Solutions to new problems

Living in a senior retirement center has made me more aware of some limitations we face as we age.  Not having a car is one big change for many, if not most, of the people who live here.  What do we do when we need to shop for groceries?  Decisions to be made include:

• Am I mobile enough to walk a block to buy groceries?  We do have a grocery store nearby.
• How will I carry them home?  Do I need to have my own cart?
• What about rainy days?  Or snowy days?  Or very, very hot days?
• If I have a cart, how do I take it on the Crown Center bus?
• When does our bus make grocery store runs, anyway?  Which stores and how often?
• What about produce that only lasts a very few days, like bananas?  Do we just do without or eat canned fruit?

I already have a cart (above, which I used last year to deliver books).  I have noticed others with carts like mine, but their front wheels don't swivel.  That means they have to lift the front to make turns, unlike with mine.  I've seen several residents with smaller carts they pull behind them that have covered bags, similar to these.  Unfortunately, they're tiny and don't hold much.

What about getting to medical appointments, which we elderly have more often than young people?  Take a cab?  A friend reported taking a cab cost her $14.80 plus tip to get there last week and $12.20 plus tip to get back home to the Crown Center.  Residents who are still driving step up when they can to take people shopping or to appointments, but we all have limitations on how much we can do for other people.

And then there are the other times we use our cars, like going out for lunch.  Not having a car means either walking or using a taxi or going with someone who still has a car.  My friends Barbara and Donna and I have been looking at the problem of eating out together because, for one thing, Barbara is now using an electric scooter, which won't fit into a car, even if we elders could lift the heavy thing!  Besides, she has to take along her oxygen, which is heavy in itself.  So we took a look at what's within walking distance (or scooter driving distance) of the Crown Center.

• Jilly's is close, but across busy Delmar.  Click to see their new menu.
• Mod Pizza is a couple of blocks away and has good salads.
• Pei Wei has closed, so no Asian food close to us.  But we just heard that Shake Shack is going in that spot.
• Pasta House is probably a quarter of a mile away, which is within walking distance for those who are mobile enough, with or without a scooter.
• Circle@Crown Cafe, of course, is right downstairs.  We eat there on a regular basis.

I imagine there are many other limitations and problems that come up by simply not having a car, but I'll leave that for your imagination.