Page 52 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2019 Issue
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inside a pleasant reality of clean air, good food and so on, or escape
into “actual” reality, a hell on Earth, where your body is being kept
alive by machines inside a wet box? Is actual reality inherently better
than constructed reality?
A LONG LINE OF CLIENTS
According to KPBS news in San Diego, Glenner Town Square, the
rst U.S. dementia village, has experienced tremendous demand.
Scott Tarde, CEO of the nonprot George G. Glenner Alzheimer’s
Family Centers, says the rollout of more such centers is on a fast track.
KPBS reports that Tarde is joining with in-home senior care
provider Senior Helpers to open 200 more Glenner Town Square
villages across the country over the next ve years, including a half- CREDIT: GLENNER TOWN SQUARE
CREDIT: GLENNER TOWN SQUARE participants must be pre-assessed and enrolled to attend.
dozen more in San Diego County. An eight-hour visit costs $95;
Do the math and the cost of this elaborate Alzheimer’s daycare
adds up to about $3,800 a week, or $15,200 for a four-week month.
care in assisted living communities—not a£ordable for many—but
A dual purpose. By combining two favorites—artwork and the familiarity That’s a hefty cost, about three times as much as average Alzheimer’s
of a favorite diner—visitors can regain a few happier memories. advocates will argue that for the few who can a£ord them, these
villages make life much more bearable.
IS THIS HEAVEN OR HELL? Sadly, the suffering segment of the population is growing
It’s hard to fault the motives or the anecdotal results from this and rapidly, so there’s no shortage of clients. KPBS adds that for now,
other dementia villages in Europe. If the goal is to make patients Alzheimer’s/dementia is the third leading cause of death in San
happier, then the illusion seems to work. If the goal is to enrich their Diego, a¥icting 84,000 people. By the year 2030, the number of
lives or allow them to contribute to society again in some way, that’s people in the county diagnosed with the mind-robbing disease is
a harder sell. A better angle might be that it simply keeps them out expected to soar by 36 percent.
of trouble.
Can the life of a person who does not remember things from day ESCAPISM WITH PURPOSE
to day be enriched? If you’re a fan of the movie “Groundhog Day” I’ll be honest. I’m not a fan of Disney’s form of escapism, although
with Bill Murray, you would probably say yes, every moment counts, I know that’s sacrilege to many of the brand’s fans. Try talking to a
and good deeds ripple outward. A grandson, hearing his grandfather Disney fanatic about the negative impacts the company’s narratives
talk about ying planes in World War II, for example, might gain a
cherished memory.
On the other hand, as the popular existential TV comedy “The
Good Place” frequently points out, the dividing line between “the
good place” and “the bad place” is not always apparent. In the good
place, for example, trapped souls are allowed to eat yogurt but never
ice cream, a seeming indulgence that is actually designed as a mild
torture. In “The Good Place,” (spoiler alert) we ultimately learn that
the characters are actually in “the bad place.” The quaint, Disney-
esque architecture, bright colors, clown paintings and awkward
relationships have been engineered to evoke constant, eternal, low-
level stress and anxiety. “Guests” rarely rebel however, because they
know they are the “lucky” ones who went to the good place, so they
should not complain about the insipid boredom, conned mobility
and other hellish aspects of their new existence.
There are many other models from ction that apply to dementia
villages of course, most of them cautionary. “The Truman Show,”
where the main character lives his life in a bubble, observed CREDIT: TIM AND SELENA MIDDLETONFLICKR
unknowingly by the public; “Logan’s Run,” where older people
(those who hit the ripe age of 30) are sold a fantasy that they’ll be
blissfully reincarnated, when in reality they’re being euthanized.
And of course, I’d be remiss not to mention the familiar “red pill or Final thoughts. Despite many advances, Alzheimer’s care has a long way
blue pill” choice from “The Matrix.” Given the choice, do you remain to go before there’s a happy ending for all involved.
50 GREEN BUILDER May/June 2019 www.greenbuildermedia.com
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