Overlander Residential Care celebrates 40 years in Kamloops

Jun 8, 2017 | 9:00 AM

KAMLOOPS —  The Overlander Residential Care facility officially marked its 40th anniversary today.  

Dozens of people came out to celebrate the years of care offered by the facility.

Since 1997 Overlander Residential Care has provided services for hundreds of people, and some staff members like recreation worker Sharon Lyall have been there since the very beginning .

” I feel old. It doesn’t feel that it has been forty years. It really has flown by,” said Lyall 

The facility first opened with just one hundred beds and now through a number of renovations cares for 183 residents daily.

Donna Loftstrom-Bell a manager at Overlander Residential Care says care has certainly changed from forty years ago. 

” I would think the biggest change is that when our residents come to live with us now they are much farther along in complex care, ” said Loftstrom- Bell. “We were talking earlier about when the residents first started they used to go on overnight camping trips, now going up to the Aberdeen Mall is a huge undertaking. As for the residents themselves I would think that the biggest change is that they’re here for a shorter time. When they come here they may be here for a year or two but when I came in 1993 there was still a resident that was here from 30 years ago.” 

The celebrations kicked off with activities for residents and their families and wrapped up with a heritage tea.