My generation & all those following seem to suffer from short-term memory. Those of us 65 & younger don't remember a time when some sort of senior lifestyle community was being marketed as THE way for someone to end their golden years, where those who could afford it could Gramps or Grandma, Uncle Phil or Aunt Gladys to be safely tucked away. How wonderful, we were told, for them to be able to lead independent lives of their own, even into their 90s.
Let's say that all of that is true. Let's say that the majority of people who live in the sort of homes featured in the Del Webb (Sun City) web site are as happy & fulfilled in their active adult communities as they appear in the youtube testimonials. Let's say that the majority of those who are no longer so active, who find themselves in a senior lifestyle residence that offers a wide range of continuing care services, love the peace of mind that they won't have to depend or be a burden on their families. Let's say that's all true.
It doesn't make it right. It's not how humans handled aging over the millennia, even if it is how we've handled it over the past 50+ years.
FACT: I'd make a fortune if I could develop a pill that my older friends could take every day that made them feel deeply fulfilled, as invisible as possible, barely a blip (if any) on their younger family members' radar. I'd be a billionaire if I could develop an aerosol spray that younger relatives & close friends could spray once a day & be relieved of all concern, worry & guilt related to older loved ones' care.
One pill, one spray & everyone could get on with their lives with as little fuss as possible.
Just one slight glitch - that's not how we were created to grow & develop.
It seems that way too many youngers have forgotten - or never learned - that we're meant to be learning to the end of our days, not the end of our practical productivity. For thousands of years, humans knew this; they respected & learned from their elders. For just a tad over 50 years, we've taken a different approach to elder care.
Is it working?
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