Cohousing-L Mailing List: When there were "no old folks homes"

[Mary English (mary.english]

Sorry to disagree about the accuracy in your statement below,  but being in my 
7th decade, I can certain remember the 'county farms' in towns in California 
where the old gentlemen  went to stay when families could not keep them or take 
care of them.

It really would be a farm and the residents, if they were able, helped care for 
the cows, chickens, gardens, etc.

To my child's eyes it seemed  a wonderful place with the chairs and tables 
sitting in the dirt under the trees while they played checkers, listened to the 
radio, whittled amazing  toys for the visiting children,  and found me a kitten 
from the barn to play with while the grownups visited.  

Today I suppose you would call it a homeless shelter for seniors and disabled, 
or  a precursor to a "rest home".

So in the "old days"  not everyone lived at home with a family until death, or 
may have already lost their children in the flu epidemic or their sons in the 
wars. (both WWI and during WWII)

Unfortunately today's nursing homes are not that very simple, but peaceful,l 
'county farm' but they did exist.
 Mary English

Statement
. In the “old days” when there were no “old folks homes” or “rest homes” 
(forerunners to nursing homes) families kept their own until they died. This is 
the ideal. Stay in the family.