Fear of another lockdown prompts Sudbury woman to renovate her home to accommodate her aging parents

People across Ontario continue to hold their breath, dreading the idea of a further surge of COVID-19 cases in the province. 

The prospect of tightened restrictions or another lockdown has some people in Sudbury hastening to renovate their homes, so they'll be able to weather the potential storm more comfortably.

Debra Kaltiainen says that's why she's investing about $20,000 to renovate her home, located about 20 minutes outside of the city, in order to allow her parents to move in. 

"I can't imagine what it would be like for them to go to assisted living or long-term care even if they had the money," she said, "Here we have an opportunity to have our own bubble." 

Kaltiainen's parents currently live in a high-rise apartment on their own in Sudbury. She added that both her parents suffer from various health challenges and considers them to be vulnerable when it comes to contracting the virus. 

'My dad was slipping'

Katliainen said she worries that if her parents continue to live in their apartment that they would risk exposure in common areas like the laundry room or mail room. 

Witnessing them endure the lockdown on their own, she said, was hard to bear. 

"The amount of social interaction they had with family had obviously gone down and I could see that my dad was slipping, you know, he was getting depressed." 

I think there may be a fear for some that, you know, I don't want to fall in that situation again where I potentially can't see my loved one.— Angèle Dmytruck, architect

"It was very challenging for them to stay within their four walls." 

Angèle Dmytruck, an architect with 3rd Line Studio in Sudbury, says while her company hasn't received any requests yet — she's prepared for a potential influx of people requesting renovations for their homes. 

"I think there may be a fear for some that, you know, I don't want to fall in that situation again where I potentially can't see my loved one," Dmytruck said. 

Upgrades and challenges

She added that in addition to people retrofitting their homes to include their loved ones, there could be an increase of people modifying their homes to make their work from home offices and home schools more comfortable. 

"I think it might also be a reaction to the fact that people were confined to their spaces, to their homes, to that one space and could at that point start evaluating, 'Maybe I change this, maybe I change that.' Because you were in that space for so much longer," she said.

In modifying her home, Kaltiainen said, she will be adding a kitchenette, upgrading old plumbing and purchasing a generator for her parent's unit should the power go out during the winter months. 

She said while everything seems to be coming into place, she admits she's been met with some challenges in finding items she needs. She suspects it's because other people are also in the midst of their own home upgrades.

If all goes according to plan, she said she anticipates her parents will be able to move into their newly-renovated suite by the end of October.