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Exhibit drawing attention to COVID’s impacts on seniors in care coming to Nanaimo library

COVID in the House of Old opens at VIRL’s Harbourfront branch July 28
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An exhibit on the negative effects on COVID-19 on seniors in long-term care opens at Nanaimo’s Harbourfront Library on July 28. (Submitted photo)

The effects of COVID-19 on seniors in care will be the subject of a display at the downtown Nanaimo library from next week till the end of the summer.

The COVID-19 House of Old travelling exhibition will open at Harbourfront library branch Thursday, July 28, drawing attention to seven Canadians “who either died or were severely impacted by COVID-19 while living in long-term care,” according to a Vancouver Island Regional Library press release.

The exhibit features seven chairs, which are situated “at the heart of the COVID,” depicting how COVID-19 spread across long-term facilities, noted the press release, with the chairs personifying “hundreds or thousands of Canadians who faced similar circumstances.”

Megan Davies, exhibit creator and health historian at York University, said COVID-19 House of the Old will show the detrimental effects of the pandemic.

“This exhibit aims to give a voice to the thousands of Canadians living in long-term care who were silenced and suffered through the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Davies in the press release. “Thousands of vulnerable Canadians lost their lives to this virus and countless more were left isolated, terrified, and effectively trapped not only by the virus itself, but by a system that let them down.”

As part of the opening, Davies, along with Vancouver Island University nursing professors Piera Jung and Marti Harder, Snuneymuxw First Nation registered nurse Connie Paul and Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Lisa Marie Barron will be in attendance for a discussion July 28 at 6 p.m.

The exhibit deals with sensitive matter – suffering, illness and death – and visitors should be mindful of that, said the press release. Despite that, Dalia Levy, Harbourfront librarian, said it was important to bring it to the branch.

“As difficult as these stories are to hear, they have the potential to effect change and to highlight significant inequities and gaps that exist within our health and social systems,” said Levy in the release.

The exhibit will be on display until Sept. 16. For more information, visit www.virl.bc.ca.

READ ALSO: VIRL’s online art magazine now available in print


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