March 23, 2020
Renee Guder

At Shalom Village, we all remain vigilant in our efforts and are doing everything we can to protect the health and safety of our residents, families, employees, volunteers, suppliers, service providers and all other visitors.  

As you likely already know, Shalom Village is closed to visitors, except for individuals whose family members are receiving end-of-life care. As you can imagine, this is very concerning for our residents and their families. At precisely the time when people want to feel assured of their loved one’s safety, we are telling them they can’t see one another.

Also, residents are now unable to leave the campus for trips, to shop, or to participate in group activities. We understand the importance of supporting our residents’ emotional and mental health; as a result, the recreation team and all Shalom Village staff are committed to ensuring life within our home carries on as close to normal as is possible.  

We are helping residents to connect with their families using technology such as FaceTime and Skype, or even a phone call while positioned at a window, so that people can see their loved ones while conversing. Small group recreational activities will continue so that residents can remain connected and engaged, however classes will be limited in size and/or offered more frequently to maintain social distancing.

Sadly, for our community participants, all adult day programs and fitness club activities are cancelled. For many seniors, these are the only opportunities they have to socialize and get out of their homes, or to provide respite to family members who care for them.  We ask the community to please be aware of seniors in your neighbourhood and to check in on them and support them, while still taking care to practice social distancing. 

We have had numerous offers of help, but we are unable to allow volunteers on site. However, there still may be ways that you can help us to support our residents and the community. Currently, we are asking people who have an old tablet they are not using to consider donating it to Shalom Village through the Foundation. If you’re able to do so, please contact Laurie Pringle at Foundation@ShalomVillage.ca and she will help to arrange the donation. Please DO NOT bring items to the campus, as we will want to organize collection, disinfection and distribution. Also, our online donation page remains open, so if you are considering charitable donations, we hope you will consider supporting Shalom Village at this time. Your support will help us to cover the many additional expenses we are incurring as a result of the additional preventative measures we are taking. 

We provide frequent updates, and more in-depth information about daily activities on our Facebook page. To visit the page, simply go to www.ShalomVillage.ca and click on the COVID-19 updates link at the top of the page, and that will redirect you to our Facebook page.  

Finally, I would like to thank you for all of your efforts at home. I know that this is a difficult time for everyone as we make changes in our own lives, to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community remain healthy. If you have questions or thoughts on how you may be able to support Shalom Village, feel free to send an email to info@shalomvillage.ca. Please note that we may not be able to respond to everyone in a timely manner, as we continue to prioritize the care of our members, families and staff.