Barrie Community Care Services
302 Hickling Trail L4M 5X9 Barrie, ON, Canada

#FindOutFriday COVID-19’s incubation time is 14 days with a median time of 4-5 days from exposure to symptom onset. 97% of persons with COVID-19 who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of infection.

BRACEBRIDGE SANTA CLAUS PARADE !!! Yes it is happening this year just a little different. It's still the same first Sunday in Dec as usual, Dec 6 this year from... 1pm to 4pm, but its a reverse parade, YOU are the parade. The floats will be parked along the road in the fair grounds and you drive by ( even decorate your car and tune it to 99.5 the Moose for the Christmas music). Not only will the big guy and Mrs. C be there but I have heard that a special guest will be there !!!!!!! YES, ELSA from the movie Frozen will be there as well !!!!! Rumour has it that the rotary club is trying to work out a plan for people that don't drive. See more

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I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about ju...st driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. 'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.' 'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice. I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life.. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL. At the bottom of this great story was a request to forward this - I deleted that request because if you have read to this point, you won't have to be asked to pass it along you just will... Thank you, my friend... Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance. 092120

I didn’t write this - but WOW does it speak to my heart!!! Worth the read. Barely the day started and... it's already six in the evening. Barely arrived on Mon...day and it's already Friday. ... and the month is already over. ... and the year is almost over. ... and already 40, 50 or 60 years of our lives have passed. ... and we realize that we lost our parents, friends. and we realize it's too late to go back... So... Let's try, despite everything, to enjoy the remaining time... Let's keep looking for activities that we like... Let's put some color in our grey... Let's smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts. And despite everything, we must continue to enjoy with serenity this time we have left. Let's try to eliminate the afters... I'm doing it after... I'll say after... I'll think about it after... We leave everything for later like after is ours. Because what we don't understand is that: Afterwards, the coffee gets cold... afterwards, priorities change... Afterwards, the charm is broken... afterwards, health passes... Afterwards, the kids grow up... Afterwards parents get old... Afterwards, promises are forgotten... afterwards, the day becomes the night... afterwards life ends... And then it's often too late.... So... Let's leave nothing for later... Because still waiting see you later, we can lose the best moments, the best experiences, best friends, the best family... The day is today... The moment is now... We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone what needs to be done right away. So let's see if you have time to read this message and then share it. Or maybe you'll leave it for "later"...

Today is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. A day in which survivors of suicide loss come together to find connection, understanding, and hope through... their shared experience. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in children/youth 10-19yrs. and young adults 20-29yrs. For every 1 suicide death, there are 25-30 attempts and 7-10 people who are profoundly affected by the suicide loss. At Seasons Centre, we offer peer support groups for children and teens who are survivors of suicide. We also offer in school support such as education sessions and peer support groups. For resources and information about our programs, please contact Natasha Manzone at [email protected]. Resources for those with suicidal ideation: Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or text TALK to 686868 for an English-speaking crisis responder and TEXTO to 686868 to reach a French-speaking counsellor.

QUICK UPDATE: BILL 218 JUST PASSED The Ontario Legislature just voted on Bill 218, the law that indemnifies for-profit long-term care homes among other for liab...ility for their negligence in the pandemic. The Ford government MPPs voted for Bill 218 and the NDP and Liberals voted against it. The Bill passed. One of the Opposition Parties (I could not see who on the livestream) requested a recorded vote: the result was 52 ayes and 38 nays. The NDP had brought an amendment earlier in the Standing Committee to carve out long-term care and retirement homes that the Conservative MPPs used their majority to vote down. The message to the long-term care industry is that they will not be held legally liable for negligence and that they are not required even to act with the normal requirement which, prior to this law, would have required a reasonable and competent effort to protect residents from harm from COVID-19. It is reprehensible that the Ford government has passed this legislation. The lawsuits will go ahead. The lawyers I have heard from are refiling their claims as "gross negligence". It will be a steeper hill to climb but they intend to try to climb it on behalf of their clients who are the families who have lost loved ones. We will pursue our complaint to the Integrity Commissioner. It is our position that the government MPPs, including a number of government Ministers, Premier and other MPPs who brought this bill forward and voted for it, have received donations and have close ties with the for-profit long-term care industry, and that these should be investigated for conflict-of-interest and those MPPs should have recused themselves from the vote. I also want to add a note for those who are not aware. The Ford government has changed the rules of the Legislature to limit debate to just a few hours. It would have been impossible to pass this Bill so quickly before they did that. They also limited the public hearings to just one part-day, cutting out more than four dozen people, including family members of the deceased, from even being heard. The hearings were not televised, which I have never seen before, and the media could not watch them. These decisions are profoundly undemocratic, not to mention callous. To the families who are directly impacted: we feel your heartbreak and your anger. We promise to continue to do everything we can do to improve care, protect those who rely on our health care system for their care, and finally achieve some accountability and justice for all that has happened. I am sorry to report such bad news. We will keep you apprised as we figure out next steps. Please stay safe, Natalie Mehra Executive Director

Tomorrow is Children's Grief Awareness Day. Thank you Mayor Jeff Lehman for proclaiming Thursday, November 19th, 2020 as Children's Grief Awareness Day in Barri...e. To commemorate the day, we encourage you to WEAR BLUE tomorrow to show your support for bereaved children and families. Children's Grief Awareness Day seeks to bring attention to the fact that often support can make all the difference in the life of a grieving child. We raise awareness in order to help people learn ways they might help a grieving child they happen to know, now or in the future. If you or someone you know are looking for support following the death of a loved one, please reach out to our program staff: Natasha Manzone - [email protected] or Danielle Coates - [email protected].

#WrappedInCourage