By John Francis
When Wiarton Retirement Residence opened its doors on February 1, 2020, owner Donna Sauve had a clear idea: to offer a pleasant, uncomplicated, affordable alternative to living at home alone. Her facility has room for 14 Bruce Peninsula seniors — big enough to offer 24-hour staffing and a full kitchen, small enough to feel like home.
The system of preset menus worked nicely from day one; the in-house pharmacy allowed medication management for all residents; care plans and services were unfolding smoothly.
But within weeks, COVID-19 made drastic changes to her plans.
Sauve reconfigured the dining and common facilities so people could stay six feet apart while eating, socializing and watching TV. She hired extra cleaning staff to make sure all surfaces and common facilities were cleaned and sterilized between users. Staffing became particularly challenging after Directive 3 limited staff to working in a single facility. But they managed.
A year down the road, there is light at the end of the tunnel — all residents and staff received their first vaccine shots on February 26. Sauve wonders how this will affect things in the weeks following the vaccination.
She hopes it will feel even more like home.
