3 minute read
Seniors' Week Feature
On Being a Senior
Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent
Residents of Vegreville and area shared the good and bad of being a senior today.
Rose Kercher expressed that the worst part of being a senior is the Canada Pension Plan because they do not give them enough as it takes two incomes to live at home. “Senior housing is horribly expensive to live in, and you are not guaranteed to get your needs looked after. We paid our taxes all our lives, and we receive money that is below the poverty line. Why is this?”
George Go Lightly shared that mindfulness scholar Jon Kabat-Zinn says from the perspective of mindfulness practice, as long as you’re breathing, there’s more right with you than wrong with you, no matter the condition of your body or what you are facing in this moment. I’ve found that when mindful, age offers perspective and patience.
“One challenge is lowered accessibility of new technologies. For example, I’m losing visual ability in conditions like low light, piercing light, and low contrast. Websites, devices, and signs often vaunt technology at the expense of accessibility. Happily, as a patient senior, I’ve found younger folks receptive when I point this out,” George said.
Voila Braun-Fox said that being a senior has wonderful benefits of options, choices, and opportunities. “These include if we do something and when we do it. This flexibility is a real benefit.
However, there are some drawbacks to being a senior; a decline in health or abilities, or energy truly can affect these benefits. Remaining flexible in all ways remains an ongoing challenge.”
Mary Eliuk Continues to Care for Seniors
Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent
Mary Eliuk is a resident of Homestead Senior Citizens’ Lodge who is alert and always flashes a bright smile for everyone.
Mary and her husband raised three sons.
Mary worked for a judge when she was younger and assisted her husband with the businesses he owned, Vegreville Plumbing and Heating.
When she was a young woman living in Willingdon, she volunteered to look after elderly people, and also belonged to the Kinette Club where she was involved with many fundraising efforts to help the community.
Mary spent most of her life in Vegreville where her husband owned Vegreville Plumbing and Heating. She belonged to the Senior Citizens Sunshine Club of Vegreville and helped with the work in the kitchen.
Mary is one of the founding members of Vegreville Garden Club and still enjoys interacting with the Jr. Gardeners when they plant at their nearby garden plots.
At Homestead Lodge, she visits other residents.
“When I was young, I helped others because it made my life more full and interesting. Now, I believe it is important to volunteer because it gives us something to do and provides pleasure for us; it just feels good to help others. Seniors especially need to feel that they can still volunteer and be useful.
