Print edition: 
This column is focused on those of us who might be classified as well-seasoned (sounds nicer than old wimmen and geezers).
But there is another kind of person whose physical condition demands the kind of living arrangements more readily available in a senior residential facility. They are too old to be young, say, late 50s into 60s, but far too young to be old.
Where I live, there are always two or three men and women who fall into that discouraging category. What has befallen them varies; it may have been an accident, like the young man who lost a leg in an accident at work. He spent several weeks of his rehab adjusting to his prosthesis before returning to the workplace.
When stroke or cancer strikes, or a more esoteric affliction such as Parkinson’s or ALS, the struck-down younger person may no longer be able to continue the accustomed lifestyle. With few facilities devoted to their age group, a senior residence can provide not only the professional care they need but also the company of others who understand their limitations. Although a 20-year difference in age may seem unlikely to overcome, it often makes a zero-year difference among friends, and a bumper crop of potential friends is available among men and women who have chosen independent or assisted living.
A good senior residence offers planned and unplanned activities. Games with cards or marbles or dominos call for partners, building relationships. Wii bowling nurtures the competitive spirit. Like “real” bowling, it improves with practice and figuring strategies, exercising both body and brain. Sing-a-longs turn music into memories, and entertainers brought in from outside are the community’s equivalent to Broadway shows. None of those activities is exclusive to one age or another.
With a few younger among us, we older residents benefit three ways:
1. We remain exposed to that younger view of the world we used to control.
2. Our own descent into obsolescence is delayed simply by being around them.
3. Most important of all, each time we help someone else work to overcome their own problems, we experience that most exhilarating realization: “I’m still worth something. I’m still needed.”
So welcome, younger residents. We’re sorry you have to be here, but we’re happy to have you.
