Parkland Place in Melfort. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Virtual hugs

Parkland Place among long-term care facilities to receive iPads for residents

May 13, 2020 | 12:35 PM

Residents at Parkland Place in Melfort will have more freedom to connect with loved ones virtually with iPads donated to the long-term care facility.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has partnered with Westcap Management, in collaboration with St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, Royal University Hospital Foundation and Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation. Westcap and its partnerships have donated $250,000 toward the purchase of over 330 iPad’s and the cost of data plans that will be distributed across the province.

Parkland Facility Administrator Lori Hinz said they will receive either three or four of the devices.

“Some families have brought individual ones for their own loved one but with these additional devices we will be able to have them in more areas and allow more residents to have more access,” Hinz said.

There are 105 residents at Parkland who are currently sharing two iPads at the facility.

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“There certainly are different things that work for different residents and the staff sometimes will use the current ones to just show them their loved one even if they aren’t able to communicate, just so that they can see them,” Hinz said.

Having that close interaction is very meaningful for residents and their families alike.

“Window visits are OK but they are tough. There are lots tears because they can’t have them come in and some of the residents don’t understand that,” Hinz said.

The devices will be distributed over the next two weeks across the province. The size of the facility determines how many devices each will receive.

Along with Parkland Place in Melfort, other facilities in the former Kelsey Trail Health Region to be on the receiving end of the iPad’s is the Arborfield Health Centre, Carrot River Health Centre, Hudson Bay Health Centre, Newmarket Place in Tisdale, Pineview Lodge in Nipawin, and the Red Deer Nursing Home in Porcupine Plain.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser