PHOTO COURTESY OF BONNY LEA FARM Family visits at Bonny Lea Farm have resumed
After months of not being able to see loved ones, family visits at Bonny Lea Farm have begun again.
Founded in 1973, Bonny Lea Farm supports adults with intellectual and physical disabilities in a residential environment and also provides a vocational service centre that serves as a workplace.
Once homes were closed to the public under orders from public health officials, it also prevented visitors coming to the farm and residents from going into the community. As soon as the province lifted restrictions on family visits staff got to work booking family visits.
Health and safety measures have been put in place including 6 foot social distancing, face masks, hand sanitizing and wellness checks. All visits must take place outdoors.
Executive Director David Outhouse said this period has been hard and everyone is excited to see some familiar faces.
“Our clients have been super excited to see their families once again, and families have been relieved and super excited to see their loved ones as well,” he said.
Outhouse said clients and families are handling the continued restrictions on close physical contact remarkably well.
“Finding ways for people to display affection and communicate their feelings for each other was a bit of a challenge, but I have to say they handled it well.”
Another change necessary due to the pandemic was a shift in the annual fundraiser Lobster Lovers Feast. The traditional 600-person sit down dinner will instead be a trunk sale, August 2. There will be two pick-up locations in Chester and Bedford.
Bonny Lea Farm is located just outside of Chester in the community of Windsor Road.
