As a community, we’ve seen our lives turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. The “new normal” has produced a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty, and the summer is shaping up to be much different from anything we’ve experienced. Seniors and those who care for them are especially vulnerable. News coverage about outbreaks in long-term care homes is heartbreaking and, frankly, the situation is unacceptable.

At Boomers, we’ve adapted as best we can to the crisis. Out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided to pause print distribution and offer our Summer 2020 issue exclusively online. You’ll still find the same engaging and informative content you’ve come to expect from us, and we hope you’ll share the link to the magazine with your friends and family on email and social media.

April Taylor from Stratford brings us a beautifully-written piece about solo travel in Italy, with plenty of tips for how you can do the same when safe (Page 6). John Melady, a noted author from Egmondville, provides a fantastic story about Jenny Trout, the first licensed female physician in Canada, who grew up in Perth County (Page 22), while Jodi Jerome brings us an in-depth look at Ercildoune, an intriguing 19th century home in St. Marys that has inspired poetry and legend (Page 12). We also dive deep into the symptoms, effects and prevalence of multiple sclerosis, a debilitating autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 77,000 Canadians (Page 16). Also, as we navigate the pandemic, it’s important to take care of our mental health. Kathie Donovan provides several helpful tips for mental wellness during this difficult time (Page 26).

COVID-19 has impacted us all in unique ways, but we need each other now as much as ever before. My hope is these stories will engage, delight and entertain you as we work toward a more stable world that more closely resembles the one we had just a few months ago.