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Shelter offers comfortable window visits for Westmount Gardens families year-round
A new gazebo-like structure provides protection from all the elements
3/31/2021
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Deron Hamel
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Wanting window visits to be comfortable for family members visiting their loved ones living at Westmount Gardens, team members at the London, Ont. long-term care community have built a shelter to offer protection from the elements.
Window visits between Westmount Gardens residents and their families became popular when the COVID-19 pandemic began one year ago.
These visits have continued to be a favourite way for people living at Westmount Gardens to safely spend time with their loved ones, and this sparked the idea to create a shelter at the end of a footpath at the front of the home, says Westmount Gardens life enrichment manager Deb Lines.
Team members bought a hard-top barbecue cover that is similar to a gazebo. The maintenance team fitted Plexiglas panels to the sides to shelter visiting family members from snow, rain and wind.
“(The Plexiglas) doesn’t go all the way to the top or all the way to the bottom because that would be considered a ‘building,’ but it does offer a break from the wind, rain and snow, and the families have been so pleased with it,” Deb tells S&R Today.
The shelter, which was installed in mid-winter, is used every day, Deb says, and families can book appointments with Westmount Gardens to arrange visits with their loved ones.
Looking ahead, Deb says the shelter can also be used in summer to offer shade from the sun, and it can be moved to the courtyards for outdoor visits in a more open area once warmer weather arrives.
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