Lunch at Bloom Oshawa: Experiencing Retirement Living Firsthand

Elderado recently hosted Lunch at Bloom Oshawa, an in-person event that brought together six local real estate agents who passed the Elderado Senior Living Certified Level 1 quiz. Instead of hosting a presentation or panel, the goal was simple: spend time inside a retirement home, ask real questions, and experience retirement living the same way residents and families do.

Thank you to Bloom Oshawa for hosting us, and to Jacquie Platten for walking us through what life at Bloom Oshawa looks like day to day.

Why Bloom Oshawa Retirement Community

Bloom Oshawa is designed around lifestyle, care, and community, making it an ideal setting to host our first lunch for Senior Living Certified real estate agents. Being in the space allowed everyone to move beyond brochures and websites to get a feel for day-to-day life.

For families starting to explore retirement living, this kind of firsthand exposure often makes the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling informed.

Why real estate agents belong in these conversations

Real estate agents are often involved at a pivotal moment. A home may be sold, timelines may be tight, and an older adult’s needs may be changing. These transitions involve far more than a real estate transaction.

By spending time inside Bloom Oshawa, the agents were able to get a feel for the personality of the residence. That firsthand experience helps agents support their clients set clearer expectations, ask the important questions, and feel more confident navigating a major life transition.

This is why Elderado believes education and lived experience matter when it comes to senior transitions.

Senior Living Certified: why these agents were invited

All of the real estate agents who attended Lunch at Bloom Oshawa earned the Elderado 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?

This certification is not about turning real estate agents into care experts. 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, where learning happens through firsthand experience inside retirement homes.

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 and can ask better questions on their clients’ behalf.

Want to become Senior Living Certified?

The Elderado Senior Living Certified Level 1 quiz is free, virtual, 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

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.

For real estate agents, seeing the suite helps bridge the emotional gap between a client’s current home and what comes next. For families, it is often the moment where retirement living starts to feel manageable rather than intimidating.

“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

Lunch was a 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 don’t have experience with this process until it impacts us, 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 – it’s free.

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.

You can email [email protected] if you’re interested.