Chinook Village Retirement Community (Photo courtesy Colton McKee)

By Teagan Rasche

Care home residents excited for more family visits

May 4, 2021 | 3:19 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Eighty-year-old Grace Roth hasn’t hugged her family in over a year.

When she can see them face to face soon, there’s also a new great-grandchild she’s anxious to hold.

Grace lives in Chinook Village Retirement Community and for the past 14 months, she’s been significantly affected by COVID-19 regulations.

Thanks to technology, Grace has managed to virtually keep in touch with loved ones but others haven’t been so lucky.

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“A lot of people, it’s very hard for them,” Grace said. “I can do Facetime with them so that’s good, a lot of the people are older than I am, a lot of them don’t have equipment to have FaceTime.”

At the moment, the province plans to ease restrictions on May 10, allowing Grace to see more of her family in person.

Chinook managing director Linda Hygard says it’s been a hard year for residents, but she’s optimistic about the next few weeks.

“People are just missing people,” Hygard said. “You want to be able to hug people, we might not be able to do that yet but at least we’re going to see a few more family members so that’s good news for us.”

The easing restrictions coming on May 10 will allow for more visitors at care homes, as well as expanding indoor and outdoor gatherings.