Retirement homes worth the investment

Re Retirement home rents soar, putting some seniors in limbo, Aug. 6 My parents live in a retirement residence, my father is 89 and my mother is 86. They are happier and healthier than they have been in 15 years. They are treated with respect and dignity and are lucky to be there.

These residences should not be referred to as “old age homes.” People who live here participate in exercise programs, crafts, bingo, playing cards, and more. Several of the residents are musicians and will get on the piano or banjo for an impromptu jam session. There is also a lovely outdoor patio and some of the residences have small vegetable gardens.

Residents get proper meals nutritionally tailored to seniors (including diabetic meals if necessary), not frozen pre-prepared meals. And the servers watch what and how much they are consuming and ensure they are getting proper nutrition. Their medications are administered to them daily, properly and on time.

My parents’ apartment is a one-bedroom, 600-square-foot suite, with a kitchenette. They brought their own furniture so it feels like and looks like home. We did not “put” them there, they willingly chose to live there. Recently, my mother had a heart attack. If it weren’t for one of the personal support workers insisting on calling an ambulance, my mother might not be with us anymore. Her blood pressure spiked dangerously high and she just wanted to go back to bed, but the personal support worker said absolutely not and called the ambulance.

Yes, retirement residences are expensive and my parents rely mostly on Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security. In order to ensure our parents are safe and taken care of properly, their children make up the difference. We owe it to our parents who brought us up, cared for us and sacrificed for us.

It is absolutely worth the investment. We should take a page out of other cultures who revere their elders. Christine Tile, Fenelon Falls, Ont.