About Us

Country Cottage

Country Cottage is nestled in the village of Sherwood Park, Alberta. With a warm, cozy atmosphere, we offer the small-town retirement living that residents desire, paired with access to big-city amenities and services in neighbouring Edmonton. Offering multiple levels of care under one roof—including Independent Living and Assisted Living—our residents have the flexibility to age in place, with a menu of services available that adapt to their changing needs.

At Country Cottage, we focus on personalized care, comfort, and the well-being of our community. Residents are at the centre of everything we do, and we feel honoured to work with them. It is our priority to make your lifestyle as comfortable and worry-free as possible. Our numerous amenities and services are available to enhance your enjoyment of life while ensuring your safety and convenience.

Our Story

Our Roots

Optima Living took root in 2007, when our founders Karim Kassam and Farid F. Damji, two friends who loved and cared for the seniors in their lives, crossed paths while working at the provincial health authority. They began dreaming of a way to welcome other seniors into a different circle of care, one that truly honoured their own parents and grandparents, who had served as such sources of inspiration. Discovering their shared desire to give back to their community and shared passion for improving seniors’ well-being, Karim and Farid were soon jotting ideas on a restaurant napkin. These ideas evolved into Optima Living and inspired the logo you see here, with its joyful person under a sheltering roof.  In 2015, Ali Shivji joined the Optima family as Principal. As part of this added capacity, the principals focused their efforts to grow in the Alberta market and increasingly investing in new innovations and developments.

Our North Star

Since then, our co-founders’ vision of a truly homelike place for seniors has grown into more than a dozen Optima Living communities serving hundreds of seniors and their families across Alberta and BC. At every decision-point and in every community, our North Star is this: Let us welcome you home. Home, where you’re safe. Home, where you’re respected. Home, where your voice is heard, your views matter, and you have freedom of choice. 

Let us welcome you home: It’s our invitation to you. And it’s our North Star, guiding everything we do.  

Our Grounding Principles

Optima’s mission, vision, and values support and point to this North Star.     

Our mission: to provide an intimate, home-style living for seniors. You are the focus of everything we do.

Our vision: every person living in our communities feels at home. Here, you experience the best quality of life possible, and your voice is heard. 

Our core values: 
• We promise to respect you
• We promise to uphold your dignity
• We promise to work together with you and your persons of choice
• We promise to do the right thing

It’s All About You

Three key ingredients breathe life into our principles: people, place and community. At Optima Living, you’re surrounded by people who welcome you warmly and become your neighbours, friends and care partners. You’re in a place that feels like home, with opportunities to fill your days as you see fit and freedom to explore the neighbourhood. You’re an important part of a vibrant community, engaging in your choice of activities and living with purpose. 

Our Chosen Privilege

At Optima Living, we are always on a mission to improve—to learn more about what it means for seniors to be at home in our communities. We reach out to knowledge leaders and community partners who help us offer all the ingredients for healthy, active and fulfilling days. We use our expertise and what we learn from knowledge partners, including the University of Alberta and the University of Manitoba, to incorporate the latest research into your care and advocate for your well-being as needs arise. 

Everyone at Optima Living understands the honour and responsibility that comes with serving seniors and their families. Our chosen privilege is to offer not just care but also peace of mind—to “walk with” rather than merely “do for” the seniors who live with us. Whatever your journey, when you join an Optima Living community, you’ve come home.

“We are absolutely committed to making a positive difference in the lives of seniors. For us, that’s the most meaningful work we can do. We believe that if we do right by seniors, then everything else will fall into place.” – Farid F. Damji