Stan McCormack Speaks: COVID-19 > We Shall Remember You!! 2020 04 28 Living in Isolation.

Living in isolation has taken some getting used to but changes are necessary in order to stay safe. That is my work station. Pic taken minutes ago > 2020 04 29 00:45.
When I moved into Adelaide Place just over one year ago, little did I know I would become a virtual prisoner, confined to my suite, totally dependent on the service of others.
I am not alone. Thousands of people living in retirement homes across Canada find themselves in the same situation. Because of the spreading of COVID-19, every precaution is being taken to prevent its attacking those of us who have made places like Adelaide Place in Lindsay a safe haven where we hope to live out our senior years in comfort.
What does that mean? What does Living in Isolation Mean?? First, we are in a virtual lockdown. No longer can we meet other community members in the dining room. No exercise programmes? No Bean Bags? No Table Shuffleboard?? Even our Coffee Shop is closed. The camaraderie of lingering over a meal is gone.  On the plus side, we do have comfortable accommodations.  We furnish each room with our own furniture. It feels like Home. It is our Home! As an appropriate example of Adelaide Place being “our home’, I have inserted much cherished Shuffleboard Awards > NONE for my ability to play; each for service rendered; each very much appreciated.  

When employees enter the building, they are screened as soon as they walk through the door. Their temp is taken, and each is asked a number of questions.
Residents have their temp. taken twice daily right in their room.
Walking into the main lobby is like walking into a building where the owner has yet to move in all their belongings. “Xs” are placed by the elevator entrances on each floor, “Xs’ to ensure you maintain social distancing regulations. Separation is taken very seriously! Only one person at a time on an elevator. Activities in the gym are rigidly controlled; one person at a time followed by a full wipe down of the equipment.

So, what has all this done for people like me who moved into places like Adelaide Place expecting something similar to a five-star hotel? For most of us, it has been a major adjustment. It took a few days of total confinement for me to come to grips with an entirely new lifestyle.

For me, the Computer has been my salvation.  I am fully engaged for a big part of every day;  fully engaged in preparing and posting articles on The Shuffler!!!  Others work on puzzles, read or do such things as Seduco and read extensively.
I connect with family once, usually twice a day via the internet. No guests are allowed into the building; nor can we meet with them outside the building. Some families get creative for birthdays; erecting messages and pix on fences facing the birthday “girl” or “boy”!! Others organize a drive past, complete with balloons and horn blowing.
Living in isolation, but still in comfort, with good food, round-the-clock medical care if needed, and dedicated people whose mission it is to keep us safe helps us tolerate the very strict rules we now have to live by. I realize the rules in place are implemented to keep us safe from the virus. We are fortunate here in Adelaide Place in that we have not lost a life. One part-time worker for a service provider did test positive at the beginning of this episode. That test result is what kick-started our Lockdown on 2020 04 01. We are still in Lockdown as of 2020 04 28, time of writing.

Management announced to-day, that the current building isolation will continue until 2020 05 15  It began on 2020 04 01.
Stan McCormack in Suite 222 at Adelaide Place, Lindsay, Ontario.