The attitude of living well
Arvida Good Friends at Park Lane is a vibrant community hub in Addington where older people from all around Christchurch gather. The architecturally designed centre is a place to meet family and friends, enjoy superb food and make the most of all that’s on offer for fitness and wellbeing.
Arvida has ambitious goals, and that’s great news for older residents in the city and all around the country. Arvida’s new Chief Executive Jeremy Nicoll says, “In ten years, we want the world to notice how well older New Zealanders live. We hope it can be traced to Arvida’s commitment to transforming the ageing experience through person-centred care – what we call the Attitude of Living Well.”
The Community Centre’s beating heart is Café Natter, the domain of chefs Josh Monaghan and Nitesh Bijalwan. Josh recently returned from Switzerland and has a food philosophy based on fresh, nutritious meals with plenty of options for special diets. You can even have wine or beer with your meal and the micro-bakery turns out fresh bread and sweet treats to accompany the fabulous coffee.
The welcoming interior is airy and fresh and opens into an expansive outdoor area surrounded by the orchard and shaded by one of the area’s stunning protected oaks.
Next door, the Gorgeous George hair and beauty salon offers grooming and pampering for men and women. Adding to the all-encompassing approach and supporting fitness and wellbeing, members can keep on top of their game and enjoy the state-of-the-art exercise centre led by Laura Organ, a qualified exercise scientist. The facilities include a 15-metre swimming pool, hydrotherapy spa, and a specialist 50+ gym with electronic equipment that’s easy to use with automatic resistance settings, so there’s no setup or heavy weights required.
On the Go Physio is also based in the centre with physiotherapists who specialise in strength and rehabilitation for older adults. On the second floor, club meetings, technology tutorials, yoga, line dancing, wine tasting, and brain gym classes are all held in the generous events space that opens onto a balcony overlooking the courtyard.
While you don’t need to be a member to enjoy the centre, Arvida Good Friends’ members do enjoy discounts and special events – including a recent Valentine’s Day performance by the CSO. A subscription can be for personalised gym programmes, safe rideshare transport or in-home care delivered by trained and verified helpers. These options will help to make it possible for people to remain in their homes and adjust their levels of support over time.
The services are all backed by intelligent technology, carefully designed to make it easy and secure. “Living Well is about having choices on how and where we live, being able to find the help we want when we need it and finding it easy to stay active and connected with friends, family, and hobbies.
Arvida is here to help older New Zealanders choose to live well wherever they decide to live,” Jeremy Nicoll says.