Land O’Lakes Community Services have never stopped looking after their cients

Jul 29, 2020

Land O’Lakes Community Services has been in our community since 1976. They continue to provide services in our community. Following is an update of what they have been offering during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Maybe you never realized it, but Pine Meadow Nursing Home is a program of LOLCS. Through the stewardship of Margaret Palimaka, and her dedicated staff they have kept Pine Meadow residents & staff covid-19 free to date. This is amazing considering all we have been hearing about nursing homes and their outbreaks.

LOLCS reopened their front doors on June 22/20, but they want you to know that they have been working behind those doors since the lockdown was declared to continue to bring their services to our community. When the pandemic was declared on March 30th the staff met quickly and devised a plan to keep their programs operating under the guidelines imposed by Public Health. Clients were notified as to what was happening and how they would be supported going forward. Working with various ministries they were able to procure the necessary disposable PPE equipment & hand sanitizer and have made this available to both their staff & volunteers. Staff are screened upon entering the building and before any community partners that rent space in the building will be allowed to return, they will complete a risk assessment.

They have used teleconference calls to continue their regional meetings and they use their boardroom for counselling sessions all while maintaining social distancing.

There are many people being supported in our community and LOLCS provided grocery & medication pickups & deliveries. Very generous donations were received, and boxes of food/meals were distributed to a number of households.

Meals on Wheels continues with delicious meals being delivered on Thursdays to Denbigh, Vennacher, Cloyne, Northbrook, Flinton, Kaladar, Harlowe & Henderson. This service is perfect for those having difficulty preparing hot meals, coming home from a hospital visit or just to enjoy a treat once in a while. During this unprecedented time, with COVID19 keeping Seniors isolated, LOLCS volunteers/staff have delivered close to 400 additional meals prepared by local businesses to help seniors in their catchment areas.

There were many hundreds of care calls made to ensure people are well and have everything they need at home to maintain social distancing and to ensure overall wellbeing. This is also an opportunity for clients to have a social aspect to their mostly isolated time at home.

Homemaking and Home Maintenance is just starting up again slowly with homemakers being required to wear masks and gloves, and to maintain social distancing. There are homemakers available to help seniors with light cleaning within the home, meal prep, and laundry Currently, our Foot Care Program and Dining Programs are on hold. The staff miss seeing their clients, but safety is paramount with regards to re-opening these programs.

During this difficult time the Transportation Program has been used for such things as delivering medications, meals & groceries. The majority of medical appointments have been cancelled, but are now slowly starting up again. There have been a couple of regular drives that have continue through all of this using the same driver on a regular basis. The VON van has continued with driving patients to dialysis appointments.

The Adult Protective Services (APS) program has provided face-to-face home visits throughout the past 3-4 months. These visits have taken place in parking lots, yards & doorsteps to ensure people are safe & well. This helps decrease the feelings of isolation & loneliness. This program has increased their trusteeship program duties at this time. Because of Covid 19 restrictions and the temporary closure of our BMO in Northbrook, the APSW has ensured that clients are able to pay their utility bills, rent, etc. and clients have easy access to their finances. They thank Jenifer Baker, the BMO Tweed manager and Richard Bryson, manager of Northbrook branch and their staff for all their help and support with this.

The VAW (Violence Against Women) program and staff are working extremely hard, to make sure that the vulnerable women in our community receive the support they need. They are meeting with clients wherever they can while allowing for social distancing. They keep in touch by phone or internet, unfortunately some do not have access to either and the team leaders are doing their best trying to get around this, but it is difficult with spouses and children in these homes. They continue to provide transportation to and from shelters and other appointments as needed and they make referrals to other agencies for other needs that arise. They have created mental health packs for the children of their clients. They have been navigating through communications means like Zoom & teleconferencing with lawyers, customs & shelter staff. They continue to support their clients with their educational and employment goals with their continued partnership with Career Edge & Job Connection. Making the monthly women's support group meetings happen has been a challenge. They have been able to continue following the guidelines given out by Public Health. They assist women with housing, foodbank and other applications as needed. As this pandemic continues and shared with statistics on a national level, they have experienced an increase in new referrals and intakes.

The staff and volunteers for LOLCS deserve a tremendous vote of thanks for all they have been doing to keep our community safe and their programs running. If you want to find out more about their services please contact them and inquire or better yet, think about joining their Board so you too can make a difference in your community.