Group Vs. Private

Governments at the state level, encouraged by federal funding grants, are trying to develop programs to allow people in nursing homes to move out if they choose. Obviously, there are criteria to be met by those wanting to move, but the overall thrust to help people regain as much personal independence as possible, is positive.

Leaving is only half the process, however. The other half involves where the person goes. Perhaps the most common destination is a group home, a place in which a few-- two, three, four-- residents live, supported by a few aides. Group homes can be largely run by the residents themselves, and are therefore often less structured, with more relaxed atmospheres than nursing homes. Group homes can be good options.

That said, however, if the driving force for getting out of a nursing home is maximizing personal independence, a group home may be only a step forward. I would no longer have to deal with the administrative quirks and staffing shifts of a large nursing home, but I would have to deal with my housemates about how we would live together. We would all have to make comprises.

After all these years, I would like a few years in which my compromises were kept to a minimum-- in which I would live largely on my own, in my own, private home. Governments no doubt see group homes as more cost-effective. Finding a way to acquire my own home with my own money would change the situation, but failing that, if I can pursue this project, I'll have to make decisions as we move through the process, a step at a time.