Residents at Broadmead Care’s care homes in Sidney, Saanich, and Victoria have once again been enjoying visits with family members.
Cora’s husband moved in to Veterans Memorial Lodge in February of this year. She hasn’t seen him in person since mid-March. Today, wearing a dress purchased for the occasion, she said, “This visit means everything to us. It’s been so hard. We’ve had FaceTime and window visits, but this – this is everything.”
When the Provincial Health Officer and Minister of Health announced on June 30 that long term care homes could open their doors for one designated visitor per resident, Broadmead Care sprang into action. Designated Social Visitor safety plans were developed for each Care Home, and submitted to Island Health for review and approval.
Once the plans were approved by Island Health on July 14, the doors were opened to designated social visitors at Beckley Farm Lodge, Nigel House, Rest Haven Lodge, and Veterans Memorial Lodge on July 15. Since then, hundreds of family members and friends in all of our Care Homes have been reunited with their loved ones.
“It has been a privilege to witness the touching reunions, and see the joy in peoples’ faces, bringing wellbeing and happiness to residents, families, and staff. We are grateful for the ways we were able to keep families and their loved ones connected through our Keep Connected program when face-to-face visits were not possible, and we are delighted that we are now able to welcome designated social visitors into our Care Homes,” said David Cheperdak, President & CEO of Broadmead Care.
The logistics of arranging visits at smaller Homes such as Beckley Farm Lodge, Nigel House, and Rest Haven Lodge have been relatively straightforward, and families have been enjoying multiple visits with their loved ones during the past two-and-a-half weeks.
At Veterans Memorial Lodge, a much larger care home, scheduling is a little more involved. Staff are working diligently to make sure as many of the 225 residents have a chance to visit with their loved one as possible. Since July 15, more than 180 in-person have visits taken place at Veterans Memorial Lodge, and as processes are refined, it is anticipated that more will be accommodated.
Learn more about Broadmead Care’s Designated Social Visitor program.
