Collected Item: “Gwendolyn Way Oral History, 2020/07/29”
Title
Gwendolyn Way Oral History
Who conducted the interview? List all names, separated by comma.
Hope Gresser
Who was interviewed? List all names, separated by commas.
Gwendolyn Way
Email Address(es) for all interviewers. Separated by comma.
hgresser@uwo.ca
If this oral history is related to research conducted in association with an institution (e.g. a museum, university, library), please include the name of the institution. If you are a faculty member or student conducting research, please provide the name of your school.
University of Western Ontario
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your oral history. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
Canada, Ottawa, elderly, retirement home, lockdown, isolation, community, retrospection, perspective, health, keeping busy, gratitude, exhaustion, never-ending, unknown
What is the format of your recording?
Audio
In what ZIP code is the primary residence of the interviewee? (enter 5-digit ZIP code; for example, 00544 or 94305)? In what city/town/village does the interviewee live? In what country does the interviewee live? All comma-separated.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
What is the gender of the interviewee? Be sure to allow interviewees to self-identify their gender in the pre-interview or interview. *Do not assign a gender identity to interviewees.*
female
What is the age of the interviewee?
75 or older
How does the interviewee describe their race or ethnicity? Be sure to allow interviewees to self-identify their race/ethnicity in the pre-interview or interview. *Do not assign a racial or ethnic identity to interviewees.*
White
Describe the oral history.
An interview with Gwendolyn "Gwen" Way regarding her experience living in a retirement home during the pandemic. Gwen discusses the changes made by the residence where she lives to prevent an introduction or spread of the virus, as outbreaks in Long Term Care facilities have been common in Canada, and how it has effected her life within the home and her relationship with the world outside it. She compares and contrasts this lockdown and pandemic with the 19 months she spend in a sanatorium being treated for tuberculosis (TB) many years ago. The fear of the unknown and desperation at the lack of a firm end date are ideas which Gwen returns to repeatedly.
On what date did you record this oral history?
2020-07-29