SENIORS
During and After COVID-19 Lori McLeod
T
here are so many difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and there are even some unexpected benefits. An unexpected benefit we see at the Eldercare Foundation in Victoria is the attention the virus has brought to the inequities faced by so many of the elders in our communities. The even greater challenge we see is finding the ways and means to continue to support the long-term care hospitals and community outreach that has been our mission since 1982.
Our urgent plea for help was thankfully answered with generosity and compassion… It has always been a basic tenant of our Foundation to provide homelike enhancements, innovative therapy programs, and specialized equipment to 700 seniors in Island Health longterm care hospitals. In recent years, we have also been providing funding for adult day programs, education, respite, and more, to the general community. For the most part, we provide for seniors in need of financial
assistance . . . the group of seniors who are so vulnerable, especially during this pandemic. While our long-term care facilities have thankfully been spared the terminal tragedies that other facilities have suffered, the lack of social connections, family visits, therapy programs, and entertainment threatens the emotional and even the physical health of seniors here. It is truly heartbreaking to see couples, married for decades, restricted from their daily visits, particularly when one of them suffers from dementia and just doesn’t understand. As the pandemic evolved, the Eldercare Foundation reached out to our community with the urgent need for phones and tablets to connect long-term care residents with their loved ones, equipment to facilitate small-group activities, and funding to clear our SAFE Lifeline wait list so at-risk seniors in need could remain in their own homes safely. Our urgent plea for help was thankfully answered with generosity and compassion, enabling Eldercare to provide dozens of cell phones, computer tablets, and Smart TVs. Long-term care residents can now access online entertainment, activities, exercise programs, and most important maintain vital connections with families and friends.
Recreation Therapist Jenna facilitating online visits for residents
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
BC Notaries Association
We received a touching letter from a daughter in California that speaks to the impact made on both residents and families during the fearsome global pandemic. Volume 29 Number 3 Fall 2020
