ELK POINT - While the usual pre-Easter week bustle of activities is missing at Elk Point Heritage Lodge, manager Lana Odgaard reports that “Everybody is healthy and in good spirits” despite the significant impact on their lives resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have had to limit activities, by only having groups of five participate and keep the appropriate distance from each other, and by staggering the times between groups. But they’re still coming out of their rooms to get involved.”
Especially at festive times such as Easter, Heritage Lodge usually welcomes a steady stream of visitors, as not only family members and friends, but also groups such as the children from Jack and Jill Playschool, who drop in to see and entertain the residents. That won’t be happening this year, as the arrival and spread of COVID-19 in Alberta means that currently no visitors may come in and residents cannot leave the lodge, in order to decrease the chance of transmission. However, to help residents keep in contact with their families and friends, she says, “We’re trying to get FaceTime for them,” so that they can at least have a virtual visit with their loved ones.
Despite the changes, Odgaard says, “So far, everything’s OK. The residents are pretty compliant, and everyone’s good about it.”
