It’s an unfortunate human trait to ignore community problems until we experience them personally. Burt and I are now in our 90s, Cook County taxpayers for the past 50 years and full time residents since 1981. We are guilty of this trait, but have been strongly involved once we understand a problem.
We were jolted into understanding the urgent need for assisted living housing when our doctor at the North Shore Clinic and Hospital gave us a “straight talk” after Burt’s annual exam. “It’s time you started looking at assisted living.” We couldn’t argue, but we realized that the only place we would find a suitable apartment with assisted living services was in Duluth or its suburbs. In short, we were being told we could no longer live in Cook County among friends and family. We were being banished from the place we love.
We had heard there was some interest in building assisted living facilities and I called News-Herald
Editor Rhonda Silence, knowing she was up on these matters. Yes, we learned, the idea had been proposed for land at Birch Grove in Tofte and local housing coordinator Nancy Grabko had been appointed the job of furthering the idea. We called Nancy and learned she had submitted a request to the Minnesota Housing Department for a countywide survey to be made. She was turned down. She expressed the need for letters supporting the need for this facility to be sent her at Grand Marais City Hall, Attention: Nancy Grabko. Call her at (218) 387-1848.
What we really need is a strong citizen’s committee to organize and let our county commissioners, our hospital board and others know that the need is urgent— unless we wish to banish all our elders who are, or will be in need of assisted living.
We were part of the group of elders with some “youngsters” like Stewart Jackson and Ralph Larsen, who got Congregate Housing for Grand Marais (Homestead Cooperative). Burt was the first chairman. People like Margaret Ranum and Dorothy Jackson were living alone in their homes, which required more work than they could handle. Others like the Sjodings were living too far from goods and services. This past year Homestead lost the Sjodings who had to move to Duluth for assisted living accommodations.
Home Health Care, which we now have, is available and we have received help after hospitalizations, but for meals, daily home care such as cleaning, bed making, laundry etc. more regular help is needed.
As Cook County has become a “Destination of Note” we can expect our numbers of older adults to continue to grow. Once you fall in love with the North Shore and Grand Marais, you will never get over it. We know. It happened to us.
Doris & Burt Kreitlow
Grand Marais
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