BETHEL — While a senior center in Bethel prepares to close its doors for good, the Orutsararmuit Native Council says it will continue working to ensure services for the community’s elderly residents won’t stop.
Nikki Hoffman, the center’s program director, told KYUK-AM that the council is closing the center on July 1 to prevent a $200,000 budget deficit. Three jobs will be affected by the closure.
The council has been running the program for several years, offering seniors a place to eat, gather and play bingo.
Albert Kawagley said he has been coming to the center for six years and that many of the elders grew up together in Bethel. The 67-year-old said he will miss “playing cards with my friends here and not just watching the four walls that surround me” once the center closes down.
For Catherine Peters, the center has also been a place to socialize and spend time with friends.
“Sometimes we’re lonesome at home. Our families can’t be all the time with us in the home,” Peters said. “I’ll miss talking with my friends here. Even if I can’t see or hear, they come to me, and that makes my day happy and cheerful.”
Hoffman said she was worried about what kind of impact the closure will have on senior citizens in the Bethel area.
“What I fear with the loss of this program is a risk for isolation and loneliness and their primary care providers could increase risk for burn out,” she said.
The council plans to one day build another senior center of its own. In the meantime, it will continue to deliver meals to seniors in Bethel every week and provide transportation services to help them get around.
