Elementary school students normally stop in and show off their costumes while trick-or-treating and singing. Halloween is a wonderful time to celebrate with fellow residents and staff alike.
3. While some residents will go away for the Thanksgiving holiday, others choose to stay in the resort, either inviting their families to join them or eating their festive feast with their Regency family. Regency does thanksgiving in a big way with a LARGE holiday meal fit for an amazing finish to the long weekend.
4. Each resort will be featuring various events across their individual activities calendars this fall. Happy hours are always a common occurrence with some resorts adding evening concerts into the mix. Other fun events residents can look forward to are the exciting trips to wineries, farmers’ markets, orchards, and many more fun places. Stop in and see us enjoy a fun fall event and see what enriched retirement is all about.

Fall may slow some of us down, but our residents sure are going to be bringing their busy summer schedules into the autumn season and you can too with these fun festive fall activities. Stop in and see us enjoy a fun fall event and see what enriched retirement is all about.

We know that summer days are hot and the last thing on your agenda is to go home and spend time cooking on the hot stove. Salads are a great meal to add to your summer rotation and help you feel refreshed during those hotter days. We’ve provided you with the recipe for some great salads to add to your menu.

Chef’s Salad

Ingredients:

• Lettuce
• Hard-boiled Egg
• Ham
• Chicken
• Avocado
• Blue Cheese
• Cheddar Cheese
• Tomato
• Cucumber

1. We suggest washing all the vegetables before you begin cutting them for your meal.
2. Then take a large bowl and chop the lettuce into 1-inch ribbons
3. Place the lettuce in the large bowl.
4. Cut the cucumber, tomato, and avocado into ½-inch matchsticks. Place these in the bowl. We suggest you do so artfully so you may Instagram the salad later.
5. If you need to boil your egg or cook your ham or chicken, we suggest you do so. (Good substitutes include pre-pulled chicken from Maple Leaf, Back Bacon, or any assortment of deli meats). Cut all these ingredients into bite-size pieces. Add them to your salad in an artful manner.
6. Finally, Crumble Blue cheese onto your salad and use the ranch to dress (or use a blue cheese dressing)
7. Take a picture of your #saladgoals and enjoy!

Waldorf Salad

• Grapes
• Walnuts
• Lettuce
• Celery
• Chicken
• Lemon zest
• Apples
• Sweet cream mayo

1. Wash all the fruit and vegetables before beginning the assembly process.
2. Then take a large bowl and chop the lettuce into 1-inch ribbons
3. Place the lettuce in the large bowl.
4. Cut grapes in ½ lengthwise and place them in the bowl
5. Cut celery into ½-inch slices and huck them in the salad
6. Cut up your apples into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle them into the mixture
7. Cut or pull apart chicken and add it to the salad
8. Sprinkle walnuts over the salad
9. Add the zest of lemon to your tasty creation
10. Lastly, add a sweet cream mayo and stir until combined
11. Bring that salad to your next great BBQ and be the talk of the town.

Taco Salad

• Avocado
• Lettuce
• Cheese
• Ground Beef
• Tomatoes
• Bell peppers
• Red onions
• Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Small strips of tortilla chips

1. Wash all the fruit and vegetables before beginning the assembly process.
2. Then take a large bowl and chop the lettuce into 1-inch ribbons
3. Place the lettuce in the large bowl.
4. Grate cheese and add to your bed of lettuce
5. Cut tomatoes, bell peppers, 1/2 a red onion, and an avocado into bite-sized pieces
6. Cook and season ground beef with taco seasoning
7. Add tomatoes, avocado, onion, bell pepper, and beef to the salad bowl
8. Dress in sour cream and salsa
9. Mix
10. Sprinkle each bowl of salad with strips of tortilla chips

 

Our residents enjoy these salads and more on both our wonderful salad bars and within our menu options, all of which would not be possible without the help of our wonderful kitchen staff.

We are expanding our team. Join the culinary team at Northwood or Westwood and you will discover why so many great people from the culinary industry chose to work in a retirement home! As we provide excellent service to retirees, we are experiencing a need to expand our kitchen team. As a cook, you will oversee prepping and cleaning items such as vegetables and fruits, preparing salads and desserts, and preparing meats and fish. You will be supported in this undertaking by excellent kitchen staff headed by our Chef. At Regency, we support an excellent work-life balance. In this role, you must be able to work weekends, and being comfortable working in a fast-paced professional Kitchen is essential to your success at the Regency. All services in the organization are designed to meet the needs and well-being of residents. Come create and play with flavors, textures, and presentations to make a positive impact on our resident’s life!

Go to our Careers page and send us an email

or

Visit our Indeed page and see what job suits you best!

Email and phone scams are highly prevalent with most people receiving one or the other or both. These scams take thousands of dollars from individuals and make it very difficult to determine their legitimacy. Here are some helpful tips to look out for when opening an email and attempting to figure out whether it’s a scam.

 

 

 

Who is the email from?

Using the example above: The first thing one should do is look at who the email is from, this is usually found at the top of the email. This email says it’s from Apple, and that my Apple ID has been locked. Knowing that I want to look at the address of the sender and see a corporate email address. This email address is a jumbled combination of letters and numbers. This is not something a company would send to its clients. Not only does this look unprofessional, but companies know that this looks untrustworthy. Secondly, the email received does not come from Apple.ca. Rather, it comes from Dynatekweb.com. I, therefore, must then ask myself, “who are they and why would an Apple email come from them?”. Legitimate companies and people would use a common email address like Gmail or Outlook or related websites to send their emails (Irwin). If I am still concerned about the legitimacy of the sender’s address, I could then go to the internet and see if this company is legitimate. After a search on Google.com, an online database, I have determined that the website to which the sender’s email address belongs to does not exist. Now my suspicions have been piqued and I can either delete the email without any further perusing. But sometimes a suspicious email address is not always an immediate indicator, and we must delve deeper.

Are they using your name or any other identifying information?

Next, I would look to see if they are addressing you directly. Is there anything telling you that this email is for you personally? Normally, a safe email will address you by your first name or by your surname example:// Hello, John or Hello, Mr. Smith. If the email does not have any personal information which directly relates to you, this should serve as an indication that this is a generic email sent to many people, as is the case above. In the above, my Apple ID is not indicated, nor is my name. Because there is no information to tell me that this email is, in fact, about me, I am wary about the truth behind its contents. I would have given a company or other sender my information to receive the email, and, to increase the chance of me opening it, they would want to use that information to attract my attention. Anything asking you to send money or verify your information should already have your information.

CASL

As part of the CASL Act, Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation Act, companies are required to ask that people opt-in to their emails. In other words, you must tell the company, “Yes, it’s okay that you send me emails”. This usually shows up when you are registering for an account with an online store or service. The opt-in is usually a box a user checks while completing the registration process. Secondly, the act states that companies must also always have an option allowing the reader to unsubscribe from emails, to say “Please stop sending me emails”. If at the bottom of the email, there is no option to unsubscribe and you know that you did not opt-in to receive this email, it is a scam.

Are there any trust seals?

Trust seals are things like logos and trademark Ô or copyrightÓ symbols. These tell you that this company is legitimate. In the email above, Apple’s logo is not displayed nor are there any trademarks or copyright symbols indicating that the email can be taken for its word. See below for an example of what the email should look like:

In the above example, they’ve included the Apple logo, their company name, a link to their policy, and a clearly defined copyright symbol. These trust seals let me know that this is a legitimate email. Without these indicators of legitimacy, I would be cautious to click on anything in the email or respond with my information.

“Is the email poorly written?” (Irwin)

When I look at the body, the meat and potatoes one could say, of the spam email exampled at the beginning of this post, I can see that much of what is written is not grammatically correct. This indicates to me that the email is not to be trusted. Companies and people emailing you with legitimate concerns want you to trust that what they are saying is true and therefore will ensure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. Because of all the grammatical errors, I know this is a scam email. Large companies would have checked an email numerous times and passed the email through many people to review before it was actually sent out to customers. If you see any of the mistakes as is indicated above, take them as an alert that this email is a scam.

“Does the message create a sense of urgency?”  (Irwin)

When looking at an email or text or whatever it may be that I am unsure about, I want to look for a sense of urgency. Does this email ask me to do something as soon as possible or dire consequences will occur? Yes, the email above is telling me that I must verify my account within the next 24 hours. I should then ask myself questions like, “Why would I only have 24 hours? Would a company like Apple deactivate my account and risk losing my business? Probably not.” Companies compete based on their ability to serve their customers; a company that asks its user to do something or else, would not have a very good reputation. Therefore, the urgency and the threat to follow make me leery of believing such contents.

Does the email make sense context?

A good way of determining if an email is a scam is to place the information written in the email into the context of your life. This “Apple” email says that I cannot “access my account or any Apple services”. I am currently seeing this email two days later and my phone and laptop both operate as normal. Were this true, this would not be the case. This email is wrong, nothing has been locked out or paused. Similarly, if I receive an email alerting me that a package needs to be claimed as shown below:

I would be critical of the context surrounding the email. I would consider whether I even ordered a package. I haven’t. I would also consider if there had been any indication of people coming to my house to deliver the package, as is noted above, and they hadn’t. Therefore, I know that this email does not make sense when placed in the context of my life. I can determine that such emails are a scam.

Conclusion

The internet is filled with many people attempting to expertly and deceitfully take your money and information to exploit you. While the internet is a wonderful place to connect with friends and family, we must also be wary of schemes that seek to take advantage of us. Being alert and critical of all the information you receive while on the internet is critical to practicing internet safety and may protect you from falling for these internet bandits.

 

 

Works Cited

Irwin, Luke. “5 Ways to Detect a Phishing Email – with Examples.” IT Governance UK Blog, 13 July 2022, www.itgovernance.co.uk/blog/5-ways-to-detect-a-phishing-email.