Would you ever go to a retirement home?

I've seen enough VA clinics to know when to run the other way. Despite all their noisy bullshit about serving veterans, those places are utter shit-holes. It's like going to the hospital in Guatemala, only with more flies buzzing around.

The rooms look basic and awfully cramped. I hope it's cheap! And you're dependent on them for meals, transportation, and social programming, so it's a big gamble: Get a good unit, and you'll be a pig in shit. Get a bad unit, and you'll be praying for death like a Khe Sanh sapper. Plus, this place is likely to be a real sausage-fest, but not in a good way. There aren't likely to be too many gays around. It's smelly old dudes in Navy caps who watch Fox News all day and grumble about the Haitian nurses stealing their pills. What's that going to do for your social life?

I'd rather do the Golden Girls Retirement Plan - Share a normal house with other dateless losers.

If I can be the Queen and rule the roost.

I'm 70. I have no desire to eat my meals with other people, or socialize with people I don't know or care about and then have to pretend I'm happy 24/7. Fuck that noise.

If I can't live independently, I don't want to live.

Well, the government has IG inspections, so I doubt it is like a shit house in Guatemala. Also, food is probably the same as soldiers get in mess halls, which is pretty good. Heath care would be excellent. However, the room is 450 square feet, so it is like living in a dorm. With some simple, but tasteful furnishings, it might be better than living in most for-profit retirement holes. However, you will be living with a lot of rules, but have your own room to run back to. Hard to decide.

R4 Yes, I remember the massive scandal a few years back involving VA wait times and substandard care. People died. Such marvelous IG oversight, indeed!

These aren't active-duty soldiers anymore. These are old bastards, decades removed from chow-hall diets. Their guts can't handle canned ham anymore.

An old buzzard can get a 1-bedroom apartment in senior housing that's income- and age-restricted, but still wholly independent. No bullshit babysitters involved. To give that up in favor of this little model would require a substantial cost savings to make it worthwhile.

R1 How about $2500 a month for room, board, all medical for life in a facility built 10 years ago?

Well, now. This doesn't look so bad even for an apartment building.

R7 Except it's in Mississippi. The part that gets slammed by hurricanes.

I worked in a nursing home as a kid and thought it looked like hell. Now I’m 69 and have a mystery pain in my right side and dying with somebody around to pat my hand or something sounds more acceptable than it ever has before.

No. I’ll be booking a one way flight to Switzerland.

OP would you go to the Gulfport facility or the DC location?

I saw a program that showed how these places are filled with an underworld of Hummel figurines and heroine.

Absolutely not. The moment I need assistance with living, I'll be shopping for a suicide pod, a nitrogen tank, or a flight to Zürich.

Is there a darkroom?

Based on the sentiments you wrote, I'd consider it if I were in your shoes, but only the one in DC, not the Red State. And only if you plan on traveling VERY often. The rooms look tiny. And no kitchen? Tough call. If you don't have to make a permanent decision, do it for a few years while you travel the globe and find adventure.

Fuck no

There's a difference between retirement complex / home and skilled nursing home/facility. But, if that's my only option - as I don't have kids and my spouse could go before me- yeah. Find one that takes Medi-Caid assignment and hope for the best. They're not that bad.

[quote] OP would you go to the Gulfport facility or the DC location?

The Gulfport rooms are larger than DC and is right on the beach. It's a brand new building after a hurricane blew the old one down ten years ago. The DC building seems to be in a bad neighborhood, so I've heard.

I wish I could go to one now, but I'm 49 and not a veteran.

I hear there is a lot of bed hopping in those places. Sounds like fun.

[quote][R7] Except it's in Mississippi. The part that gets slammed by hurricanes.

[quote]The Gulfport rooms are larger than DC and is right on the beach.

Both of these things are true. I am seriously considering this place myself. The grounds are gorgeous.

It's funded by the federal government. It seems like a very decent and honorable organization. It will continue to be such if the government takes care of it.

Beware! Politicians can use it as a weapon; funds could be cut or even eliminated. The monthly payment will likely rise, too.

In turn, the quality of health care might decline, and the facility might fall into disrepair. The feds could outsource the facility and its management to a private company, to cut costs. It could be a nightmare.

It might even end in a court battle that could many years before a resolution, if any.

Never depend on any institution for food and shelter. It can be whisked away at any moment. Always have a place to go, with your own money, in case it all falls apart.

Never! I'd rather be dead.

I decided long ago if it ever got to the point I couldn't live on my own (I'm 69) and it looked like I would have to go to a nursing home I'd gladly kill myself first. I've seen what goes on in even high end nursing homes. The low end workers, the people who spend most of the time dealing with the residents (even in the most expensive homes) are paid shit wages and the mistreatment of the residents is everywhere.

At 68 you're too young. You'll be among much older people all the time and be treated by the staff like you're old, too. You will age very very quickly.

Wait till you're in your 80s.

.

Retirement homes can be extremely homophobic. I don’t think I would, even a gay retirement home because I have a feeling a gay retirement home would be just as awful as the homophobic retirement home. I hope to live independently in my old age.

People need to always remember one thing. Nursing homes are where people go to die, not to live.

Do you know how lucky you are to have this option? You people saying you would never sacrifice your independence are just in denial. It will happen to you - you will need help. And then you’ll be forced to scramble or spend every penny you have left on help. Move now and save your self money and headaches - as well as your loved ones.

"You're soaking in it."

I'll never sell my home, for the sake of living out my last years in a retirement facility. It would be pure hell, residing among straight, homophobic, white racist Republicans. (Are there any other kind?)

Even if it's LGBT oriented, I wouldn't do it. I like my independence and solitude.

It's almost always the kids that force mom to sell the house and move into one of those places.

But when you don't have any kids . . .

Only to catch a STD.

How do people expect to be cared for? Epyesh, everyone wants to be independent - but no one wants to get sick either. But you do. Better to be in a place that can handle it.

No. I'd rather die. I am older than you OP and own my own home which I have lived in for over thirty years. No where else would be home to me. I also have a nine year old dog who I love and wouldn't leave her. I have a guy who plows my driveway in winter and if there are any household malfunctions that I can't fix I just hire someone to fix them. I love where I am.

Problem in the States is that if you're in the hospital or rehab they won't release you unless they're satisfied you have proper care available.

I had to move my mom to a retirement community, she had a one bedroom apartment with a kitchenette, it was rather nice. She could take all of her meals in the dining room, or cook for herself. She was only there for four months, then died. I could see myself living there if I didn't have anyone to take care of me. She was in the independent wing, but had the option to move to the full care facility if needed.

I would move into a nice retirement home. I went to a friend's place (expensive retirement community) and it was really nice. It was 3 bedrooms. I asked him why he needed 3 bedrooms and he said (without laughing) that he needed to fit all of his furniture in there. (His wife had died and he had a hard time downsizing their belongings.)

We ate in the dining room there (my friend's place had a full kitchen but he simply didn't cook). They had a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables to eat.

It was really expensive, though. I forgot how much you pay up front. It was a big chunk, without any ownership rights.

My plan is to unalive myself before I reach 40. So, no.

All of you saying you're just going to off yourself are just deluding yourselves.

Would rent boys be offered a la carte?

R40 Why bother? If you're old enough to need some degree of nursing care, then your semen is basically powdered oatmeal anyway.

But men in that condition never seem to accept it. They keep chasing tail like 20 year-olds, never remembering that their goods quit working years ago. And even if they managed to bag one of the senior beauties they chased, it would be like trying to put an oyster into a slot machine.

Shit I don't know OP. What happens if you get sick? I don't think I could live around a lot of other people all the time. If you don't mind that and, like you said, you want to travel, then it may be a good thing. I wouldn't want to though.

Independent living facilities are no longer the horrors they used to be. When mom died, my dad wanted to go into an Independent living home where he could move to assisted living and, eventually dementia care, if needed without any problems. He didn't have any friends he liked and was so lonely sitting in his big house with the TV on 24/7 watching game shows and doing puzzles. That was three years ago. Now, he says it was the best choice he ever made. Sure, the apartments are not much bigger than an efficiency apartment, but all his worries are taken care of. No mortgages, bills, lawns, driving, etc. He has even met a few people he actually likes and easily avoids the rest. He says he would like to get out and do more stuff, but his body is too tired to lead the life he was leading at 25, so he is happy to have all the activities in the facility. He also says the food is sometimes better/no worse than a Perkins, Applebees, or other types of family restaurants. His memory is also not so good, so if he ever gets lost wandering around the grounds, someone finds him quickly with the button he carries. I guess everyone is different and has to do their own body scan to see if they feel safer and more secure in such an environment. He does crack me up when he says, 'these old geezers are all my age'. He still imagines himself as 25. But, then, don't we all?

Long long time ago, I can still rememb . . . opps lost my train of thought . . . I once suggested all my friends buy in my condo. I thought we could turn it into a fabulous nest of groovy aging boomers. I think this was during some snowstorm and I thought wouldn't it be great if we could just visit each other on different floors rather than have to go out into the storm and pay some young staffer to trek out to get us tonic water when we ran out.

I suppose one can create their own retirement community.

^^^ What did your friends think of your suggestion? Did they feel the same way?

No, I will be doing a number on myself when the time comes.

^^^ Aw, baby, come live with me in Gulfport! We can walk into the waves, together.

R47, Thanks. I may take you up on that.

OP, I've seen the DC location from the outside and it's not in the best area of DC but it's an area in transition. The Gulfport location does look newer and nicer.

Problem is, today's retirement places still have a style and atmosphere meant to appeal to the War-time generation. You can practically hear Glen Miller playing as soon as you walk in.

Interesting question is, how will these places change to appeal to Boomers?

After we put our 89 year old grandfather in a retirement home, the manager told my mother that a female resident had made a complaint about him. Apparently, he had asked her if she wanted to fuck and that he would use a condom. My mother was mortified. We all thought it was funny, especially the part about the condom.

I hope in my retirement years, you get an option to self-incinerate yourself. Just enter a metal closet, press a button and let an immigrant sweep up the ashes. Elon Musk, you’re the man to build this.

Yeah the myth of suicide when you need assistance needs to die. No one does it in reality. But I guess it’s a convenient way to live in self-denial that you would never, ever consider living in a retirement community.

When you're 80+ you could be having trouble getting around and cooking and cleaning. But with some money you could be in a safe place with a pool that will drive you places where you don't have to worry about these things. As a young person I would have said never but I am seeing some of the appeal.

I think it depends on how you've lived. If you've lived alone all your life with a house and car and the sort of indepence and solitude that brings, then a retirement home is gong to require a big adjustment. Basically it's like being back in a college dorm.

They've gotten better and independent living is not going to get less popular over the next decades. America is aging and everyone's living longer.

[quote] Basically it's like being back in a college dorm.

Yes, but you can close the door to your PRIVATE room and take out your hearing aids.

I would like to be able to cook simple things in my room. A small refrigerator and a microwave and/or hot plate. if I was on a small fixed income, I would do it. I also have no problem mixing with people having different educations, values, and politics than my own. Social life is essential to longevity, if it isn't too aggravating.

Yes, would miss cooking my own food. Fridge, toaster, microwave are allowed, but no hot plate. Would have to get a microwave cookbook, or get off my ass and go to the mess hall. Um, dining facility.

[quote] Interesting question is, how will these places change to appeal to Boomers?

You will be surprised how many boomers watch Lawrence Welk. It happens when you get your Medicare card.

[quote] I think it depends on how you've lived.

Been in apartments my whole adult life. I definitely like the idea of an apartment where you can retreat to to go your own cooking or whatever. I like there's places too with separate houses. Retirement communities? Like the Villages. Without the people who drive around with Trump flags on their golf carts.

I would just be so relieved not to have unexpected bills, A/C needs replacing, roof has a leak, etc. I am always worrying about emergency debts. That would add a few years on my life, already.

[quote] ^^^ What did your friends think of your suggestion? Did they feel the same way?

They thought it was a great idea but thinking and doing ain't the same thing. Selling their places would be a pain and leaving behind single family homes and yards is a big deal. Maybe not so much of a big deal when they can't take care of houses and yards anymore. One of my friends has already had his house broken into - when he was there. Now he has a gun. I think. Let's just say I live in a great location - maybe the best in the city - and he doesn't.

I'd be happy living in the same neighborhood. We can hobble to each other's place push our peace sign walkers.

R43, does your father happen to have pretty good money? I don't think your family's experience is what the average person would get in such a place. This country is a classist shithole. Rich and your life is made. Poor and you suffer and die in disgusting neglect looked over by people who don't give a shit at all.

A lot of unhelpful generalization. An aunt of mine had a friend who moved into a retirement home in her early 70s--she was single, no kids, a professional and it was a nice community with full service apartments. My aunt thought the friend was too young for such a place, but the friend wanted things worry-free and in fact had a massive heart attack a few years later and being in a full spectrum of care community turned out to be a good idea.

The upshot is--does it seem like a decent place to live? Would you have as much independence as you want and would you take advantage of it? I wouldn't worry much about the neighborhood---it's not like you are cheek to jowl with crack houses---there are nice grounds, security, etc. The old water works nearby is being redeveloped. The areas on the other side of North Capitol are very middle class. If they provide regular access to Metro that would overcome some of the isolation of the site.

As for Biloxi---it's new because of a hurricane. They have hurricanes. That's not good. Also, if you want to travel, DC has 3 hub airports and all can be reached on public transit. Biloxi is nowhere near a hub airport.

OP, that's the old Veterans' Home as it was and still is known. You have to have been an enlisted man (woman) to get in. No officers in other words.

Can you keep your car? The no-kitchenette thing would be a dealbreaker. Also, what do you plan to do in either area? Just watch TV everyday? Having a pet will get you out of the house and keep you young.

I think this is premature. Maybe when you're 75. Ask for the average age of the residents. I bet most are in their 80s.

[quote]The stickler is, I have to be healthy, and be qualified for independent living, meaning no major health problems, before I walk in the door.

What happens should your health change and independent living is not an option? If the health status your cute is only the requirement for admission, and that you would be able to remain there if you needed higher levels of care then that has some appeal.

It's a tricky thing. Who wants to move into an old folks home when you're still perfectly capable 9f looking after yourself? But likewise who wants to be caught when his health takes a turn and may not be in a position to look after his own interests so well as he was one-, two?, twelve-years earlier? I wouldn't want to be in a residential institution for years on end that I could look after myself - probably, maybe.

More important than anything is knowing your own mind and how you might respond to the situation.

All very good points. However, I have bad arthritis in both feet making it very difficult to do anything without a wheelchair. Even though I am only 62, I may start thinking about this as a possibility.

OP is career military, and (probably) he would be spending the rest of his life amongst similar "lifers" and disabled vets. So OP? If you're comfortable being around military men for the rest of your life, I say go for it. Obviously, you're used to it (and probably enjoy it) or you wouldn't have taken a military retirement.

And for those of you civilian-types who don't understand these things, should the OP need medical care, if he's in DC, he'll go to Walter Reed. There are worse VA hospitals, believe me.

Don't go to Mississippi! The Florida Panhandle is bad enough! Do you really want to live in the "Redneck Rivera" for the rest of your life?

[quote] "To live at the AFRH, you must be able to live independently upon admission. This means you must be able to care for your personal needs, attend a dining facility for meals, and keep all medical appointments. You must not have a felony conviction. And you must be free of active drug, alcohol, and psychiatric problems."

r68 I suppose once you are officially accepted, you can then fall apart without being thrown out.

I don't like and don't trust retirement communities. They're "glorified playpens", per Maggie Kuhn. She founded the Gray Panthers. I like her approach to be part of society, with all kinds of people. I own my home, it's my refuge for peace and quiet. I'll stay there.

[quote] Don't go to Mississippi! The Florida Panhandle is bad enough! Do you really want to live in the "Redneck Rivera" for the rest of your life?

R70 I already live in Orlando and have to deal with all that nonsense now. A retirement home next to the ocean seems like bliss. Plus, I could just take out my hearing aids if I don't want to deal with them.

Well, OP, you know I'm right up the road in the Ocala National Forest, so I get it. But seriously, if you want to spend your elder years surrounded by other lifers and disabled vets, I say go for it! You could do a lot worse for a lot more money.

[quote] After we put our 89 year old grandfather in a retirement home, the manager told my mother that a female resident had made a complaint about him. Apparently, he had asked her if she wanted to fuck and that he would use a condom. My mother was mortified. We all thought it was funny, especially the part about the condom.

R51 Same thing happened to my father-in-law when he was 91. In fact, he walked around the hospital nude, shaking his hardon to all the nurses. Needless to say, he was expelled and sent to our home and Hospice delivered a bed, instructions and bottle of morphine. They put a catheter in him and put him in bed, which took up the entire dining room. They told us to give him no water and to give him a dose of 'medicine' until he made his transition. It took five days before he passed. I wanted to keep the vial of morphine, but it was confiscated with strict attention to dosage. It was as close to euthanasia as is legal in America. For us, it was a nightmare! We moved shortly after.

[quote] And for those of you civilian-types who don't understand these things, should the OP need medical care, if he's in DC, he'll go to Walter Reed. There are worse VA hospitals, believe me.

The Naval Hospital in Pensacola is excellent. Navy always takes care of it's people.

[quote] you know I'm right up the road in the Ocala National Forest,

OMG there's all kinds of, er, animals there. Bears, panthers, snakes. Yuck. Be careful and carry a big gun.

What were the death rates at the two facilities during the worst of the pandemic?

Massachusetts funds a number of similar facilities. At the beginning of the pandemic, 25% of the residents in the Holyoke Soldiers Home died of COVID.

That's a great statistic to check, R78.

Would I be able to use my Easy Bake Oven in my own room?

It makes a big difference where you are.

My mother is an upscale place, she has her own apartment and she doesn't eat meals with the people, once in awhile she will have a meal delivered to her room when she feels like it but otherwise she does her own thing. They have so many activities and trips they can go on, she recently took a bus trip (a nice tour bus) to another town to have dinner and see a play. They often go to programs at the local college nearby and they will take you to a few different stores in the area to shop.

My aunt is in another place and it smells when you walk in. The people are not dressed like they are at my mother's place, in my mother's retirement place you would never see anyone walking around in a robe or pajamas. The food is lesser quality and they don't have as many activities, everybody eats together in the dining room.

R81 "Upscale." This is why you want to have money in the bank when you get old. Makes all the difference.

We put our mother in one of the upscale retirement communities. It was very nice and expensive, but most residents don't last very long in them. Most of them live there for a few years and then have some kind of physical or mental decline. Once that happens, they kick them out, especially if they show signs of dementia or alzheimer's. Then they have to go live in a nursing home.

[quote] I'd rather do the Golden Girls Retirement Plan - Share a normal house with other dateless losers.

I've been working on this a bit. Maybe in a few years. Problem is, I don't like people around me too much. I'm pretty hard to take myself.

Tell me about it r82, my mom was a stay at home housewife, my dad built a company and became wealthy. My dad used to joke "when I die I don't care if you remarry but don't let him have all my money". Anyway, you can tell the people who live by my mom are upper class. The downside of that is you feel like you have to look nice any time you step outside your door and I wouldn't want to do the socializing but my mom loves it.

R83 This is a real problem. You go into the hospital and need a higher level of care after discharge than your place provides. With nobody to find alternatives for you, you'll end up in the nursing home where that hospital dumps its patients. All in a big rush because the hospital wants you out now.

This is an end to truly dread.

I could actually see myself liking Legacy Pointe at UCF in Orlando. The only catch is, I think their induction fee is around a million dollars apiece, and my partner is 10 years younger, so if I move there when I'm 70, he'll barely be 60.

R87 The websites of these places are all very coy about money, making it impossible to sort through and compare them online.

Broken record here but my mom's retirement place also has nursing, rehab, and an Alzheimers unit. My mom had heart problems last year and was in the hospital, she then went into rehab and nursing at her place and now she is back in her own apartment again.

There is a lady by my Mom who has obvious dementia and she still lives in her own apartment there, the kids just come often to check on her so they don't force you into the Alzheimers place. But sadly some of my Mom's friends health have gotten bad and they left their apartment and went into nursing permanently. What's nice is that your friends there can still visit with you if you get moved to another part.

My parents did a lot of research on where they would go to a retirement place. Unfortunately my father died so after he was gone my Mom ended up moving into an apartment there alone. But it's great for her because she likes to socialize and was afraid at night to be in a house by herself.

I fear because I don't have that kind of money what place I will end up in, I hope I can live in my own home as long as possible. I am 50 so hopefully I have 20 years yet before I have to worry.

What about one of those Jimmy Buffet retirement villages? HA!

Yeah, I know. My parents are already past the point where they should have moved to a place like that... if anything happens to my dad, my mom would literally have to go to a nursing home, and my dad can barely handle her, but neither one will even consider moving to somewhere more appropriate. I've been trying to get them to at least look at places now while they still can, so that when the time comes they'll at least have an opinion about where they might consider to be acceptable instead of having me try to pick some place out of a hat, under pressure, on short notice.

Trying to get any meaningful idea about their cost is almost impossible.

The worst thing is, assisted living places don't even allow residents to have working kitchens anymore, unlike the one my grandmother lived at 15 years ago. And they're so unbelievable fucking TINY, with NO real storage space. Downsizing is one thing, but expecting someone who had a 3,500sf house to move into an apartment smaller than most extended stay hotels is cruel.

R89 Yes, some places do offer all levels of care so you don't risk being thrown out as your condition worsens.

But it's important to get in while you're still in good shape! They all have an interview process first to make sure they can deal with you and that you won't face financial problems down the road.

[quote]But it's important to get in while you're still in good shape!

Why? It can't be that the facility thinks that if they take you on when you're in a robust state of health that you will stay that way until one morning you simply don't wake up?

Surely the idea is that that if they take you in years before you have need of any specialized service that will have drained you of years of funds during which you could easily and much more economically have looked after yourself. They play on the two approaches that appear in this thread: wrap yourself in expensive cotton wool years before you need any such services, or wait until you have immediate and pressing needs that require jumping over the expensive parent with a weekly bus trip shopping and craft classes straight into a more intensive sort of care.

The choice is signing up too soon or waiting until too late, but in either case the idea of choice is often exaggerated because some lovely elder living apartment complexes will chuck a resident like a.hot potato at the first sign of dementia or some condition that requires staff with more specialization than a 3-day Adult Care and Adult Activities in,-house learning module.

[quote]Problem in the States is that if you're in the hospital or rehab they won't release you unless they're satisfied you have proper care available.

Where? When my father was hospitalized, they practically pushed him out the door. They were concerned about his dying there, and they didn't want to have to count another death at the hospital. He was transferred to two horrible, understaffed nursing homes during the worst part of our never-ending covid epidemic, so we could not visit him. I think the fact that we couldn't visit him contributed to his decline. Miraculously, he never caught covid, but he ended up being readmitted to the same hospital that got rid of him and died shortly thereafter.

The nice nursing homes are so expensive.

I would consider intergenerational living.

R93 The situation is what it is. Nobody says it's great, but if you've had a parent in not good shape who suddenly needs a place to stay because they're getting discharged in three days, you'll have discovered how difficult it is to get into a good place on short notice.

And risk being raped? ...I suppose so.

R94 Yes, they dumped your father in a dump nursing home since on paper the dump nursing home could provide the care he needed. But if you had said you'll just take him back to his own home you'd have had to demonstrate first that he'd get the care he needed at home. That's my point.

Yes, the sad part is that it was only on paper.

This place seems fairly decent, OP. They all look content.

I think it looks nice OP.

There's a lot of variation among the upscale places. A friend of mine's mother went to live in one and they simply couldn't provide the level of care she needed and started loading on extra cost things like private duty aides. This is a private institution, started by the Presbyterian church.

R101 And the cost of those added services is whatever they say it is, because you really have no choice.

[quote] "To live at the AFRH, you must be able to live independently upon admission. This means you must be able to care for your personal needs, attend a dining facility for meals, and keep all medical appointments. You must not have a felony conviction. And you must be free of active drug, alcohol, and psychiatric problems."

"And you must be free of active drug, alcohol, and psychiatric problems." Well, that leaves 90% of DL in the streets.

R75 Your father in law was still getting a hardon at 91 years of age?

For those of you talking about cooking in your rooms, please don’t forget the great Shady Pines hot plate disaster back in the 80’s. Many people lost their homes and all because one scrawny old battle axe was cooking s’mores in her room.

[quote] [R75] Your father in law was still getting a hardon at 91 years of age?

It wasn't a sexual hardon. It was a gotta pee hardon which happens a lot to seniors.

r105, how many fires per year start in kitchens (and dorm rooms, office break rooms, and anywhere else) across America?

The main difference with assisted living is, the people who live there are vulnerable to the whims of the people in charge, and have about as much ability to push back and resist unreasonable restrictions as Americans unhappy with their cell phone service did circa 2008... ie, none... because the industry made up its mind, and bulldozed everyone into "take it or leave it".

This is precisely why Florida passed a law last year guaranteeing (in all but extraordinarily limited circumstances) the right of people in nursing homes and hospitals to have visitors. Like everywhere in America, nursing homes and hospitals got swept up in "Covid Fever", imposed draconian policies that persisted LONG after antivirals, let alone vaccine, became available, and lots of vulnerable old people in particular languished or died because they couldn't fight for themselves, and were prevented from having anyone fighting on their behalf. The fact is, people in nursing homes who have family members screaming and fighting for them DO get treated better than those who have nobody to fight for them, and the nursing-home industry absolutely celebrated its brief period of absolute authority.