Securing seniors

The Golden Heart City, right here in the middle of the Last Frontier, Fairbanks, Alaska, isn't the place where one would think to look for compassion. Isn't this the home of rough, tough, pioneer types, braving the elements, driving our sled dogs through blowing snow at -40C (or F), being hardy and self sufficient? Sure it is. That's the Alaskan ideal. Isn't it?

Well, maybe not. Last week a group of people went before the borough assembly to ask for $10,000 in support of a plan to establish a retirement community here. There aren't many places in interior Alaska where people can live when a house or a cabin becomes too much work to maintain. A local group decided that is a shame, and set out to do something about it. I went to some of the planning meetings, but couldn't attend the assembly meeting where the request was presented. I heard part of it on the radio, though. The assembly was discussing the proposal, after raising the amount from $10,000 to $15,000, in a budget that isn't full of easy money.

The discussion was reassuring. In general, the members said, one after another, that we need seniors in our community. We need the sense of history, the mentoring, the ideas, and yes, the skills that people with experience bring to our area. It is worth some money to keep seniors here instead of shipping them off to the mercies of the crowded, busy, mile a minute cities to the south. Supporting seniors is a duty for the community, not a chore for individuals. Our seniors need and deserve our support, not to be forced into reliance on private investment schemes. We have all seen what happened to the stock market after 9/11 and to the return on investment that went through the floor. We don't need to leave our elders to depend on that never happening again.

I found it really reassuring, one of the reasons I live in this place. Despite the cold and the dark, there is a warmth here that keeps me going -- and growing.