CANTON – A former snowbird who decided he no longer wanted to travel back and forth between Florida and the North Country said he’s thankful for this move to United Helpers Independent Senior Living. In fact, both he and his children credit the move for possibly preserving the quality of life he’s able to continue enjoying today.

John Snell, formerly of Parishville, was speaking on the phone with his daughter, Kathleen Reagan, when something didn’t seem right. Mrs. Reagan noticed too.

“We went from having a normal conversation to him not being able to put a sentence together and he said he wasn’t sure what was happening,” Reagan recalled, adding she then hung up the phone with her father and called Community Housing Manager Jennifer Dean, who ran down to his room. 911 was called and it was determined that Snell was having a stroke.

The quick response from Dean and the Canton Rescue Squad enabled Snell to begin receiving treatment almost immediately, helping to preserve his quality of life and limit the stroke’s impact.

Prior to his move into United Helpers Independent Senior Living Snell was living on his own.

“My wife passed seven years ago and most of my friends have passed on too,” he said. “I would have been in Florida by myself and who knows how this would have turned out.”

It was that sense of loneliness that led Snell to the ISL. 

“My daughters had mentioned it two or three times and then one day on my own I came to check it out and thought, that doesn’t look so bad,” he recalled.

Snell was living along Higley Flow during the spring and summer, while spending the colder months in Florida.

“I just wanted to have one place. I didn’t want to travel back and forth anymore and it just wasn’t practical to stay here by myself in the winter,” he said.

Since moving into the ISL, Snell said he has made several friends and also reconnected with some people he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“It was a big move, but I’m glad I made it,” he said. “Everything here is perfect. The staff, the residents, the cook, the custodian. They’re all very nice and there is a tremendous sense of community. When I got back from the hospital everyone was checking on me to see how I was doing and there were a lot of people willing to help me with anything I needed.”

If you’re interested in learning more about United Helpers Independent Senior Living, an open house will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday, June 14. A virtual tour may also be taken at www.unitedhelpers.org or a private tour may be scheduled by calling (315) 379-1428.