At rest
January 8th 2008 00:45
When we were in the UK there was a large rest home – or care home, as they’re sometimes called – right in the village, just around from the old church. Unlike some care homes here in New Zealand it had only a small amount of garden or parking space out the front, I guess it had had to be crammed into the available area.
But if we thought it was in any way exposed, in Valencia, we stayed just along the street from an old people’s home. There was no garden, no parking, and you could look in the front windows (which were right on the street) and see everything that was going on. When I say there was no garden, it’s possible that one existed out the back somewhere, but this being part of the old town, it isn’t likely. It was a dangerous area for the elderly to go walkabout in as well, or to ride their motorised chairs along. The footpaths were very narrow, and the cars whooshed down the one-way street at considerable speed. I wonder what the turnover in clients is in that place!
I was reminded of this because of a site I came across on the Net where you can check out the care homes nearest you and see what they’re like. It’s a British site, so it’s not much good to me here in New Zealand, but I like the idea. Not that I have any real plans for going into a rest/care/old/people’s home if I can help it. I’ve visited them often enough to see that for some reason they tend to make older people deteriorate even faster than they would at home.
Perhaps it’s the lack of privacy, the lack of room space, the sense of being just another name. I suspect some of it has to do with living with lots of other old people, many of whom aren’t well, and in some cases, not with it. I know I’d sooner be with young people any day. They bring life and energy, and keep you on your toes.
Maybe that’s the alternative: start up a young person’s home!
But if we thought it was in any way exposed, in Valencia, we stayed just along the street from an old people’s home. There was no garden, no parking, and you could look in the front windows (which were right on the street) and see everything that was going on. When I say there was no garden, it’s possible that one existed out the back somewhere, but this being part of the old town, it isn’t likely. It was a dangerous area for the elderly to go walkabout in as well, or to ride their motorised chairs along. The footpaths were very narrow, and the cars whooshed down the one-way street at considerable speed. I wonder what the turnover in clients is in that place!
I was reminded of this because of a site I came across on the Net where you can check out the care homes nearest you and see what they’re like. It’s a British site, so it’s not much good to me here in New Zealand, but I like the idea. Not that I have any real plans for going into a rest/care/old/people’s home if I can help it. I’ve visited them often enough to see that for some reason they tend to make older people deteriorate even faster than they would at home.
Perhaps it’s the lack of privacy, the lack of room space, the sense of being just another name. I suspect some of it has to do with living with lots of other old people, many of whom aren’t well, and in some cases, not with it. I know I’d sooner be with young people any day. They bring life and energy, and keep you on your toes.
Maybe that’s the alternative: start up a young person’s home!
| 74 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by Mike Crowl
Webitz
Work Report