Saskatoon – COVID in the House of Old

CIHO Saskatoon was exciting because we were partnering with the impressive pandemic project, Remember/ Rebuild Saskatchewan, and setting up shop for two weeks in late May at the renowned Sherbrooke Community Centre, a long-term care home that feels like a village. Plus, we had Sherbrooke’s awesome i-Gen students – a grade 6 class embedded in the institution – to help and contribute.

In true Sherbrooke fashion, we had an intergenerational set-up team that included Sherbrooke’s communication lead, some kind folks from Remember/ Rebuild Sask, and three unstoppable kids. We put Jacobus’ big blue chair at the front door of the facility to welcome people to our exhibit and slid the chairs and panels into place up and down the halls. Intrigued elders (residents) offered encouragement.

The Story Space was nestled at the intersection between two Sherbrooke neighbourhoods and adjacent to the art room and the aviary, the latter of which added interesting background to the audio contributions. i-Gen students worked as tour guides and helped elders to tell their stories. I gave a talk to a large group of elders, staff, family, and the i-Gen class and faced tough questions from the students.

Kayley came our way via the Remember/ Rebuild project. A smart, articulate undergrad University of Saskatchewan psychology student with lived/ living experience of disability in and out of long-term care, Kayley heard of the CIHO Chairs and declared that she wanted to hold one. How could we resist?

In early June the exhibit moved down the road to the Cliff Wright Library for ten days. Kayley’s Chair was launched as a voice for younger adults in residential facilities, a demographic that is often ignored in care home programming and policy. This is a case of institutional injustice where systemic change needs to happen.

Thank you: Keri Albert, Eric Anderson, Cam Burns, Patrick Chasse, Jim Clifford, Roslyn Compton, Erika Dyck, Amelia and Felix Howland, the Sherbrooke community and our Saskatoon volunteers and storytellers.

Below, we present a selection of art, audio, and excerpts from our Saskatoon Stories. Click the embedded links to access story selections or scroll down to the bottom of the page to visit the complete Saskatoon Story Archive. All audios and non-accessible texts have been transcribed.