After 13 weeks of separation, Don and Freda Emmerson were able to spend their 60th anniversary together on Thursday.
Well, sort of.
After falling and breaking her hip a year ago and not fully rehabilitating, Freda moved into the IOOF nursing home in Barrie's Allandale neighbourhood.
“It’s wonderful what they’ve done,” Don said from outside a plexiglass-top partition under a pair of tent structures helping to protect the second-floor patio from the elements.
While the couple from King City, along with their extended family, have been talking on the phone daily, Thursday presented a refreshing change for them at a crucial time: the couple’s anniversary.
The visiting area is set up much like an oversized ticket wicket with three visiting stations side-by-side. Residents and nursing staff stay on the side closest to the doors. Family members approach the new wall from the other where they can sit and chat through the plexiglass.
Don and Don Jr. visited first and then made way for other families to visit with Freda.
Only members who live in the same household can visit at the same time and should be limited to just two, said IOOF CEO Garry Hopkins. Visits should also be booked in advance.
Social distancing which has prevented regular visitations also creates social isolation, he said, so the new set up aims to help bridge the gap.
“We thought let’s do something that would allow them to at least see family,” said Hopkins. “Here you have no chance of spreading anything because you have a physical barrier.
“We’re very fortunate that we have this patio that we can access from the outside.”
Don explained that Freda had an exciting career as a nurse, spending 31 years working at a King City nursing home before retiring in 2000.
And although Don and his family enjoyed finally seeing Freda again after three months, they wish that they can be together all the time.
“I just pray to get her home,” said Don, explaining that after 60 years it’s been difficult to be apart. “The last year has been a bit rough, simply because we haven’t had her.”
