Plus

Plus

Retirement resort
By Aaysha Cader
The driveway is lined with mahogany trees. A refreshing breeze blows across every now and then. Across the road is the Bolgoda Lake. The Rivendale Resort is a retirement home that offers serene surroundings for elders to spend those years of well-deserved retirement. Located on three acres of land in Madapatha, 5 km. off Piliyandala, the home overlooks the Bolgoda Lake.

The rat race that is modern life makes it difficult for most people to care for their elderly parents. Work constraints, limited space and the responsibility of bringing up their own kids limit people's ability to take care of their aging parents themselves. Retirement homes offer a solution to this problem. Says Tudor Wijenayake, the proprietor of Rivendale Resort, "We realize that children can't always look after their parents, even if they want to."

Having realized the dilemma that many adults face with regard to giving their parents the comforts they deserve, Mr. Wijenayake, a civil engineer by profession, decided to build a home catering mainly to the upper middle class. His aim was to provide a home where people can be assured that their parents are in good hands and in good company. "My wife and I decided to do this when our two children went abroad for higher studies," he says.

Rivendale is a purpose-built facility that offers accommodation, food, as well as essential services such as linen and laundry at a price. It is managed by Mr. Wijenayake and his wife, who have moved into a house on the premises in order to ensure the smooth running of the home.

The 12 bedrooms, in two wings connected by a corridor, are large, comfortable and airy. All rooms have attached toilets. The bedrooms open up to a wide verandah, which is large enough to be a private porch, with enough room for a wheelchair to be manoeuvred without being a hindrance to others.

"We don't want those confined to a wheelchair to feel deprived, or that they are a burden to others," says the proprietor. In line with that thinking, the entire complex has been built on levelled land, and the corridors open out to landscaped gardens, mini-waterfalls and flowing waterways. "Even if they cannot get about wheelchair bound elders can enjoy the beauty of nature," Mr. Wijenayake explains.

Special care has been taken to ensure that the convenience of elders will be ensured at all times. Beds have been equipped with extremely comfortable mattresses on a slightly elevated level, "so it's easy when they have to be helped with anything they need," says Mrs. Wijenayake. There is also a special compartment by the bedside for any shrine, statue or religious scripture residents might want to bring along. A maid service is provided as well.

There is also a restaurant overlooking the Bolgoda Lake. Rivendale is a sanctuary for nature-lovers, as the owners have converted it into a miniature woodland. Among the vast array of indigenous plants one finds in its gardens are hulanhik, wellan and mee, exotic woods such as ebony, satin and nedun, medicinal herbs and a variety of spices. "You find a lot of birds here," says Mrs. Wijenayake. The management hopes to put up a set of single rooms in the near future, for those who want that little bit of extra privacy.

Back to Plus