‘Silent suffering on that waiting list’: Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition says state plan for new facility falls short
Updated Jan 26, 2021;
HOLYOKE Leaders of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition have turned up the public heat on state officials over plans to build a new facility after the staggering COVID-19 outbreak at the long-term care facility last spring.
Paul Barabani and John Paradis, the onetime superintendent and deputy superintendent of the Soldiers’ Home, respectively, led a presentation Tuesday highlighting what they believe is a woefully flawed plan the state is poised to present to the federal government in April.
The grassroots coalition of nearly three dozen including former administrators, lawmakers, family members, veterans and supporters formed somewhat organically in response to the crisis. The group was among the first to call for a revival of plans to build a new home after previous proposals were essentially abandoned by state government for
HOLYOKE, Mass. (Tribune News Service) All Francis “Skip” Hennessy wanted for Christmas was a ride home. The 82-year-old U.S. Army veteran settled in at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke in late 2019. His mobility deteriorated after a fall. Mild dementia had taken hold. His daughter was comforted when her father won a bed at his twilight home of choice after 10 months on a waiting list. Initially, his move to the state-run facility was a bit rough. Staff were caring, albeit a little scant. The rooms were slightly cramped and threadbare. But by Christmas 2019 Hennessy donned a Santa hat and joined in the home’s holiday festivities, according to his daughter, Erin Schadel. Guilt over placing her father in a nursing home was replaced by relief.