Vincent, left, and Alma Doucette were able to reunite after two years apart, thanks to the new long-term care beds that opened in Tignish. They are just one of three couples that the new care-home was able to bring back together. Photo by Kristin Gardiner /Journal PioneerArticle contentTIGNISH, P.E.I. — After two years spent apart living in different care homes, Tignish couple, Vincent and Alma Doucette, are now just one door apart.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“I was in Alberton at the Maplewood Manor,” said Alma. “And he was here.”Article contentArticle contentIn early July, the Doucettes — alongside two other couples from Western P.E.I. — were reunited, thanks to 12 new long-term care beds that opened in Tignish.Article contentArticle contentWhen asked how it feels to be back together, Alma cracks a smile and says, “We didn’t fight yet.”Article contentA joyful reunionArticle contentWhile Vincent was living at Tignish Seniors Home Care Co-operative Ltd., he would still visit his wife of 43 years two or three times a week.Article content“We’d just talk,” said Alma. Vincent added, “Listen to music. We love music.”Article content The Tignish Seniors Home Care Co-operative Ltd. board of directors has nearly reached its $600,000 goal toward 12 new long-term care beds. The beds opened in early summer 2025. Photo by Kristin Gardiner /Journal PioneerArticle contentSince Alma has moved back to Tignish, though, the couple hasn’t spent a single day apart. Sitting in Alma’s room during the care home’s grand opening of its new wing on July 14, they sat side by side and never let go of each other’s hands. Vincent can’t stop smiling.Article content“It feels great, it’s great,” said Vincent. “It’s quite a reunion.”Article contentAfter dabbing away some tears with a tissue, Alma admitted she never imagined this day would come for them. The couple has no grand plans, outside of just spending their days together.Article contentArticle content“The telephone is a great invention,” said Vincent. “The first thing I do in the morning, I call her up. That starts my day.”Article content On July 14, Tignish residents gathered to celebrate the opening of 12 new long-term care beds in the town. Photo by Kristin Gardiner /Journal PioneerArticle contentThe new addition to the co-operative care home, in addition to the 12 beds, includes a tub room, a nurse’s station, a dining room and a salon, where a hairdresser comes in every Thursday to cut residents’ hair if they wish.Article contentGetting startedArticle contentBefore the town had the care beds, residents in need of long-term care would find themselves at the manor, or the hospital, or long-term care homes elsewhere in the province.Article contentThe idea to seek more capacity for long-term care beds originated with Mary Ann Nelligan and a petition she began in 2017 after visiting the manor in Alberton.Article content Karen Gallant, past president of the Tignish Seniors Home Care Co-operative Ltd. board of directors, Mary Ann Nelligan, Minister Mark McLane and Paul Gaudet, Tignish long-term care home’s maintenance supervisor, cut the ribbon of the town’s new long-term care beds. Photo by Kristin Gardiner /Journal PioneerArticle contentIt garnered around 2,000 signatures — Nelligan noted only one person she asked had declined to sign — and led to those first initial meetings with the province. Even then, she didn’t imagine the opening day of the new beds would ever come.
New long-term care beds in Tignish help reunite three P.E.I. couples
