Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Cruise ship nursing homes?

The New York Times > Health > At Sea, Care for Aged (and All You Can Eat)
For only slightly more than the average cost of a year in an assisted living residence, older people can live aboard a luxury liner with many of the same services, including meals, housekeeping and medical care at all hours - not to mention entertainment.

While it may not be a serious option for people with chronic or severe medical disorders, life at sea may have its benefits for those who can take it, according to a study in the November issue of The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

'A lot of people in assisted living facilities are dissatisfied with what they're paying and the services that they get,' said Dr. Lee Lindquist, an instructor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern and the lead author of the study. 'A nice facility can be extremely expensive, and a lot of seniors have to go into their own savings because Medicare doesn't cover it. When you think about all the amenities you get, living on a cruise ship is more desirable for certain people.'

Dr. Lindquist, a geriatrician, came up with the idea for the study on a recent cruise. At dinner one night, she was chatting with some people who reminded her of her patients. Then the idea hit.

Hey! I thought of this one years ago. Except I was thinking it would make a great nursing home. Just wheel me off at one spot or another ...

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