Loading articles...

Golden Years Society member says seniors don't want retirement home in Parson's Creek

The province is building a retirement home in Parsons Creek in the next few years, but according to a member of the Golden Years Society, some of Fort McMurray’s seniors don’t want it there.

Dave McNeilly says they would be isolated in Parsons, but downtown at Willow Square they’d be close to everything they need.

“Let’s not minimize our mental and social needs,” he continues, “in my opinion, they are the most important part of aging.  You can feed me and you can provide me a bed anywhere, but you can’t provide the social and mental needs just anywhere.”

At Willow Square the land is already cleared and he says it’s a prime location, it just needs a building.

“We’re not re-inventing the wheel.  There are lots of first-class ‘Aging in Place’ facilities in Alberta.  Plans are available, this could be done in a matter of a few months,” says McNeilly.

From Parson’s Creek the hospital would be about 20 kilometres away, but downtown the hospital would be right next door.

McNeilly says, “the seniors should be located in their familiar surroundings.  The Golden Years Society is located downtown, and the senior resident buildings, there’s three of them, are all located downtown.”

The city plans to build a retirement home at the Willow Square location at Franklin Avenue and Hospital Street.

In February it said it’s waiting for the federal government to transfer the land over.

At that time it said it would only take 30-60 days.

August 20th, 2013