Coronavirus: Edmonton senior at Kensington Village misses wife’s final goodbye, may miss her funeral

Ivan Johnson, 87, is in isolation at Edmonton’s Shepherd’s Care Foundation Kensington Village and is unsure if he will be able to attend his wife Helen’s upcoming funeral.

“He has to be in his room. Nobody can come in. Nobody can come out,” Johnson’s daughter Lorraine Morris said.

“Unfortunately, one of his caregivers was tested positive on April 1, so we’re just praying that my dad doesn’t get it, and so far, no symptoms.”

She and her siblings were holding signs and shouting words of love and positivity to their father from outside his bedroom Saturday.

He is one of many residents under strict isolation after one person on-site died due to COVID-19. Nineteen others tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Johnson’s wife of 63 years was recently sent to hospital for non-COVID-19-related illnesses.

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“Just before Mom passed away, I was at her bedside and put dad on the phone call, on speaker, so he could say his goodbyes, and two minutes after, she passed away, after we hung up,” Morris said.

Isolation may also stand in the way of Ivan attending her funeral.

“Because there is a maximum of 15 people allowed in a group, there will be the 14 of us that will be able to go and we’re not sure if my dad will be able to be one of them,” Johnson’s daughter Brenda Ans said.

“We’re hoping he will, otherwise he’ll have to watch it streamed, which would be very hard on him.”

The family said they tried to support their father the best they could in this time of crisis.

“I could see my dad had a tear in his eyes and I think he was very surprised to see us, and I hope it brightened his day and gives him a little encouragement, which he needs,” Morris said.

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