Letter: Place Nolin is failing its senior residents

This letter is concerning the lack of concern for Sudbury seniors when a senior's building elevator needs repairs or needs to be replaced. 

I live at Place Nolin on Leslie Street in the Flour mill. In 2020,m our elevator was closed down for repairs for almost five months. We only have one elevator. 

This year on June 24, our elevator again is shut down for at least three months. The management and board of directors have not been proactive in finding alternative ways to help seniors go up and down a five-storey building.

My daughter did a lot of research only to find out there are no laws or bylaws to prevent this from happening. Is this how we treat our seniors in Sudbury ? 

I feel i need to bring awareness to this very serious issue. Many seniors — 65, 70, 80 years and up — have health issues and mobility issues, and cannot go down or up stairs, so they are prisoners in their apartments in this lovely and short summer. 

Lately, I read how prisoners in jail are taken out every day for fresh air, but not seniors at Place Nolin.

If the Place Nolin board of directors had been proactive this time, especially after the difficult shut down in 2020, we could have had chair lifts put in on each floor or other alternatives. 

We are relying on the manager or volunteers living in the building that are already up there in age to help us bring our groceries or other things up to our apartments.

I pray that the city wakes up and does something to prevent this from happening to seniors buildings because others have had to go through this and others will in the future. 

I am 88 years old and capable of going down the stairs, but going up is very challenging. It is 42 steps from the front entrance to the fourth floor where I live.

City councillors have spoken about the neglect of seniors in our community recently. This is more than neglect; it is abuse of our most vulnerable. 

Denise Belanger
Greater Sudbury