Old Hippies & Fairies Home?

I wasn't sure where I should start this thread and don't know if it's been discussed previously. ( when I'm new to a forum I'm too lazy to search hundreds of threads to find out) so, forgive me if this has been chewed over previously.
As I'm old enough to start thinking how I'd cope with living in an old people's home and as I'm a gay, (almost) geriatric hippie the thought of what could happen to those like us in such a place fills me with such horror I can imagine myself taking the quick way out before that happens. Has anyone else here thought ahead enough to ponder this question?
I can't imagine any elderly facility allowing us to sit around in the community room passing around a bong and listening to Dark Side of THe Moon, can you?

 

I haven't thought that far ahead and I'm just hoping I won't have to deal with it... (Stuff happens, you know? ) I'll also never be able to afford a nursing home anyways.

 

Yes, things do happen and we can even make them happen but sometimes in cases of stroke and other conditions we can loose control of our lives and are at the mercy of those around us.
In the US, with it's allergy to anything like socialised medicine, many would find themselves unable to afford a nursing home. In Australia where I live things are much 'kinder' for those without the financial resources.
Some decades ago I was involved with a gay voluntary organisation The A.L.S.O. Foundation
We had reached the planning stage of buying land to build our first gay & lesbian retirement village. Then along came the AIDS epidemic and the funds saved for this found a more urgent use. As far as I know nothing similar has been attempted since. In general though, hippie, gay or not, our generation aren't going to tolerate sing alongs around the piano, forced medication to keep us 'managable' and food not fit for pigs if we find ourselves in one of these places.
I just hope if I'm lucky enough to see senility and decrepitude creeping up on me I can go out in with a bang of my own making.

 

I have thought about this, both for my own future, and for that of my husband. He will possibly need to be in a care facility before he would even reach retirement age, due to a genetic condition. Thankfully, we do get government funding for someone to come in everyday, but I would love to find something that would be suitable for the both of us for the long term.

If we had a few more people interested and willing, we have more than enough room for guys to live, as we own the farm. The problem we face with this is that it is quite isolated, and most people want to live close to a large center.

 

Isolation isn't so important if access to medical facilities isn't far away & someone can drive a mini-bus on occasional shopping expeditions etc. Otherwise it could be a nightmare. From my perspective though, the though of fading away with a group of like minded people on a farm in rural Southern Alberta sounds like heaven for an old hippie. Sadly though I'm in rural Northern Tasmania, thousands of miles away.
Maybe though Hunter S Thompson had the best idea?

 

yeah Karl, I kno what u mean. Both my Mother and Grandmother had dementia and liking my smoke and liking sex with both sexes it has crossed my mind how any sort of home would be............. who would keep the bong supplied and what if I just started interfering with the other inmates sexually!

Not a nice prospect so yes I would definitely an easier way out - just to do it before becoming demented. Maybe tho with all the pension shortfall they'll introduce voluntary euthanasia

Simon :sunny:

 

I don't have any details but I once read about an old folks community that was growing their own medical marijuana out in California... They had a community garden and greenhouse for the good smoke and also for organic veggies, fruits, etc..

I believe it came across my desk because the feds raided the place.

 

Well of course they did. No such thing of being happy or pain free in our older years.

 

Ah, so that's the meaning of the symbol below your signature. I've not encountered it previously. Myself I stick to one sex, my own. Call me sexist, but experience taught me women can be very emotionally manipulative. At times I've experienced this as an emotional blackmail I refuse to be part of.

Voluntary euthanasia should be everyone's right but the religious right, especially Rome, want's us all to suffer for their consciences. They make the argument that modern palliative care removes this suffering. Crap! I've worked in the area and believe me, modern medicine does not have answers to everything, especially terminal pain control.

 

Medical facilities are about a 45 minute drive. For good shopping you need to head to Calgary or Lethbridge, both about an hour and a half drive away. Heading to "town" usually means the village, which consists of a small grocery store (Which has surprisingly good prices for stuff), a small cafe, a small branch bank (it is a co-located branch, the other half being in a separate village), and the ever present hotel/bar. It does have a couple of other amenities, but with only 125 people living there, and perhaps another 100 folks in the general area, there isn't a lot to do.

As for being from another country, that doesn't bother us any. It is just a long flight to get here, with a layover in LAX being fairly normal. (I have an aunt in Sydney) We would happily welcome anyone who needs a home.

 

There are abuse situations in every old folks home. So, no matter who you are or where you go, you're going to get taken advantage of and treated like shit!

We need to learn to respect our elders. Too many people out there that brush off our elders. It's sad and disgraceful. I hope you never receive any negative treatment, hippies built this nation, they deserve better than they get!

 

Thanks for the suggestion but I'll stay put in Australia. Our medical and aged care system here is far in advance of anything in the US. OK, most Americans will try and denigrate what we have by calling it 'socialism'. We think of it more along the lines of universal medical insurance run ( very effectively ! ! !) by the state. Besides, the part of the world I live in is astonishingly beautiful and has the cleanest air on Earth. However, any geriatric hippies living in the US should get in touch with you - it's an offer they're not likely to come across very often. I'd put some conditions on what substances they consume in site but that's another debate.

 

Karl, I had to respond to this thread..

PM me for more details...but..

I work at a Veterans Nursing home.. As far as I know..nobody has brought out a bong yet..

We do have a smoking area, I have yet to know a nurse or doctor that has told one of the younger guys they could not smoke weed..
It cant be done openly. It can be done..It does get done..
Most of us refuse to tell a Iraq vet what he can or can not do. (first iraq)

 

Our healthcare system is more advanced than the US as well, but it is having some problems. It tends to be quite top heavy in some provinces, and every province has different guidelines; Overall, it is good. I am sure the AU system has its share of problems too.
From the pics you have shared, it is a beautiful area, for sure. I grew up right around this area, and I like being able to see for many miles in any direction; Although, where our house is, we can only see one neighbour, barely, as we are in a bit of a valley, thanks to the rolling prairies.

It is very unfortunate that so many care homes are like this, I have a friend in a calgary home, and he has had a lot of problems. On the flipside though, my mother-in-law is in a care facility in Vulcan, and the care she gets is excellent. It all depends on the facility. We've had some of her clothing go missing in the laundry, but we can't say if it was staff or another inmate that has taken them. And she has no problems replacing them, she would buy a whole store if we let her.
As for respect, I myself try to make sure I respect everybody, irregardless of who, what, where, etc. they are. All people should be treated equally with diginity and respect. You get what you give. Unfortunately, not everyone adheres to this.