Local News
Diary of the pandemic situation at Simkin Centre
(Updated each day as new reports arrive)
Dec. 14: Good news – We are glad to report that, as of today, there are no active cases of COVID-19 at the Simkin Centre. After almost two consecutive months with at least one active case every day – either among residents or staff, there is now reason to believe that the worst is over. Following is a chronology of events, beginning with the first reported case of COVID-19 on Oct. 22:
Following is a review of what has happened at the Simkin Centre in chronological order:
In our October 28 issue we reported that on October 22 the Simkin Centre reported its first case of COVID-19 in a resident.
Since then, Laurie Cerqueti, CEO has provided regular updates on the situation at the Simkin Centre. Following is a chronological review of those updates:
Oct. 23 – one more resident tests positive for COVID
Oct. 24 – death reported of the first resident who tested positive for COVID
Oct. 29 – 3rd resident tests positive
Oct. 31 – 2nd death of a resident from COVID reported
Nov. 2 – a nurse working in the COVID unit tests positive
Nov. 2 – another staff member (on Weinberg 2) tests positive
Nov. 2 – a staff member (on Weinberg 3) tests positive
Nov. 3 – a staff member (on Weinberg 3) tests positive
Nov. 4 – all residents on Weinberg 2 & 3 had proactive asymptomatic COVID swabs taken on Nov 2. In total, Weinberg 2 has 5 asymptomatic positive test results.
Nov. 6 – staff member on Simkin 1 tests positive
Nov. 9 – family members who are willing and able to provide care to residents are asked to volunteer
Nov 11 – 2 residents from Weinberg 2 test positive
Nov. 12 – 2 staff members test positive, 1 from Simkin 1, 1 from Simkin 2
Nov. 13 – resident from Weinberg 2 tests positive
Nov. 14 – resident from Simkin 1 tests positive
Nov. 15 – 3rd death of a resident reported
Nov. 15 – 4th death of a resident reported
Nov. 16 – staff member who worked on Weinberg 1 and Simkin 2 tests positive
Nov. 18 – staff member from Weinberg 1 tests positive
Nov. 18 – resident from Weinberg 2 tests positive
Nov. 19 – staff member who worked on Weinberg 2 and Simkin 2 tests positive
Nov. 19 – resident from Simkin 1 tests positive
Nov. 22 – 3 residents from Weinberg 1 test positive
Nov. 23 – staff member who worked on Weinberg 2 and Simkin 2 tests positive
Nov. 24 – 5th death of a resident reported
Nov. 25 – 6th & 7th deaths of residents reported; 3 more residents test positive – 1 from Simkin 1, 1 from Weinberg 1, and 1 from Simkin 2
Nov. 26 – staff member tests positive but did not work during period of communicability. 8th death of resident
Nov. 30 – 2 staff from Weinberg 1 test positive; 1 more staff member tested positive but did not work at the Centre during period of communicability
Dec. 1 – 2 residents from Weinberg 1 and 2 residents from Simkin 1 test positive
Dec 2 – 1 resident discharged from Covid Recovery Unit; 3 more to be discharged Dec. 3
Dec. 4 – 1 resident discharged from Covid Recovery Unit; 1 resident from Weinberg 1 tests positive
Dec. 9 – 9th death of a resident reported
Dec. 11 – 10 death of a resident reported; 2 residents discharged from Covid Recovery Unit
Dec. 14 – resident who was hospitablized passes away; remaining resident in Covid Recovery Unit discharged
As of Dec. 11
Total number of staff to test positive – 21
Total number of residents to test positive: 29
Total number of deaths of residents – 11
Total number of active cases of residents -0
Total number of recovered residents – 18
On Nov. 20 the Simkin Centre issued a call for volunteers:
Volunteers Needed
We are in need of training a team of volunteers to feed our residents, both during lunch (11:45 am-1:00 pm) and supper (4:45 pm -6:00 pm).
The Simkin Centre has positive cases of Covid-19. By volunteering you acknowledge and understand the risks involved in entering the Centre. We understand that this might be a difficult decision for you. However, based on previous outbreaks in other provincial jurisdictions, we’ve learned that a lack of staffing can contribute to issues with the proper feeding of Residents in Personal Care Homes. This extra assistance is required immediately and our goal is to ensure that our Residents are cared for.
Please contact me if you are interested in participating in a 2 hour orientation on feeding/swallowing. The orientation will take place at The Simkin Centre on Tuesday, November 24th at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm. Personal Protective Equipment will be provided. Please note – part of the orientation will include hands on experience in feeding a Resident, hand hygiene, and donning and doffing.
Thank you for your commitment to our Residents.
Please contact Alissa Minaker
(Acting Volunteer/Companion Coordinator) at 204-589-9008 or
Alissa.minaker@simkincentre.ca
Local News
Winnipeg-born Elliot Lazar to star as Paul Simon in “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” at Centennial Concert Hall
By BERNIE BELLAN Elliot Lazar’s career has long been chronicled in the pages of The Jewish Post & News. Do a search for his name in our “Search Archives” button and you will find a multitude of stories about Elliot from the time he was five years old.
A talented singer, musician, and musical arranger, also a graduate of Gray Academy, the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music, and the Boston Conservatory, Elliot has appeared many times in Winnipeg, including most recently last summer in Rainbow Stage’s production of “Rent.”
He’s been constantly busy – as a review of some of his past acting credits reveals. Last season alone, in addition to his performing in “Rent,” Elliot also appeared in the National Tour of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “The Band’s Visit” (Huntington/Speakeasy Stage).
We’re excited to announce that Elliot will be appearing in Winnipeg for one night only, May 21, starring as Paul Simon in “The Simon & Garfunkel Story.”
Here’s Elliot’s own story about his growing up in Winnipeg:
“I grew up in Garden City, attended Gray Academy (K-12) and majored in vocal performance at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music. I lived in Winnipeg until I was 22, so I’m pretty connected with the arts scene there still. The venue we’re playing, the Centennial Concert Hall, I was last seen in Guys and Dolls in concert with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Rainbow Stage (2019), and before that I sang with the Manitoba Opera Chorus in 3 productions there. My last performance in Winnipeg was in Rent with Rainbow Stage this past summer. Other local performing arts companies I have a history with there are Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Winnipeg Studio Theatre, Dry Cold Productions, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Manitoba Underground Opera, Little Opera Company, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. I grew up going to see shows at the Concert Hall, so it’s a wonderful full circle moment for me.”
About “The Simon & Garfunkel Story”:
Nostalgia-inducing unforgettable hits! The internationally-acclaimed hit theater show The Simon & Garfunkel Story (www.thesimonandgarfunkelstory.com) returns to the road in 2024 with a North American tour to more than 25 cities. Kicking off in Richmond, Kentucky on January 28, 2024, the immersive concert-style tribute show will recreate the magic and authenticity of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel on stage and chronicles the amazing journey shared by the iconic, GRAMMY-award winning folk-rock duo. It tells the story from their humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry, to their incredible success as one of the best-selling music groups of the ‘60s, and to their dramatic split in 1970. The Simon & Garfunkel Story culminates with the pair’s famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981 which had more than half a million fans in attendance. Tickets are on sale now.
The show features a set list of nearly 30 songs and uses state-of-the-art video projection, photos and original film footage. A full live band will perform all of the hits including “Mrs. Robinson,” “Cecilia,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound” and many more complete with the unmistakably perfect harmonies that will transport audiences down memory lane.
With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable songs and poetic lyrics poignantly captured the times made them one of the most successful folk-rock duos of all time. Over the years, they won 10 GRAMMY Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1977, the Brit Awards honored their “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album with Best International Album. In 2003, Simon & Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the following year saw their “The Sound of Silence” awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
Local News
Ida and the late Saul Alpern have donated 2 ambulances and a scooter to Magen David Adom in past 4 years
By BERNIE BELLAN Saul Alpern passed away in 2022, but before he died he and his wife Ida had decided to make Magen David Adom a major recipient of their generosity.
As Myron Love noted in an October 2020 article the Alperns had been contributing small amounts to the Canadian Magen David Adom for some time, but it was in that year they decided to donate $160,000 for the purchase of a Mobile Intensive Care Unit for Israel’s Magen David Adom.
As Myron wrote in that 2020 article, an MICUA (which is larger than an ambulance, is staffed by paramedics, and responds only to the most medically serious cases) was donated “to the people of Israel in memory of Saul Alpern’s parents and siblings who perished in the Holocaust.
“It is an expression of my love for my family and my love of Israel,” Saul Alpern said at the time.
In early 2022 the Alperns donated yet another $170,000 for the purchase of a second MICU for Magen David Adom.
Saul Alpern passed away in November 2022, but Ida Alpern has now continued the legacy of giving to Canadian Magen David Adom that she and Saul had begun several years before. Just recently Ida contributed $39,000 toward the purchase of an emergency medical scooter. According to the CMDA website, “the scooter, which is driven by a paramedic, can get through traffic faster than the Standard Ambulance or MICU and provide pre-hospital care. It contains life-saving equipment, including a defibrillator, an oxygen tank, and other essential medical equipment.”
I asked Ida whether she wanted to say anything about the motivation for her and her late husband’s support for CMDA. She wrote, “Having survived the Holocaust, and being a Zionist, Saul felt that supporting Israel was of the utmost importance.”
On May 7, CMDA will be honouring Ida and Saul z”l Alpern at a dinner and show at the Centro Caboto Centre. Another highlight that evening will be the announcement of the purchase of an ambulance for CMDA by another Winnipegger, Ruth Ann Borenstein. That ambulance will be in honour of Ruth’s late parents, Gertrude and Harry Mitchell. The evening will also commemorate the late Yoram East (aka Hamizrachi), who was a well-known figure both in Israel and here in Winnipeg.
For more information about the May 7 event or to purchase tickets phone 587-435-5808 or email sfraiman@cmdai.org
Local News
Simkin Centre looking for volunteers
We received the following email from Heather Blackman, Simkin Centre Director of Volunteers & Resident Experience:
Happy Spring Everyone! Hope you all are well. We have a number of upcoming volunteer opportunities that I wanted to share with you. Please take a look at what we have listed here and let me know if you are available for any of the following. I can be reached at heather.blackman@simkincentre.ca or 204-589-9008.
Save the date! The Simkin Stroll is on June 25th this year and we need tons of volunteers to assist. This is our annual fundraiser and there is something for everyone to help with from walking with Residents in the Stroll to manning booths and tables, event set up and take down and much more. Volunteers will be needed from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on this day. Come and help for the full event or for any period within that timeframe that works for you.
Resident Store – This tuck shop style cart will be up for business shortly. Residents will be assisting to stock and run the store for 2 hours 2- 3 times per week in the afternoons. Volunteer support is needed to assist residents with restocking items and monetary transactions.
Passover Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to assist with plating Seder plates for Residents (date to be determined for plating)
Volunteers are needed to assist Residents to and from Passover Services and Come and Go Teas.
Times volunteers are needed for services/teas:
April 22cnd – First Seder 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 23rd – Passover Service Day 1 – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 23rd – Second Seder – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 24th – Passover Service – Day 2 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 29th – Passover Service – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 29th- Passover Tea – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 30th – Passover Service – 9:30 -11:30 a.m.
April 30th – Passover Tea – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Admin/Paperwork Volunteers – Volunteers are needed to assist with filing and other administrative duties. A monthly volunteering job is also available to input information on programming into Recreation activity calendars. Support would be provided for this.
Adult Day Program – A volunteer is needed to assist with the Mondays Adult Day Program Group. A regular ongoing weekly commitment on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Assist with Recreation programming and lunch supervision for our Adult Day Program participants that come in from the community for the day.
Biking Volunteers – Take our residents out for a spin on one of our specialty mobility bicycles. Training is provided and volunteers will be needed throughout the Spring, Summer and early Fall.
With summer coming there is also opportunity to assist with outings and other outdoor programming! Please let me know if you are interested!
You must be logged in to post a comment Login