[Magdalen] immigration / migrant situation --->Re:Professionalpanhandler...

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

When my folks went into Bentley Village in Naples, FL, they bought a
condo.  It was essentially a spacious apartment on the ground floor with a
glass wall looking out over one of the several ponds on the property.  One
could just watch the wildlife around those ponds all day. You could walk to
any activities, and there were several. As walking become problematic, you
could get a golf cart and use that for travel. GC paths of asphalt
connected every aspect of the Village. In the two clubhouses, there were a
very extensive woodshop, a ceramics shop, an artistic painting studio, at
least two swimming pools, a fitness center, a computer center, a library,
and a few things I can't think of.

All units get a basic cleaning weekly, and the cleaning staff is doing
double duty: as they enter each unit, they are alert for any signs that
things are not right, and if need be, they call for assistance, which comes
in several levels. The staff working there seem to be very friendly and
outgoing and helpful.

There's also a White Elephant shop where items residents no longer need are
offered for sale.  Actually, this is now two shops, one for furniture and
one for smaller items (I got a case for my laptop there). The residents
actually run all of their own activities themselves, and proceeds from the
White Elephant pay for those. The White Elephant provides a great
opportunity for folks who wish to be involved in something bigger than
themselves, and many residents use it as their chief social setting, and
they obviously have a terrific time.

There are a couple of buildings (another was under construction when Mom
died) for assisted living.  The folks here have considerably smaller living
spaces, and are under closer supervision.

There is also a skilled nursing facility.  Mom stayed there for about a
year, and the staff are absolutely tops in all respects.  I can judge that,
having been on staff of a psychiatric facility for thirty years (where DOES
the time go?).

When a person enters Bentley, they may well be playing daily on the
included nine-hole course, but they are in it for the long haul.  No matter
what one's needs, the resident will be served at Bentley to their death.

That is the reason Mom and Dad chose it; they wanted independence, yet the
assurance that whatever came, they would not have to worry (read: the
children would not have to worry, take time off work, etc.) about where
they would be living.  And in our case, since Mom and Dad both spent some
time in nursing care before dying, it was certainly a good choice.  This is
the reason my spouse wants us to move into a similar setting, albeit not
nearly so palatial -- and, of course, not in Florida (never ever ever ever
want to go back there again. Daily root canal would be a more attractive
option. Mom and Dad loved it, bless them).

Boy, this topic has wandered all over the map, hasn't it?


James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

On Thu, Sep 17, 2015 at 9:18 AM, Jim Guthrie <jguthrie at pipeline.com> wrote:

> From: Cantor03--- via Magdalen
>
> "Senior  Living" places are an interesting sidelight to the American
>>>
>> ??Economic  Scene.>>>>>
>
> And very expensive.  I've checked, and for a one bedroom  apartment,
>> but with daily help from aids, and meal service, it's about 100K/yr.  in
>> the
>> place just a mile down the road from us.
>>
>
> That sounds much more like Assisted Living than Senior Living -- a
> there's quite a difference. Senior Living is like a large condo complex,
> and works about the same way -- sometimes as a gated community and
> sometimes not. Some do have Assisted Living complexes attached to be sure.
>
> In any case, Check the stock prices and trends of companies big in the
> "Senior Living" business..
>
> Cheers,
> Jim
>