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Donation helps care home residents to facetime with families

Seeing the face of loved ones is vitally important to a sense of wholeness, but after COVID-19 came to Canada in late winter, in-person visiting was banned in care homes. It meant isolation for seniors and was a worry to their family and friends.
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Sherwood Home director Ken Oberlin and recreation director Chelsey Davies accept a donation to Sherwood Home of an iPad from Brandon Rotary Club members Chuck LaRocque and Simeon Norton.

Seeing the face of loved ones is vitally important to a sense of wholeness, but after COVID-19 came to Canada in late winter, in-person visiting was banned in care homes. It meant isolation for seniors and was a worry to their family and friends.

A donation from a Brandon organization to Virden’s Sherwood Home will help residents to see their family and friends through face-time calls.The personal care home received a new iPad last Friday, Oct. 9, from Brandon Rotary Clubrepresented by Chuck LaRoque.

The club has provided devices to the care facilities within Brandon, and with Virden pastor Simeon Norton as an active memberLaRocque explained, “We asked Simeon if there was anything we could do to help here.”

LaRocque presented the new device to Sherwood manager Ken Oberlin, saying, “So there’s a little more capability for your residents to talk to their relatives and not be so limited in visiting. It has a nice big screen so they can actually see someone on the phone.”

“That’s what we will use it for mostly, is face-timing,” said recreation facilitator Chelsey Davies who will be helping residents to use the new iPad and make the most of their phone visits.

LaRoque said, “That’s kind of what we ask is if there’s someone on the staff that can make sure that everything is working properly and can help the residents.”

Earlier this year the Sherwood got their first iPad which was also purchased through donations to the Virden facility, so with this second device and the recent installation of WiFi, these devices will be a new window for families to connect.

They are also used in conjunction with the television screen to provide recreational opportunities like the virtual zoo tour that Davies recently showed.

The Rotary Club is a non-political, non-religious global network of dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship.

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