The Coral Gables Times

The special construction features required for [th]e homes of older folks are pretty well worked out by this time. They include: (1) complete dwelling facilities, on one floor; (2) few, if any, steps; (3) no thresholds or other tripping hazards; (4) nonslip surfaces in hallways, bathrooms, and kitchens; (5) handrails by all steps and inclines, and grab bars capable of supporting a heavy person next to all bathtubs and toilets; (6) adequate illumination; (7) fully automatic heat capable of [m]aintaining interior temperatures of 80° in all weather conditions; (8) no layout that contemplates continued use of the living room for sleeping purposes; (8) electrical outlets placed high enough to eliminate stooping; (10) doorways wide enough for wheel chairs. But, as Edward Aronov of the United Community Services of Greater Milwaukee, puts it, "Housing for the aged is a question involving, in just [ab]out equal proportions, physical and social planning. There is more or less general agreement on the physical requirements of such housing, but too little is known about the social requirements." But, to make a beginning, we do know that almost all old people want to be near public transportation and everyday shopping facilities (progressively they become less able to drive themselves or walk long distances). Nearness to doctors' offices, theaters, libraries, and recreation centers for old folks should be remembered, too. A word about these centers that are springing up almost everywhere. They are sponsored by churches or sometimes by local social agencies or organized by senior citizens themselves. "Golden Age" and "Golden Years" appear frequently as names. Others are more original — "Cracker Bar'l," "Stitch and Chatter," "Spit'n Argue." Here and there a name shows up that doesn't seem too cheery—"Borrowed Time Club," "Live Embers," "Last Mile Society." Where funds and space are available, some centers are open every day; others only on certain days. Games, hobbies, books, and above all, fellowship are usual features. More elaborate centers have handicraft shops, cafeterias, lecture programs, gardens. SOME CENTERS have special objectives. Thus Sunset Industries near Boston, Massachusetts, produces handmade goods, offering part-time paid employment, while the Santa Monica (California) Sheltered Workshop goes further and has managed to graduate 28 out of 49 elderly employees into paying jobs in regular industry. Some types of old-age housing combine the idea of the social center with appropriate individual living quarters, and there many of the occupants have formed warm and rewarding attachments. Often a stronger individual will take one who is less robust under special care. There are even occasional marriages. (One such romance was blasted by the discovery on the part of the lady that her intended, age 84, was on the state relief rolls; as the recipient of a monthly Social Security check she felt that she could not marry so far beneath her social level.) This semicommunal type of housing often has central dining facilities for those who find that eating alone is no fun or are tired of cooking for themselves. To sum up, what we're faced with is a vast and rising increase in the proportionate number of our senior citizens plus a steady decline in the purchasing power of their retirement incomes. The questions that arise are complex, and there are no neat, easy answers. All that can honestly be claimed is that wider and wider attention is being given to the increasing need to find places of dignity and usefulness for our elders. And this is everybody's business. Aren't we all growing older day by day?

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