Growing old at home, like old people should

I was pleased to read this article in the NYT about groups working to make neighborhoods comfortable places for elderly people not interested in assisted living. It's disconcerting, depressing and frightening to consider what will happen to us as we age. My husband and I have both vowed to never be placed into a nursing home. We would rather end our lives at home than be warehoused, waiting for death.

This video of Jacques Brel singing Les Vieux (Old People) is a poignant reminder of what lies ahead for us all. How powerful are the gestures depicting the ticking of the clock that says "I'm waiting for you". To at least be allowed to experience "our last great adventure", as Ruth Morduck optimistically describes our final years, at home in familiar surroundings leaves us with some dignity.