New Family Meetup Centres at PARC

New Family Meetup Centres at PARC

The last few weeks have been challenging for seniors across B.C. To follow provincial emergency regulations for seniors’ facilities, PARC Retirement Living had no choice but to limit residents’ contact with all but essential visitors. This absence has been hard on everyone; we know socialization is incredibly important for all seniors, improving their health and well-being in all kinds of ways.

Recently, the B.C. Government and Provincial Health Officer announced they’ll soon be easing COVID-19 restrictions. While this is great news, it also doesn’t mean the COVID-19 virus has been eradicated, or we can return to business as usual. Until a vaccine is available, the virus will persist, and people will continue to contract it. There is also a very real possibility that there will be a second outbreak in late fall.

With all of this in mind, PARC is excited to announce a groundbreaking solution to bring safe social contact back to our residents: our new Family Meetup Centres.

Designed for safe, physically distanced visits

PARC will be deploying pod-like portables to each of its five communities by the end of May. Each one is a self-contained, all-weather structure with windows, heating, and air filtration – plus separate, clearly marked entrances for residents and their visitors. Inside, a plexiglass shield separates the resident from the visitors. Each Meetup Centre will be equipped with sanitizer dispensers and comfortable furnishings. We’ll also have washroom trailers onsite for use by family members only (these will be locked at night and sanitized).

Watch the video to see one of our Family Meetup Centres in action!

Health and safety protocols onsite

A PARC Retirement Living host will on hand to monitor each Family Meetup Centre and maintain strict health and safety standards:

• A maximum of one resident and two visitors will be allowed in each centre at a time. This may increase as the Province allows seniors to expand their social bubbles.
• Bookings will be on the hour, with each visit lasting 45 minutes – allowing at least 15 minutes between visits for sanitization of high-touch areas such as chairs, the plexiglass shield, and other surfaces. These scheduled time slots will also help prevent lineups and crowding.
• Visitors and residents will be required to clean their hands using the supplied sanitary dispensers before and after each visit.

Learn more and book a visit

Hours of operation for Family Meetup Centres will vary by PARC community, depending on the needs of residents and their families. Residents can make bookings at reception; or, residents and family members can book using an easy online booking form. The booking system allows coordination between the resident and their family members.

The PARC Family Meetup Centres are a one-of-a-kind concept designed to maintain residents’ socialization with family and friends safely during uncertain times like these. As always, PARC is working tirelessly to ensure that aging well in a healthy and safe environment is the norm, not the exception.