I
saw
an
article
that
underscores a
near-crisis
situation
that's
brewing
--
the
lack
of affordable
alternatives
to
care
for
aging
parents.
This
is
a
problem
many
business
owners
face,
at
least
if
the
frequency
of
it
surfacing
in
meetings
of
Chief
Executive
Boards
International
is
any
indication.
The
near-crisis
dearth
of
alternatives
is
underscored
by
the
introduction
of
the MEDCottage,
a
12'x24'
manufactured
home,
consisting
of
only
a
tiny
bedroom
and
bath,
that
you
put
in
your
own
back
yard
as
a
place
to
keep
Mom.
Step
those
dimensions
off
in
your
family
room.
Its
special
features
include
a
system
to
transmit
vital
information
to
an
offsite
monitoring
service.
Electrical
and
water
service
are
provided
from
your
home.
Since
your
back
yard
probably
doesn't
have
a
sewer,
it's
equipped
with
a
chemical
toilet.
No
TV,
no
place
for
a
computer
(not
even
a
desk).
Perhaps
this
offering
doesn't
seem
as
bizarre
to
you
as
it
does to
me.
The
idea
of
an
aging
relative
confined
to
a
bedroom
smaller
than
a
Super
8
hotel
room,
except
when
she
ventures
across
the
yard
(rain,
sleet,
snow,
heat),
rings
the
back
doorbell
and
comes
in
is
beyond
my
imagination.
My
point
is
not
to
get
in
the
way
of
an
innovation.
It's
that
if
there's
a
demand
for
this,
there's
a
desperate
market
out
there
that's
found
no
other
affordable
way
of
keeping
a
roof
over
Mom's
head.
Tragic,
indeed.
