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Last week, I gave a lady a ride to and from a CPR class I was teaching at the senior center. It was a free demonstration type of class, where they did not earn cards. I like to do those at the senior centers in my area every year and I know a good number of those people can't afford the class, but are very capable and eager to learn the skills. I normally have a very good turnout.
After I took her home, she invited me into her "quad" (as she called it) for pie and hot tea. She lives in an interesting brick building her son built years ago, all handicapped accessable. Orginally it was an office building, then the ambulance district and fire department used it for sleeping quarters, but since it has been remolded into the following.
You enter into a entryway. Off of the entryway to the left is a laundry room with 2 washers and 2 dryers. To the right is a large walk in closet.
From the entryway, you enter a large living room, behind it is a large dining area, then the kitchen. Off of this are doors leading to a full bath, then a music room where their is a piano and a few other instruments such as guitars hanging on the way, there is a library with lots of books and 2 computers.
There were also 4 bedrooms, each with a little sitting area and a private full bath.
On the outside I could see a two car garage on eitherside of the building that opened on either side of the kitchen through a doorway. The back of the "quad" had a large 3 season room and in the back yard were raised garden beds.
She has 3 roommates here, but said she has had more in the past, when some of the bedrooms had two double beds.
She said it was the only way that she and her room mates could survive on low incomes. Her son owns the building, but it is paid for. They do pay the son $200 per person per month (cheaper than rent), so that he can pay the insurance on it and taxes. The utilities they split evenly (electric and propane--building is on a well, as most in town are). They also split the internet, newspaper and grocery bill. Her monthly expenses for all of this add up to around $425 if they run A/C or heat, and much less in mild months when they run neither.
Two of the residents have cars, but in this small town they usually walk except for winter time or rainy weather. Only place to go in town are all in walking distance, and they do drive to the grocery store. (This town population is 394)
They had no cable or dish-said they didn't want to spend money on it, but they do have net-flix which is cheaper and they split that. I noticed a lot of videos (cards and board games also) in their "library" and each bedroom had a tv in it as well.
I just found it unusual--you think of having a roommate more for the younger people, not those who are seniors (I guess I had a flashback to the tv show Golden Girls). She is 82. the oldest is 92 and the youngest was 80. It was a very nice set up. She said all of them technically qualified for government assistance, but with the set up they have, they don't need it, thus possibly saving it for someone who needed it more. They all look after each other and seem to get along fine.
After I took her home, she invited me into her "quad" (as she called it) for pie and hot tea. She lives in an interesting brick building her son built years ago, all handicapped accessable. Orginally it was an office building, then the ambulance district and fire department used it for sleeping quarters, but since it has been remolded into the following.
You enter into a entryway. Off of the entryway to the left is a laundry room with 2 washers and 2 dryers. To the right is a large walk in closet.
From the entryway, you enter a large living room, behind it is a large dining area, then the kitchen. Off of this are doors leading to a full bath, then a music room where their is a piano and a few other instruments such as guitars hanging on the way, there is a library with lots of books and 2 computers.
There were also 4 bedrooms, each with a little sitting area and a private full bath.
On the outside I could see a two car garage on eitherside of the building that opened on either side of the kitchen through a doorway. The back of the "quad" had a large 3 season room and in the back yard were raised garden beds.
She has 3 roommates here, but said she has had more in the past, when some of the bedrooms had two double beds.
She said it was the only way that she and her room mates could survive on low incomes. Her son owns the building, but it is paid for. They do pay the son $200 per person per month (cheaper than rent), so that he can pay the insurance on it and taxes. The utilities they split evenly (electric and propane--building is on a well, as most in town are). They also split the internet, newspaper and grocery bill. Her monthly expenses for all of this add up to around $425 if they run A/C or heat, and much less in mild months when they run neither.
Two of the residents have cars, but in this small town they usually walk except for winter time or rainy weather. Only place to go in town are all in walking distance, and they do drive to the grocery store. (This town population is 394)
They had no cable or dish-said they didn't want to spend money on it, but they do have net-flix which is cheaper and they split that. I noticed a lot of videos (cards and board games also) in their "library" and each bedroom had a tv in it as well.
I just found it unusual--you think of having a roommate more for the younger people, not those who are seniors (I guess I had a flashback to the tv show Golden Girls). She is 82. the oldest is 92 and the youngest was 80. It was a very nice set up. She said all of them technically qualified for government assistance, but with the set up they have, they don't need it, thus possibly saving it for someone who needed it more. They all look after each other and seem to get along fine.
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