We're from away

Yes, there are seniors in hospital waiting for a Long-Term Care placement. (P.S. To these journalists...we don't call it a 'nursing home' anymore. It is LTC) Yes, in Muskoka, there are long waiting lists. It is true everywhere. What REALLY CAUGHT MY EYE was the Bracebridge Examiner article that complained about retirees in Muskoka who are taking up LTC placements. They interviewed a daughter who was complaining that her mother, in Lake of Bays, who was given 3 choices for LTC and was sent to Gravenhurst. The wait for a place near the daughter's home was 2 - 3 years in Huntsville, much closer.

You'll forgive a rant. After looking after my parents, moving 400+ km, leaving behind adult children to find a new job, in a new school, to be closer to my parents, I have retired in the family home. Fond memories of Muskoka. Dad and Uncle Aust fished while at the cottage. A grand time had by all.

Mom and Dad, having bought property here in 1960, then sold their Toronto home and built our house to live in their beloved Muskoka. My aunt and uncle had bought property here first. They have passed away, family has sold the properties. We bought the swamp at the end of the road, but hard worked made it a paradise. Dad spent many hours BBQing on the deck.

They lovingly cleared the land, back-breaking work done on weekends and summers (1960 - 1962). We would bring a picnic lunch, as town was not very developed, and we needed to save a dollar. Once summer came, and the cottage built, Dad would leave for work on Monday morning at 5:00 a.m., and we would walk down the road, rain or shine, to wait for him at the highway as he returned on Friday nights. He would have navigated traffic north to return to his beloved land. Dad would spend the weekend on his garden, once retired. We stayed here for 2 months when I was a child. Summers have been spent introducing our grandchildren to Muskoka.

Mom passed away (2006), as did Dad (2007). I had my own health issues — as the grief that was mine was difficult to bear. We retired and settled into their home, lovingly created. The number of coats of varnish on each stairway rung has now died with them, but it has to be 4 or 5. We were married on our front lawn. It was a delightful place to be wed.

Imagine my chagrin as I read this brand new Metroland article. It appears that seniors are having health issues. Who knew? Metroland, ' Ontario's largest and most successful community newspaper publisher, provides local news and advertising media/info in Canada's heartland.'

Metroland has saved a buck by having three journalists (Mike Adler, Jillian Follert and Rob O'Flanagan) co-write the same article, first in a series of 4, that writes of senior health care. I can state, fairly, that I wrote the book. In fact, I made a presentation at the North Simcoe Muskoka Palliative Care Conference last week. As an adult daughter I gave up a lot to care for my parents.I wanted to share my expertise. Living and Dying With Dignity is a tricky prospect, at best.

The Metroland articles, published in many local papers across the province (e.g., Parry Sound, Bracebridge, Huntsville, Cambridge, Hamilton, Durham), are somewhat similar. All are fine tuned to incorporate local data, and they all bemoan the health care system. Seniors in Parry Sound are 'Falling through the cracks'. In another article, we are 'Punishing our seniors'. Another, Hurry Up and Wait. All the same article, raising the cry. You know that if it bleeds, it leads! Many seniors are begin cared for well by many in the system.

The alternative is for the ailing senior to sit in a hospital bed and take the place of someone need more nursing care, when they could be placed in LTC with less required care, freeing up the bed. What they said in the article (p. A7) is that residents and cottagers who retire up north, are to be judged on two different levels. Apparently, my parents, having cottaged since 1960 were lesser citizens that those who live here. This photos shows one of our picnics. They date from the early days.

I am shocked. I am amazed that Metroland Media would print such a statement. Retirees taking up beds for those who 'live here'. Perhaps, it is best we move back to Ottawa where we will not be considered 'from away'. Where I can be assured that those most needing space will be granted a bed, while those who can be cared for at home will be on a waiting list. Stay tuned for our house listing. Family home. Property owned by Jilks since 1962, second owners. Waiting for someone not 'from away' to move in. Someone whose spot in LTC will not be begrudged by someone from here. Someone who does not buy locally, volunteers in the community, and invests hard-earned pension dollars in Muskoka.