Sunshine in the autumn years — East Kootenay Seniors Coalition

I had the ‘pleasure’ recently of spending the afternoon on stretcher #4 in our local emergency room. And before I go further, I want to say that the nurses and doctors on duty were wonderful. They were very busy, and yet they had the time and professionalism to be kind and gentle with me. The lab tech who took my blood was slow and patient, even taking the time to comment on the funny tan lines on my feet (Birkenstocks). I almost didn’t notice the needle going into my arm!

While what I had turned out not to be a serious condition, I did spend a fair bit of time wondering what was going to happen with me and, consequently, with my life. I thought of my kids, my dog, my friends, my house. I had a pretty good idea what my symptoms might be suggesting and that was a pretty scary thought. The outcome could be life altering and I wondered what other people (seniors in particular) must think if and when they find themselves in the same or a similar situation. I myself am one of the ‘baby boomer’ generation who is just beginning to join the ranks of the senior citizens. This is unknown territory. I am feeling my way as I go. I’m not sure what lies ahead. There is fear …. but there is also trust. In the meantime … I’m on stretcher #4…

I work with medical people every day. I know the tremendous stress that they are under. I know they do their jobs because they love it. I’m sure they could make more money and have an easier workday if they had chosen another field. But they didn’t and they don’t. And I really have to thank them for that.

Maybe my time in the ER is not very interesting, but the rest of my story is…

The irony of this whole situation is that I have recently joined the East Kootenay Seniors Coalition as an advocate. I have volunteered to be of whatever assistance is needed when a senior finds him/herself in an unknown or difficult situation. They don’t always know where to turn for help. Very often they don’t even know what options are out there … or how to access them. I have offered to be a person that seniors can turn to in times of need.

The East Kootenay Seniors Coalition, formed a couple of years ago by some concerned citizens in Cranbrook, is an active and energetic group of people, operating under the umbrella of COSCO (Council of Senior Citizen Organizations). This is an organization made up of seniors wanting to help seniors, although you don’t have to be a senior to join. We want to see that seniors get what they need. Most of them have devoted their whole lives to this valley. It’s time we gave back to them.

We live in an interesting time. Seniors are going to make a difference. Just as we changed some of the things in the 60’s, I think we will do the same at this juncture in history. We ‘baby boomers’ are not going to accept the statis quo. We want things to be better. And we’re willing to fight for the changes we want.

And going back to stretcher #4 … one of the things that kept coming to mind was the fact that I hadn’t finished my laundry pile… and now someone else might have to deal with it. Isn’t that just like a woman?