A Winnipeg man found a way to still have a face-to-face visit with his daughter, only separated by a few storeys.

David Thompson, a 101-year-old in long-term care is used to regular visits but because of physical distancing regulations, he has been unable to see visitors.

David
Thompson's daughter,  Susan Dwilow, worked in healthcare for 42 years and understands the importance of keeping her distance as concerns over COVID-19 are rising.

Instead of entering the facility as she normally would have before, Dwilow positioned herself outside her father's window and gave him a call.

"(Thompson) is a super social person and is used to having a visitor every single day," Kris Gladwell, The Misericordia Health Centre Foundation's Executive Director says. "It was really cool for his daughter to come up with this creative solution but it is not sustainable."

Misericordia says some residents are feeling isolated because of the precautions taken to protect them from contracting COVID-19.

"Misericordia is a faith-based organization," Gladwell says. "There is a church here on site but that has been suspended." 

Gladwell says that the care facilities hope to purchase iPads with funds raised through donations for their residents to allow them to attend a streamed church service and connect with others. 

"The big thing is being able to visibly see your loved ones," she says. "They are used to seeing their loved ones every single day.

Infection Prevention Control is on-site and will be cleaning the iPads between each resident to allow as many residents as possible the ability to connect with their loved ones.

"We are hopeful for anything we can get," Gladwell says. "I can’t say enough how grateful we are for the generous support from donors and the community. This is a difficult and trying time for everyone in our health-care system, in our province and around the globe"