gorgeous watercolor by Evan Hall
“…the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. ”
~ Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey
I have been thinking a lot lately about what my husband and I will do with ourselves as we age. We are both a little punk in spirit, so a suburban retirement lifestyle may not be the best fit – shuffleboard around the pool and all that. I’ve also seen what happens to folks left on their own as they lose the ability to care for themselves – it’s not pretty.
I wish I had a spot in the Penn South NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) in Chelsea, NYC. The folks who live in Penn South, though, waited on a list for 15 years before being offered an apartment. Even so, the list isn’t even open all the time. You have to wait years just to sign up. Once you are in, though, the Penn South NORC is a fantastic support system. “The objective of the program is to assist seniors to remain in their own homes for as long as they wish, providing social services, health services, cultural, recreational and other services as the need arises” (from their website)
A friend (studying to be a nurse) and I (studying to be an OT) had the idea that a bunch of friends should just gather together and set up a living situation in a commune or bed-and-breakfast style. The more I think about it, the more doable it seems to me. I am so afraid of inaction and isolation. An intentional community could be what I am looking for…what I will be looking for. We friends would be able to share in the costs of living and in-home care as well as look after each other emotionally. Maybe NYC will be the place, maybe a plot somewhere more temperate. We’ll see what I can come up with…
If it’s a subject that interests you, here are a few other articles I have been looking over:
More about NORCS in NYC: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dfta/html/services/retirement.shtml
Retirement to a cruise ship: http://www.snopes.com/travel/trap/retire.asp
Intentional communities: http://fiscallyfit.us/communal-retirement-living-no-love-beads-required
Alternatives to the nursing home: http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/01/alternatives-to-the-nursing-home-for-aging-or-ailing-parents/
lee ann westover :: ukemusic 