GhostofBiedny
Celestial
No doubt there are other countries in which retirement homes might be an attractive option. Also true that in the US there are some very nice assisted living and nursing homes. Unfortunately I have had quite a lot of unwelcome experience regarding care for the elderly and end of life issues. Dealing with it right now. Having been through this a few times and been through a number of different types of facilities - in some cases for years - I have yet to see anything that anyone would voluntarily commit themselves to. I wouldn't even wish it on f***nuts GS.
People go to extremes to maintain their independence, and sometimes are required to for lack of a better option.
I do agree that there are places he could go to for help if that need was sincere (it ain't) and he could get himself decent free meals. He might not qualify for housing subsidy or food stamps based on his social security income.
I think you keep making the same mistake and it is a common one - what you are talking about are nursing homes and various levels of assisted living. Gene does not need that and would not even qualify for that.
What has been suggested to Gene is a subsidised elderly housing where he can live independently. All it does is provide accommodation - meals can also be included depending on the actual place and some of the communities actually have separate homes for people to live in so they are not even housed in a single building. Even in those that don't residents have at least as much autonomy and independence as they would if they were staying day to day in a motel - plus they have the added bonus of a community of a similar age and stability (i.e. not constantly worrying about being kicked out).
There is no nursing care involved - some places have a 24/7 manned alarm system in case of a medical emergency such as a fall which is more likely to be an emergency in elderly people but that has no bearing on a person's independence - it is just an easier way of getting help if something goes wrong.
Having been involved with all these different varieties of care (from zero with full independence, to full nursing care) I can tell you that these places exist and people often choose to live in them. The only assistance is in the form of financial subsidy and that is what I think would exclude Gene.
He would firstly need to pay a component of the cost and further he would need to hand over full details of his finances to determine what level of subsidy he would qualify for.
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