I can certainly see the attraction of this kind of setting for those in the early and healthy stages of what my mum-in-law calls "the youth of old age" and I can't imagine anyone not feeling some temptation to check into a permanent high class hotel of this type if they possibly had the wherewithall to do so.
At the same time, there does seem to be something a little sad about it, as if we can stave off the inevitable decline by pampering ourselves with vintage wine, crisp linen tablecloths, and snap-your-fingers concierge service. In times like these where the only certainties about the future seem to be that there will be much less of everything to go around, instability, anxiety and tremendous human challenges, I'd like to think that those in the third trimester of life could offer up some mature vision and perhaps even some wisdom. I find it hard to imagine those kinds of qualities emanating from pampered hallways like these. Notice as well in the photo that this lovely lady sits quite alone in a large dining room. Sad. Doesn't it seem as though there must be ways to build settings that can encourage our elderly to contribute to the life of a community rather than to anesthetize them to the real? I think that's what I'd want.
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