By Erika Baltrus

When an elderly family member passes, there is a wide range of emotions the remaining family goes through. There is sadness at the realization of never getting a hug from them again. There is nostalgia over the happy moments in their long life. There can be concern that the person passed peacefully, without a struggle. If the family member was suffering, there is a feeling of relief. Whatever the emotions, the staff at Columbia House in Invermere are there to inform, comfort and help in whatever way they can.

My grandfather passed away this week in Columbia House. We, as a family, can’t say enough about the staff at Columbia House. They treated Grandpa like he was a member of their family and someone truly special.

As soon as he moved in, his demeanor changed. Rather than being a little anxious all the time, and telephoning my mother at crazy hours to find out what time it was or what day of the week it was, he relaxed and became a joy to be around. I attribute the change to the excellent care and attention he received at Columbia House.

My memories of Grandpa when I was younger are a little vague as he wasn’t an overly chatty man. As he grew older he mellowed considerably and as older men tend to do, became quite gregarious, and I daresay flirty. He was always telling us about the ladies who cared for him and how pretty they were. He proposed at least once to most of the nurses and aides he dealt with at Columbia House.

I didn’t get to meet all the wonderful men and women who provided care for Grandpa but my mother had nothing but extremely positive experiences with each and every one of them. On his last days and after he passed I got to meet and speak with a few of them. A couple of the women said they’ll miss him singing in Norwegian to them and smiled about his numerous marriage proposals. Another said dealing with him wasn’t work because in her mind, he was family. As we were packing up his things, a nurse offered to use her lunch break to help out.

Knowing he was treated with such respect and gentleness in his last years gives our whole family a sense of peace over his passing. We want to say a special thank you to everyone at Columbia House who treated and cared for Grandpa George. We too will miss his singing in Norwegian.

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