Nursing Homes Sound Awesome
The following is the transcript of my troop deployment (i.e. ending rant) from episode 87 of my news podcast The Mind Killer. If you like it, please consider subscribing to the podcast
We’ve pointed out a number of ways that modern life encourages isolation, none moreso than the communities we live in. In cities, nobody talks to each other, mostly because of the reasonable assumption that anyone approaching you, even if they start off just acting friendly, is about to ask you for something. Outside of cities, we tend to stay shut up in our houses in nuclear families. Maybe we say hi to our neighbors every once in a while, but there are few opportunities for genuine connection.
The only time I ever lived in a situation where I made real friends with the people living close by was my college dorm. I knew everyone on my floor and a bunch more people in the building. We all hung out together all the time. It was great. But it’s not really well suited for adult living. I’m too old for a randomly assigned roommate and shared kitchens and bathrooms.
What would be nice would be to have a hybrid of the two - everyone in their own self-contained apartment with a private bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room, but with lots of common spaces. Game rooms where you can go to play cards, pool, or board games with other residents. A dining hall where you can eat if you don’t feel like cooking. Rooms where you can watch movies. A gym where you can exercise together or play sports. A community garden. Walking and biking trails. A shared pool. Your apartment would be big enough that you could stay there all day by yourself if you wanted, but there would be endless opportunities to leave the apartment and have real, meaningful interactions with your neighbors, and lots of activities to do together.
Thinking about this, I realized I’ve been in this exact facility. I used to visit my grandparents there all the time. It’s called a nursing home. They have everything I just described. I’m used to hearing about nursing homes as if they are sad places where old people get “stuck” when their kids don’t want to deal with them. But they actually seem kind of awesome. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in one.
The real question is - where are the nursing homes for the rest of us? Do we really need to wait until retirement age to live a less isolated existence? Why aren’t there facilities like this for younger people? Maybe somebody should build one.