SENIORS CLUBS STILL NEED HELP

The necessary emergency health regulations brought about due to COVID-19 to assist in the limiting of contact resulted in seniors clubs who operate halls being closed last March.

Management of these halls by volunteer seniors continued in the hope of having them when restrictions were lifted. Seniors clubs membership are required to pay dues but this is insufficient to cover normal operating costs. In their locations, these halls have been the primary center in their senior community, being utilized in a variety of activities, all paying a fee.

Now, after 10 months, limited activity is a possibility and Nova Scotia seniors have something more to rejoice over, like being in a province that has bode well during this stressful and hurtful period, except for the number of deaths in long-term care facilities.

With the limited opening of halls, most are just welcoming the participants back as their present fee structure would do little to their bottom line. During this “downtime” many clubs did upgrades (cleaning & painting) to be ready to open.

MLAs, who would have been quite visible in seniors clubs over the Christmas holidays, possibly bringing a donation, are in self-isolation. In better times, seniors clubs sent representatives to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality seniors council where community concerns were discussed and brought forward to the appropriate authority. Presently, the author of this letter is the only surviving executive member of this council.

Now, the facilities once again need some form of financial action to assist not only in their recovery, but the continued availability of these halls for seniors in the future. Bernie LaRusic, Sydney