Assisted Living

The growing geriatric population is turning to assisted living facilities in increasing numbers. The elderly, however, are not the only ones who need a helping hand.

For the couch potato set, there's a simple mantra of three Rs that reorders the universe into a harmonically converged cosmos of meaning: recliner, remote and Rolaids. You stick a guy in his underwear with a beer and a six pack in his hands, reeling under the influence of testosterone, and put him in a recliner, give him the remote and pass him a jar of Rolaids - well, there's not much more assistance you can give a Monopoly man who thinks life is just a game in which you go around the board every day, pass go at midnight and collect another 24 hours.
That's no doubt a bit harsh. But there are people who can't get out of their La-Z-Boys although they'd like to. They're people who've lived strong, active lives, but who now need to move - on the advice of children and friends - to a place where they can get assistance. Not a nursing home. Not an old folks home, not the poor house, but an upscale complex of cozy apartments staffed by nurses, cooks and recreation directors.
These geriatric ...