Lorene Matteis, the woman who has served as administrator of Parkview Manor for over a decade, has moved on. She began working at the senior’s housing facility in Midway in April 2002 – just one year after the doors opened.
Lorene says she’s not interested in retiring, though she still has to find something to do in the Okanagan. She said her first choice would be to move Parkview and everyone over there.
One of the biggest changes she remembers is the 2007 redesignation of five units as Assisted Living, which has allowed residents to stay in the community longer.
“Everybody here feels like family to me,” said Matteis. During her time as administrator four people have celebrated their 100th birthday while living at the manor.
“The board is awesome – everybody helps. The way the grounds and the building are maintained – the care and pride. This is an awesome team!” she said.
The board has long reciprocated that respect and appreciation. In 2011 at a gathering to commemorate the 10th anniversary of opening of Parkview, West Boundary Senior Housing Society President Vicki Feist said of Matteis, “Without her we would be hard pressed to keep up the high standards of Parkview Manor. She is well organized and does an awful lot of volunteering also. West Boundary Housing Society really appreciates her and thanks her for everything.”
The Matteis family made Midway their home for a number of years. Before Parkview, Matteis worked for 14 years at the local bank, and their daughter, Debbie, graduated from Boundary Central Secondary School.
She is moving to Penticton to join her husband, Marlon, who has a job as an electrician in a mill.
Parkview is owned and operated by the West Boundary Senior Housing Society, a non-profit society formed in 1998. The society has an operating agreement with BC Housing to provide low-income housing for seniors. All 20 units are subsidized by BC Housing for rent only.
There is a hospitality component, which covers kitchen (staff prepare two home cooked meals a day - lunch and dinner), emergency response system and a portion of administration.
There are 20 units; 15 Independent Living and five Assisted Living.
Greenwood resident Cheryle Thompson will be taking over as administrator.