Overheard at Senior Homes (Part 7)

A resident carving a block in my printmaking class.

I teach writing and printmaking classes at senior homes in Los Angeles. Over the years, I’ve kept a journal of the memorable things I’ve seen and heard.

I met a man who moved to a Culver City senior facility after a homeless man broke into his Santa Monica house. “My wife and I came home from dinner and this dirty naked guy was sitting on our bed. We called the police then decided to sell our house and move here.” I asked the man if he felt safer after the move. “Yes, but instead of homeless people invading my room, now Alzheimer’s patients walk into my space. What can you do?”

*****

Walking the halls at senior homes can be like driving the freeway. Mobility aids include manual wheelchairs, four-leg walkers, knee-support walkers, quad-canes (for stroke patients), standard canes and walking poles. The most hazardous device is an electric wheelchair. They can reach 8 mph and cost as much as $15,000. Electric wheelchair owners are often terrible drivers. I witnessed an 85-year old woman speed into a crowd of residents and knock several to the ground. In one case, a motorized scooter struck a woman with a cane causing her to fall backwards and break her neck.

Most senior homes require motorized wheelchair owners to carry liability insurance. Some facilities demand driving tests to prove the user is fit to…