Adult Enrichment Center Inc. (AEC), which provides much-needed support and services to individuals 18 and over who are developmentally disabled, including those with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and those on the Autism Spectrum, is once again open to clients after the recent easing of provincial COVID-19 restrictions.
AEC has two locations in the Sault and three, including head office, in Sudbury.
Clients were receiving online support at home during the worst of the COVID-19 lockdown, but one of AEC’s two Sault offices is up and running again.
You can safely say clients are glad to be back.
“Oh yes,” chuckled Lori Harrison, Adult Enrichment Center program manager, speaking to SooToday.
“Everyone has smiles on their faces. They’re excited to be back.”
AEC’s two Sault locations are at 244 Second Line W. and the Sault YMCA.
“We’re back up and running. We started back up here in Sault Ste. Marie on the 29th of June. We are opening up in three phases, so right now we’re in phase one which means we are all practicing our social distancing. Everyone here (staff and AEC clients) wears a mask or a face shield,” Harrison said.
“I’d say 99 per cent of them (clients) realize it’s just part of us now. One of them has a difficult time keeping the mask on the mouth, only because when you talk a lot the mask tends to move, so that one person has to keep pulling it up, but for the most part, it’s part of the program now. Everyone’s used to it.”
Clients at the Second Line West location enjoy AEC Connect activities streamed live from AEC’s Sudbury office through Facebook, staff and recipients in the Sault joining in by viewing the activities on electronic devices.
Recipients enjoy interacting through three Zoom meetings a day, daily discussions on various topics, support groups, art therapy, music therapy and Zumba, Harrison said.
They occasionally view and take part in activities at outdoor locations such as Gros Cap, Bellevue Park and the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site.
Respite care is also available for clients to give caregivers a break, staff taking individuals out for coffee, a picnic or to spend some time at Second Line West after hours.
In AEC’s current phase one of reopening, hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., AEC staff performing what Harrison called “a deep clean at the end of the day.”
“We clean every surface every hour, we’re very diligent with hand washing, hand sanitizer, and we also take everyone’s temperature every day, when they first come in and before they leave.”
AEC’s phase two of reopening will start next week with regular 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours, Harrison said.
“We’re still in lockdown, which means nobody from the public, parents or guardians can come into the building, just the staff and the recipients that are here.”
“(With AEC’s phase two) we can have a few more people in the building.”
AEC’s phase three will see the lockdown lifted with the province no longer requiring the use of face masks or shields.
It’s unknown at this point, of course, when that day will come for anyone in Ontario.
Currently, AEC is operating its Second Line West location only.
“The YMCA is still closed. Once they open up, we want to feel it out because they’re going to have a lot of kids there and they will be using our room for the most part but I’m sure once September comes we’ll have our location at the YMCA up and running again,” Harrison said.
Two of the four Sault AEC staff are working at Second Line West these days, serving no more than 10 of their 16 clients at a time, due to COVID safety precautions.
So how does it feel for AEC staff to be reunited with not only clients they care for, but also with each other?
“For us, it’s been amazing,” Harrison said.
“We talk about COVID every day, how to keep ourselves safe, and we also talk about our feelings, how it affected everybody when the city was basically on lockdown, and with coming back, how happy everybody is and getting back into a routine, seeing familiar faces and having something purposeful to do in the day, it’s been incredible.”
“I am ecstatic. I’m excited. I was lost without working and this is definitely my calling and I missed everybody here so much. The people who come here, the staff, the management and staff from Sudbury, we always refer to each other as the AEC family. It’s reconnecting with part of my life I was missing for three months,” Harrison said.
Adult Enrichment Center Inc. is privately-owned, but funding for client services is available by applying for the Passport Program, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
AEC is accepting new clients for both on site and online services, Harrison said.
AEC’s Sault office may be reached at (705) 450-7475, Sudbury’s office at (705) 470-7474.
