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Westmount Gardens, Salvation Army partnership strikes a chord
Monthly band performances and pastoral visits bring comfort and joy to residents
9/12/2025
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Deron Hamel
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A community partnership between Westmount Gardens and the Salvation Army brings outdoor band performances to the London, Ont., long-term care home in what has become an annual summer tradition.
On Sundays from June through September, the Salvation Army band plays for residents and team members in Westmount Gardens' large courtyard, which offers the perfect acoustical and visual setting, says Adnan Resh, the home's life enrichment manager.
Westmount Gardens has two neighbourhoods on the ground floor that lead directly to the courtyard and two neighbourhoods on the second floor that have balconies that face the courtyard, so residents can watch the performances from the comfort of their rooms.
Residents who do not have rooms facing the courtyard can watch the performances up close or from one of their neighbours' balconies, Adnan says.
At the end of each performance, band members visit residents, he adds.
On top of the monthly band performances, Salvation Army members also visit throughout the year to lead church services for residents on the third Tuesday morning of every month.
Additionally, Adnan says members sometimes visit with residents who were Salvation Army members before moving into Westmount Gardens to spend one-to-one time with them.
Adnan says Westmount Gardens' partnership with the Salvation Army is a valuable one that enhances residents' experience at the home.
“This connection with the Salvation Army has been in place for as long as I have been here, and hopefully it's one we can keep forever,” he tells S&R Today.
“The residents really do love it and look forward to it monthly.”
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