sustenance of the soul. Yet—and this is the painful
paradox—wehavedecidedthattheyshouldbetheones
wholargelydefinehowweliveinourwaningdays.For
morethanhalfacenturynow,wehavetreatedthetrials
ofsickness,aging,andmortalityasmedicalconcerns.It’s
been an experiment in social engineering, putting our
fates in the hands of people valued more for their
technicalprowessthanfortheirunderstandingofhuman
needs.
Thatexperimenthasfailed.Ifsafetyandprotectionwere
all we sought in life, perhaps we could conclude
differently. But because we seek a life of worth and
purpose,andyetareroutinelydeniedtheconditionsthat
mightmakeitpossible,thereisnootherwaytoseewhat
modern society has done.
BILL THOMAS WANTED to remake the nursing home.
Keren Wilson wantedto do away with itentirely and
provideassisted livingfacilities instead.But theywere
bothpursuingthesameidea:tohelppeopleinastateof
dependencesustainthevalueofexistence.Thomas’sfirst
step was to give people a living being to care for;
Wilson’swastogivethemadoortheycouldlockanda
kitchen oftheir own.Theprojects complementedeach
otherandtransformedthethinkingofpeopleinvolvedin
eldercare.Thequestionwasnolongerwhetherabetter
lifewaspossibleforpeoplemadedependentbyphysical
deterioration:itwasclearthatitwas.Thequestionnow
waswhattheessentialingredientswere.Professionalsin
institutions all over the world began trying to find
answers. By 2010, when Lou Sanders’s daughter,
Shelley,wentoutsearchingforanursinghomeforher