‘It was the people inside who made it’: Former ECU resident reflects on memories

Beulah Fokkens moving to long-term care didn’t stop her husband, John, from seeing her nearly every day.

When she fell and broke her hip in 2024, the now 86-year-old moved into an interim long-term care home before moving to Niagara Health’s Extended Care Unit (ECU), located at the Welland Hospital.

“I made a lot of friends at the ECU and we had a lot of fun together,” she recalls of her time there. “I loved playing bingo, Scrabble and doing puzzles with the other residents.”

One of her best friends, who also happened to double as her roommate, was a 98-year-old woman named Fern.

“She could really get around and loved to dance, even at nearly 100,” Beulah says. “She was always wandering around, checking in on everyone. The friendships I made there were great. John and I always had a blast.”

John, who was known as an ‘honourary resident’ at the ECU, visited Beulah – who he calls the love of his life – nearly every day.

“John became quite famous at the ECU,” Beulah says. “I couldn’t go anywhere in there by myself without hearing, ‘Where’s John?’ I would always joke, ‘What about John? I’m the one who actually lives here!’”

While John would return to his home in Port Colborne after visiting hours were over, his extensive time at the ECU made him feel like a resident.

“The ECU was my home away from home,” he says. “It wasn’t just a big change for my wife when she left – it was a big change for me, too.”

In February 2026, the hospital made the announcement that the 50-year-old facility would officially cease operations due to aging infrastructure that no longer meets modern fire, safety and accessibility standards. The home will close once all residents safety transition to new long-term care homes.

In May, Beulah left the ECU when her first choice – Northland Pointe in Port Colborne – had a spot open up. The move was a welcome one for her husband John, who lives in close enough proximity to Beulah’s new long-term care home that he can walk there.

“When we found out she got into Northland Pointe, we thought it was perfect,” John says. “It was ideal. The location is great, it’s right along the lake, you can go for a nice walk around the building. There’s activities and a bus that comes to take residents on outings.”

However, Beulah didn’t arrive at her new long-term care home without getting a proper sendoff from the ECU.  Farewell celebrations have become a new tradition ever since residents began to leave the long-term care home.

“Just before a resident is set to leave, we do an announcement to gather everyone in the front lobby to say goodbye,” says Kaitlyn Bos, Programs Manager, ECU. “We set up the karaoke machine to play the song super loud and cue it up for when the resident comes down the hallway.”

Beulah picked Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver to play as her farewell song.

“When it was my time to leave, everyone lined the hallway to say goodbye,” she recalls of the celebration. “They had a big sign at the end saying, ‘We will miss you.’ There were pom poms flying all over the place.”

When Beulah reached the end of the hallway and the music quieted, John gave a speech, thanking everyone who made his wife’s experience at the ECU such a positive one.

“What they did was phenomenal… You have to be a really dedicated, compassionate person to do the kind of work they do.”

“The farewell celebration was emotional for both of us,” John says. “We didn’t expect it and they didn’t have to do it – they could’ve just opened the door for us and said goodbye. What they did was phenomenal… You have to be a really dedicated, compassionate person to do the kind of work they do.”

Over the past few months, the Fokkens attended other farewell celebrations together, and John even attended one after Beulah moved.

“Everyone was so friendly at the ECU,” Beulah says. “The staff were unbelievable. There was a lot of camaraderie. The building was fine, but it was the people inside who made it.”

For John, the move, while bittersweet, was a welcome one.

“The distance never bothered me,” John says of driving to the ECU. “I would’ve gone anywhere for her. But it’s nice to be a walk away now.”