What is happening to the seniors at the North Central Seniors Centre in Prince George is nothing short of elder abuse. After four years at the former Gladstone elementary school, the seniors are being forced out by the school district as the result of the large deficit the district is facing due to government cutbacks. However, the district's "grand plan" for the school is so pitiful that kicking out this group of seniors will make minimal if any financial gains to make up for their massive deficit. As of Oct. 1, the centres doors will not just close, but be boarded up along with the rest of the school. The school will sit vacant with the heat still on for an indefinite period of time.
The seniors use the centre to meet for card games, carpet bowling, book and photo clubs, and have the use of a small library. While there are other centres in Prince George, North Central Seniors Centre is the only one in the College Heights area. Having such a place for seniors is vitally important for their health and well-being for a number of reasons. In one's later years, friends and family often move away or pass away and it may be hard to meet new people. Such circumstances often leave individuals isolated and vulnerable to both depression and elder abuse. The centre provides an opportunity for seniors in the College Heights area to make new friends and participate in fun activities such as crib tournaments. With the continuing influx of seniors that is about to explode as the first of the baby-boomers reach 65 in 2011, it makes very little sense to close such centres.
I am not a senior myself, but a student who has been volunteering at the centre. The people I have met there are among some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and this closure just leaves me disgusted. As long-time residents of Canada, these people have been paying taxes longer than I have been alive, and this is how they are being repaid? Isn't it about time that we think about giving back rather than taking away?
Christie Schilling
Prince George
