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Show 66 versions of what the interior decorator clearly believes is the taste of elderly people-heirloom sideboards and corner cupboards and glass-fronted cases for displaying china-but the walls are papered in deceptively bright designs, and the furniture is built to three-quarters scale, so as not to seem too large. Annis notes the grip-rail in the bathtub and beside the toilet; the stoves with large, clear, unmistakable dials. They tour the single-level houses, and Annis notices the complete absence of steps, the capaciousness of the medicine cupboard, the direct intercom system for emergency calls. "These are called villas," the young man says, and artlessly recites a vast variety of financing plans. This is followed by a cumbersome little speech on the ease of resale, on the way in which financing is designed so that it prepares for extreme disability or even death from the time of purchase, and the way in which one can move from the villas to the nursing-care towers, to the hospital itself. "You don't need to worry about those things after you come here," he is saying, "it takes care of itself." "It seems quite sensible," Annis replies. They tour the sports facilities: a large, well-heated olympic-sized pool, most of it shallow; the golf course, the bowling alleys, the game.rooms for card and checkers and those who play chess. Bingo is Tuesday night; duplicate bridge on Thrusday, though the young man explains that there are many many informal bridge groups, and the community boasts an astonishing number of masters. Annis is noticing other things: the absence of curbs which might |
