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Thursday April 30, 2020
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Seniors dealing with pandemic isolation
Ted Clarke Citizen staff
Grace Holmes celebrated her 86th birthday a couple weeks ago at the Prince George Chateau and it wasn’t the usual milestone event the 125 residents of the retirement home have come to expect. COVID-19 and the deadly effects the virus has had on seniors in care homes and assisted-living facilities across the country has cancelled birthday parties and other social interactions that usually draws a crowd at the Chateau. Instead, she visited with family who provided the Happy Birthday serenade in front of her ground-floor patio. Her cake was a key lime pie baked by her grandson’s wife. “None of us can go out and right now so we eat our meals in the room,” she said. More than half of the 2,500 people who have died from COVID-19 in Canada were residents of seniors facilities. In B.C., 20 seniors home facilities currently have active outbreaks, while 11 other clusters at care-home facilities have been declared over. None of those affected facilities are in the Northern Health region and the Chateau and its residents have been following strict measures since March 23 to keep it that way. Chateau residents are not allowed to leave in their vehicles, nor can they go out alone for an extended hike. They are limited to short walks in the neighbourhood, accompanied by a staff member. Body temperatures are checked twice daily and they are asked if they have any symptoms of the virus. All meals and coffee break goodies are delivered to each of the rooms by a staff member who wears a face mask and gloves. Hand sanitizer is in plentiful supply and any packages that arrive for
CITIZEN photo
Grace Holmes holds her dog Heidi while visiting with her son Bryan on the patio of her Prince George Chateau apartment.
residents are wiped down with disinfectant. Access to the building by delivery staff is restricted and food deliveries are brought directly to the building with all meals prepared on site. “I’d say 95 per cent of (the residents) are understanding and happy that we don’t have any COVID in the building and that all is good. We’re just keeping people safe,” explained Chateau executive director Arlene Dewilde. Keeping residents safe also means keeping them active. Dewilde said staff are
doing what they can for the residents to encourage daily indoor fitness activities while also trying to facilitate connections to family and friends which maintain social distancing. “Our engage life coordinator is very creative with ideas to try and keep everyone occupied as much as they can,” said Dewilde, who is hopeful some of the restrictions will be eased in mid-May. “We’re just trying to keep everyone safe and working through it together and hopefully it’s soon over.
Anne Lane, Holmes’s daughter in Ottawa, connected to her mother on her birthday using Facetime on Dewilde’s cell phone. “She was excited - my mother’s face lit up when she was able to see me and that was really nice,” said Lane, who talks to her mom every morning. “he’s very fortunate that the Chateau has been so proactive since the beginning. I’m sure most (residents) understand that it has to be like that, especially if they’re reading about what’s going in in the rest of B.C. or back East for sure. She’s healthy, she’s safe, and she’s being cared for there. That’s all we can ask at this point.” Holmes also gets frequent visits from her son Bryan, daughter-in-law Doreen and her grandchildren in Prince George but they have to keep their distance, talking to her metres apart from the patio. She has three great-grandchildren ranging in age from three to seven who are not allowed to visit until the threat of the virus subsides. “I do miss them,” Holmes said. “One of them said, ‘We can’t go in because it’s only old ladies in there.’” While her visitors come and go, there’s one family member who never has to leave her side - her 17-year-old dog Heidi. Her faithful Shih Tzu companion came with her when she moved to the Chateau last September from Vanderhoof and the dog helps her deal with being isolated from the rest of the residents. “I get bored,” Holmes said, “I miss my walks. I used to walk two miles a day. I miss having the freedom of having a car, and I miss my house (in Vanderhoof). You have to get used to that your way of living is different. Once this is over I can go out myself. I’m not concerned about (catching the virus). I could have a heart attack, so why worry about what’s going on in the world.”
Residents, staff of care facilities coping
Christine HINZMANN Citizen staff
When seniors are placed in complex care facilities to meet their growing needs, it may feel more isolating than they’ve experienced in most other times in their lives.
During the coronavirus pandemic that sees social distancing and isolation taking place as protective measures for those most vulnerable seniors residing in facilities, people can’t visit with family and friends the way they used to.
In Prince George the complex care facilities are Gateway, Rainbow, Jubilee and Parkside. Within those walls, recreational therapists have been spending more one-on-one time with residents and offering virtual
visits with loved ones. “It’s definitely been more of a challenge,” Lynn AuCoin, recreational therapist for complex care facilities in Prince George, said. See ‘VIRTUAL VISITS on page 3