LAC LA BICHE - Lac La La Biche seniors at two local lodges forced to cancel all face-to-face visits with family and friends from outside the facilities now have a digital connection to see the faces they've been missing.
On March 16, staff at Points West Living and LacAlta Lodge joined facilities province-wide by enforcing access restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With no timeline for when the restrictions will be lifted, some anonymous donors have given residents a chance to connect.
“We just got a couple of iPads donated to us, and our goal is to have the residents be able FaceTime with their family members, so they will be able to see them," says Iona Wolstenholme, the general manager of Points West Living.
The FaceTime option is one of several creative ways that staff have been linking residents with the outside world, without letting that world inside. Contact is essential to the residents' well-being, says Wolstenholme.
"We always allow for people to call and check in on their relative or a friend that is in lockdown here," she said, explaining that not only is FaceTime a new trend, but so is corresponence through windows.
“We brought (a) resident down to reception, and three of his family members were talking to him on their cell phone, and they could see each other through the window."
Staff members at the seniors' homes encourage family members of residents to contact the facility before scheduling a virtual visit. Wolstenholme says the new precautions and protocols may seem excessive — but the residents' safety is paramount.
“The lockdown hasn’t been easy for the residents here, so we try to do the best we can.”
Residents at seniors' facilities and nursing homes across the Lakeland are expected to have similar programs in place to keep residents connected.
