Built on the Belief That We Should Live Well as We Age.
Best Life began with a simple but deeply held belief: getting older should never mean giving up the life you love.
Best Life was founded by Ayden van Koot to create a more thoughtful approach to aging—one that adapts the environment, care, and support around the person as their needs change.
The goal was never simply to provide services. It was to help older adults continue living lives that feel meaningful, familiar, independent, and entirely their own.
B.A. Gerontology • Recreation Therapist
While completing her Bachelor of Arts in Gerontology and building a career alongside older adults, Ayden discovered that healthy aging is about far more than medical care.
Physical activity, meaningful recreation, social engagement, and lifelong learning all play an important role in maintaining quality of life. Together, they can support physical health, strengthen cognitive reserve, reduce social isolation, and contribute to the prevention or delayed progression of chronic disease and cognitive decline.
These experiences reinforced an important truth: older adults should never be defined only by a diagnosis or by the things they now require help completing.
That understanding became the foundation of Best Life. Rather than beginning with a list of tasks, we begin by understanding the whole person—their interests, abilities, routines, relationships, values, goals, and the life they want to continue living.
This information allows our team to create personalized programs and support plans designed to maintain strength, cognitive wellness, confidence, meaningful engagement, and independence for as long as possible.
As a client’s circumstances evolve, their services can evolve with them. Someone may begin with senior fitness, recreation, or future planning and later require personal care, dementia support, overnight assistance, or continuous care.
The level of support may change, but the relationship and understanding of the individual remain consistent.
Throughout her career, Ayden witnessed many older adults express the same deeply personal wish: they wanted to remain in the homes they loved.
They wanted to continue waking up in familiar surroundings, following established routines, remaining connected to their communities, and living among the memories they had created over many years.
That desire became an important part of the Best Life philosophy. Our goal is not simply to provide care inside a home, but to help people continue living well in the place that feels like home for as long as it remains safe and appropriate.
For clients living in retirement residences or long-term care homes, our philosophy remains the same. Moving into a new environment should never mean losing the activities, relationships, memories, and personal history that make someone who they are.
Through meaningful recreation, reminiscence, social connection, physical activity, and person-centred support, we help enrich everyday life and support clients through significant changes with dignity, comfort, and purpose.
A Company Created to Help Seniors Continue Living Well.
Today, this vision continues to guide everything we do. Together with our dedicated team, we support older adults and their families through every stage of the aging journey. Helping clients not only receive exceptional care, but continue living lives that feel meaningful, familiar, and entirely their own.
Our Core Values
Our values shape how we understand each client, communicate with families, deliver support, and protect the dignity, independence, and quality of life of the people entrusted to our care.
Living Well,
Every Day
Person-Centred Care
We begin by understanding the individual: their story, routines, strengths, preferences, relationships, and goals before deciding what support should look like.
Communication
We believe families deserve clear, timely, and thoughtful communication so they understand what is happening and feel confident in the care being provided.
Respect
Every person deserves to have their choices, identity, privacy, culture, home, and lived experience treated with genuine dignity and consideration.
Wellness
We look beyond physical care to support cognitive health, emotional well-being, meaningful activity, social connection, purpose, and overall quality of life.
Fostering Independence
Our role is not to take over unnecessarily. We encourage clients to continue using their abilities, making choices, and participating in everyday life for as long as possible.
Advocacy
We help clients and families communicate their needs, navigate complex systems, involve the right professionals, and ensure the client’s voice remains central to decisions.
Our Professional Foundation
Our approach is shaped by education, clinical knowledge, and evidence-based practices across multiple disciplines of aging. Together, these perspectives allow us to understand the whole person and create thoughtful recommendations that evolve alongside changing needs.
Local Expertise. Personal Relationships.
Best Life was built in Ottawa to serve older adults and families within the communities we know. Our local presence allows us to provide responsive, personalized support while building meaningful relationships with clients, families, healthcare professionals, and trusted community partners.
Because aging support is rarely delivered by one person or service alone, we work collaboratively with professionals throughout Ottawa to help families navigate changing needs, coordinate care, and access the right resources at the right time.
Whether a client is living independently at home, transitioning into a retirement residence, or receiving support in long-term care, our goal remains the same: to help them continue living well within the community that feels familiar to them.
Supporting Families Across Ottawa
- Rockcliffe Park
- Westboro
- New Edinburgh
- The Glebe
- Alta Vista
- Manotick
- Kanata Lakes
- Stittsville