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that if old people live in a community of younger people the children are noisy and get
on the old people's nerves, and once they realise they are doing so make more noise
from sheer bravado. She would much rather live in a bungalow on her own amongst
old folk.
She then told the group about an encounter she had had with another old lady the
previous week at a civic restaurant. The old lady was almost in tears because she was
not happy at home with her daughter who had taken her away from an old people's home
where she had previously lived and which she wished she had never left. She wanted
to go back there to see some of the people she had known.
One gentleman thought that dispersal of old people's dwellings was much better
than grouping them together. He lived in a block of old people's flats. Some of the
occupants were housebound and saw nobody but themselves and those around them,
and consequently spent most of their time checking up on the activities of the other
tenants and gossiping.
A very active lady, who is a member of an old people's concert party, said that she
lived on her own in a little house. Her children were very good to her but she would
not go to live with them. She was often out late and if she lived with her daughter she
might disturb her and the children, whereas now she could come and go as she pleased.
Her nearest daughter lived about 10 minutes walk away and this, she felt, was quite near
enough.
Another lady lived in a square of 26 old people's bungalows. The occupants kept
themselves to themselves and rarely came out. A lawn had been provided for the tenants'
use but as it was rarely ever used the lady felt that a recreation room would have been
much better. The bungalows were built too near a housing estate where there were a
lot of children running about and making a noise.
One gentleman was definitely against segregating old people's dwellings. He felt
that if old people did not mix with the younger generation they would become prematurely
old. They had all been through the same phases and therefore this should not be
difficult. The main thing was to move with the times.
When asked whether they thought that old people had anything to offer the younger
generation, the group said that young people do not accept advice and accuse them of
being old-fashioned. They did find, however, that they usually turned to them in
trouble.
A lady who had been living in a council house for a number of years was very happy
there, and although her neighbours were younger they got on very well together and
were a great help to each other. Her husband was now in poor health and could not
look after the garden and she was afraid they would soon have to move to an old people's
bungalow because of this.
It was generally felt that old people should be consulted by those who plan dwellings
for old people. One gentleman felt that as senior citizens old people should be given
priority with regard to amenities, whilst another felt that this should not be the case as
old people are better off now than ever they were.
The whole question of the most suitable living accommodation for old people seemed
to depend very much on the individual himself.
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