The Nightmare of Assisted Living

When living facilities consist out of your own home due to physical, not mental conditions it is confinement. It means losing yourself and adjusting to someone else's time, likes, dislikes, moods. etc. It exposes yourself to their time, likes, dislikes, mood, etc.
Quoting philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, "existence precedes essence." The premise of this facility I'm in is to exist, not to live.

If you don't submit, you are uncooperative and a pariah to their idea of sacrifice and generosity. The liberal interpretation of doing good is, if one of them is offended, deprive the whole group to protect that one's civil rights or, censure that one for being against the majority rules.Conservatives do not qualify for equal justice.

The foregoing observations were derived from occurrences that we re-experienced at the facility I presently reside in. There is no evidence caregivers received training or follow any protocol reflected in the mediocratic result in their efforts. Most often nothing is put back in its proper place or redone because of sloppy work. Protecting personal property is disregarded.

A lot of time is wasted waiting. Waiting over an hour many times for assistance that may take only five minutes to resolve because of short staffing.

Most enterprises with medical affiliation are not known for their cuisine,but here management thinks their soup kitchen emanates Georges Auguste Escoffier, identifying items on the menu with nonsensical descriptions of the food they serve to whet the appetite, with low grade fruit, vegetables, poultry and meat doused with seasonings to hide the inferior quality. Bakery and other items are microwaved, changing texture and taste. Standard fare found in most restaurants fails to satisfy for lack of proper preparation, like a grilled cheese sandwich that's seared,not grilled and cheese not melted. Other sandwiches with a slab of some-thing between two slices of bread, not finely sliced.

Dining is not a pleasant or satisfying function; but an ordeal, realizing the word delicious will never again part my lips while the food they serve parts them.

George Giftos is a retired travel agency executive, in management for agencies by Fugazy World Travel, U.S. Industries, Carlson Companies.
George is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.