The residents and staff at Grande Avenue Village, an Independent Living / Assisted Living facility in Cochrane are faring well in the COVID 19 world. 

Residents and staff have been in a lock down situation since March 12 with only essential visitors allowed into the building.  However, that is not stopping folks just changing how they do things.  

Rosie Tracey, Community Manager at Grande Avenue Village says that everyone is faring well. They still have regular activities like their workouts but it is limited to 5 people and they have to practice distancing. Tracey says they have also enjoyed some live entertainment from their balconies courtesy of the duo called the Waltzing Matildas. She says they are always looking for new things to entertain and will be doing more entertainment and are thinking of Balcony Bingo. 

The residents, though isolated are still keeping in touch with family and friends for a distance either from their balconies are by using technology. Tracey says they are bringing in 6 tablets for residents to use to Facetime with loved ones. She says that a lot of the residents are already tech suave and are communicating with families and friends on a regular basis.

Although the residents of Grande Avenue Village are isolated from the world for their own safety, they are still aware of the crisis going on outside their walls. Rosie Tracey says that last week the residents literally passed a hat around among themselves and raised $1400 to donate to the Cochrane Food Bank.