BARRIE -- Nurses, PSWs, and front-line workers in long-term care and retirement homes have been dealing with the full reality of this pandemic every day.
Communities across the region have come together to show their appreciation and support, through signs taped to windows, hearts tacked on trees, and parades of decorated vehicles.
Simple acts that are in thanks to a group of people risking their lives to help those in need.
Marlene Wilkinson knows firsthand just how vital these caregivers are, with both her parents living in a long-term care home.
"They're kind of taking our places, and I'm happy because they're great people," she says of the staff at the Bradford Valley Care Community where her mom and dad reside.
"If I can't be there, I know there's somebody there to calm my mom down or give my dad something to put a smile on his face," Wilkinson adds.
Her mother has Parkinson's and dementia while her father has congestive heart failure. One floor separates 75 years of marriage because of the facility's lockdown.
"It's hard. I miss them terribly," Wilkinson admits.
In this unprecedented time, front-line staff have stepped up right across the region.
"Our staff are incredibly committed," says Jane Sinclair, Health and Emergency Services general manager. "They're doing a lot of different things to put smiles on our resident's faces to keep them happy and to look after them."
Local restaurants have shown their gratitude to front-line staff with hot meals delivered during their shifts.
And Sinclair says the community's support doesn't go unnoticed.
"When they see these parades - when they see the homemade signs that our families are bringing and holding up in the windows to let our staff know how much they appreciated them, it's a tremendous effort, and it means so much to our staff."
