Nanaimo care home hits positive milestone in pandemic recovery
With the honk of the horn from their driver, seniors who are living in a long-term care home in Nanaimo are getting a renewed sense of freedom.
They were on their way to their first outing from the building in over a year and a half as pandemic restrictions ease and, more importantly for the seniors, people become vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I love it,” says Dufferin Place resident Irene Merrifield. “I love the bus.”
Those aboard didn’t know where they were headed – and that’s part of the thrill.
“It’s always an adventure,” says Shirley Foucher, who has been living at Dufferin Place for three years.
The home’s activity supervisor says restoring pre-pandemic activities will be gradual. Over the last month, Island Health has been resuming bus trips across care facility sites, but residents aren’t yet allowed to disembark.
Before the pandemic, the seniors would be taken to lunch at a restaurant once a week or driven to a park to explore.
“I’ve seen lots of changes over the years, but this has been the toughest,” says Gwen Cooke on the stern rules those living in long-term care faced since March 2020.
Foucher says it’s been an isolating year. “You feel cooped up.”
She has five sons. She got to see her youngest son recently and talks to the others on the phone, which is a new norm for many at the site.
“I had one full-time staff working on video chats with family and phone calls,” says Cooke. “That has slowed down a little bit now because some family can come [back] in.”
It’s a testament to those gradual changes. Up next, a musician will return to Dufferin Place Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.