We built it for the children, but now we need to think about our aging population. How about an assisted living home and senior day care center?
Many people call me to see if I know anyone that could help them to care for an elderly person in their home for a few hours so they can run errands, grocery shopping, go to doctors’ appointments, etc. Through grants, state money, and use of labor from the corrections facility, we could turn the school into a place for seniors, bringing income into the town as well as jobs.
The building is well suited for assisted living. It is handicapped accessible with a security system to monitor access. It has a kitchen, a large gym for entertainment, and gathering space to combat the loneliness many seniors feel when staying in their home as they become less mobile. It would provide the opportunity to have craft sales, luncheons, and dinners with community members. The lovely grounds would provide places for walking, grandchild visits, senior gardening for beauty as well as fresh vegetables.
Many people up this way find that traveling to Greenfield limits how often they can visit their loved ones. We seniors do not like to have to go out of town to a nursing home, leaving family and friends. We need our loved ones near even more as we get older. Senior day care would allow family caregivers more freedom and provide income to the town for years to come.
We may need to enlarge the building to house seniors from our hilltown neighbors attracted by this beautiful setting and facility. It will not be just one-time income. We would still own the building rather than giving it away, losing control of future use of the building and grounds. If we can’t use this building for our town’s children as intended, then let’s think of our seniors and others who helped pay for this building.
Dolly Churchill
Heath