WE'RE SURE that for many Dufferin residents it's well nigh impossible to think that more than a decade has passed since Orangeville's first hospital building was converted into a prestigious seniors' resident called the Lord Dufferin Centre.

Yet, truth is the LDC will mark its 10th anniversary by welcoming back friends, family and former staff to a special open house on the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 2.

As we see it, the former Dufferin Area Hospital building was ideally suited for its transformation into a 78-suite residence that boasts a commercial area on the ground floor as well as a lovely dining room, a large lounge area and more recently even a 20-voice Lord Dufferin Choir (with a few men as well as women and an average age of about 82).

Perhaps most important of all, the LDC is locally owned, with its major shareholder happening to be one of the residents!

In an era when the Toronto papers tend to be full of horror stories concerning the abuse of seniors at the hands of staff in chain-owned nursing homes, it's truly heartening to hear the LDC residents boast about their lifestyles and the Centre's many programs.

It was certainly no surprise to us to learn earlier this year that the Ontario Retirement Communities Association (ORCA) had not only renewed Lord Dufferin Centre's accreditation, based on an independent inspection and evaluation, but had no recommendations for improvements.

The accreditation criteria, developed with input from experts in the sector, focus on important operating requirements for a safe home.

And now the owners are embarking on an equally ambitious new plan for the site of a former factory behind the LDC, in the form of One Elizabeth Street, a new retirement facility that's being billed as "an exciting new adult lifestyle community for area retirees."

We wish them well!