"Can you go to my room and bring me my drugs, please?" asked his long-time friend.
"Do you mean your Lipitor or some pot?" the pal responded kindly.
Don't laugh — it's not so far-fetched, in fact it's already happening. As aging baby boomers no longer re-up their commuter tickets, they're finding what so many others their age are discovering daily to their horror: a vast majority the "me" generation hasn't save the shekels to see the world, didn't bother to bundle the bills to buy the boat; or even plugged the piggy bank so they could put pie on the plate.
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As a result, some enterprising sexagenarians and octogenarians have taken matters into their own hands. By looking back into history (well, the 1960s and the '70s), they've decided it's a good a way to live as ever and are forming communes — of a sort. Informal to be sure, groups of friends and/or schoolmates who remember the good old days bond together to share costs and responsibilities, all the while proving 14 can live as cheaply as one.
That's an amiable, informal solution and it solves one of the key bugaboos of old age —loneliness. And there are plenty of smart companies that can't help but notice. It's a business model too sensible to ignore, one that in essence creates a new avenue of growth for the retirement industry.
Enter NCB Capital Impact and The Green House. Founded in 2001 by geriatrician Bill Thomas and headquartered in Arlington, Va., the whole idea was to create a more personal approach to taking care of the elderly.
The game plan here calls for no more than a dozen seniors living in a home that has central dining and a fireplace. The living design enables the most shy among them to to feel included – and truly help one another in the process – by making meals or doing the laundry, for example. They also can eat where they want. It's lifestyle that encourages comradery and independence.
I, for one, think it's great. There are plans for a Green House project in every state. And that's good news for a retirement market that may create more satisfied customers – and generate more profits – simply by taking a cue from the hippie generation.
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