Losing our ‘gold’

Dear Mr. Behan:
As a senior and long-time resident of Fort Frances, I have a personal interest in seeing an assisted living facility available here.
If/when I need help living independently, I would like to know that there will be a place here—and that I would not have to relocate to a totally unfamiliar community to get the care and support I need.
In Fort Frances, there is the “street talk” of doom and gloom surrounding the paper mill. What will become of Fort Frances if the mill shuts down?
And then there is more optimistic chatter about the possibility of “finding gold in them thar hills” around the district.
As I look around at most of us seniors, we are not an indigent group looking for someone to build and staff a facility for us at no cost to us. We are, for the most part, on pensions with reasonable savings.
We worked hard and saved our money so we would have the resources to pay for our care in our later years.
We need to recognize that we are a real “gold mine” in our community. And we need to sell that to the community. Every time someone moves to another community to access assisted living accommodations, Fort Frances is losing some of its “gold.”
Not only the human value of the wise elderly people but the real dollars that are not paid to the local caregivers, cleaning people, and merchants who supply the food and necessities of comfort and care.
It is sad to see some of the long-time residents of Fort Frances move out of town to get the help they need. Sad for us and the community because, while they and we will adjust, it is this community that will be the loser.
Thank you for allowing me to express my thoughts on this community need.
Sincerely,
Betty McLeod
Fort Frances, Ont.