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VULNERABLE466 infection prevention and control, not to mention the residents’ regular care needs.3 I went to the resident rooms that morning and saw those who were the sickest. Jeanette, who manages the Personal Support Worker (PSW) staff, identified whom she was most concerned about. They had fever, fatigue, and coughing. There were so few workers to pro- vide care. PHM was never designed nor intended to be a medical facil- ity. It is a home for 42 adults. The only way we could support them properly was to rapidly acquire new caregivers and ensure the home could provide high-quality, home-based care. That’s what we did. We contacted every possible organization or agency in a hunt for health professionals. We put out an SOS for more PPE. We ordered oxygen tanks and Symptom Relief Kits. The first few days are now a blur. Some memories stick in my mind, including the first Tuesday night. I had returned after dinner to check the sicker residents. I assessed six people that night. What I remember is not the clinical examinations, but the sense of despair I felt looking at unfinished meals and beverage trays outside the resi- dents’ rooms. Night had fallen and many were asleep, but they had not been fed. I was unsure if this was because people had lost their appetite and thirst or because there simply weren’t enough PSWs to feed the residents. From agitated behaviours and comments of those who could talk, we knew the residents were upset about how the place had been turned upside down. Familiar faces were gone. Strangers were providing care. Someone new every day, every shift. Caregivers were wearing masks, gloves, and plastic face shields. It’s hard to see a smile behind a mask. It’s hard to hear words of kindness spoken through a plastic shield. The glasses of unfinished drinks were a symbol of anguish. How would people survive if we couldn’t keep them hydrated and fed? It was the residents who gave us hope. I met Billy4 Wednesday morning. I wanted to check in with him because the night before his temperature had spiked to 40 °C. I walked into his room expecting to see someone looking ill. Not Billy. He was sitting up with a smile a 3. Elizabeth Grier et al, “Health Care of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in a Time of COVID-19” (2020), online: Canadian  Family  Physician <https://www.cfp.ca/news/2020/04/09/04-09-02>. 4. Names and identifying details about residents have been changed to protect privacy.