Thoughts? I love the rural nature of Vermont, but we need housing and this facility would serve a growing population of elderly. The idea that a memory care facility would not be permitted kind of blows my mind. Since Castleton University is literally over the hill, it seems if the land had been kept by the school and they had built a dorm there no one would have opposed it. So, does this proposal threaten to “destroy” the character of the community, or does it provide needed services?

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Rouxwillruleyou t1_j10gp5v wrote on December 20, 2022 at 7:42 PM

#985,925

This is so incredibly frustrating. We have a large aging population, there are very few nursing homes, even less that will accept anyone with memory care needs, or God forbid mental health needs. There is not a nursing home in my county I’d feel good about sending a loved one to. This is exactly the kind of infrastructure Vermont needs, and of course people just won’t allow it. If you don’t have the funds for an insanely expensive private care facility, or extremely devoted family members, you are fucked in this state once you age. It’s so, so sad.

Trajikbpm t1_j10vgyy wrote on December 20, 2022 at 9:17 PM

#987,128

Vermonters shooting themselves in the foot once again. But goddamn those out of staters....... Right..

DutyHistorical t1_j110ev7 wrote on December 20, 2022 at 9:50 PM

#987,543

Just the way this article starts is indicative of the problem.

""I live nearby and thought it would increase traffic on my end of the road," she said at the local community center, where she was having lunch recently. "But I'm 72 years old, and facing the possibility of moving into a center such as this... and it's something we all need to think about, because there isn't enough suitable housing in this area."

If you are so short sighted that you would oppose community supports like this purely because it would result in some more traffic vaguely nearby and you only support it when you are staring senility and incapacity in the face, you are the problem.

A lot of Vermonters talk big when it comes to the idea of community but when it comes to actually investing in and building infrastructure to care for one another, they come up comically short and at this point, it almost feels vindictive.

If you want to know how to keep young people here, maybe consider investing in the childcare programs young families desperately need. If you are having trouble seeing a primary care doctor when your doc retired because they didn't want to deal with COVID, consider fighting back against the nimby bs of your neighbors who blocked a new building for Charlotte Community Health on the basis of "wetland concerns" (plus, this is New England, if you are not on a mountain you are probably standing in a bog or what used to be a bog).

Point is, put your money where your mouth is and if you think Vermont is this wonderful place where people care about one another, maybe don't block the nursing home down the street because God forbid you might hear a car engine every blue moon.

No-Ganache7168 t1_j11f0vy wrote on December 20, 2022 at 11:32 PM

#988,684

This is sad. I volunteer at a local nursing home doing activities with the residents. The workers tell me that there’s a long waiting list. I get frustrated by all the prolifers who forget that people at the end of their lives need compassionate care and funding to stay alive.

thisoneisnotasbad t1_j13d57n wrote on December 21, 2022 at 11:02 AM

#993,396

> does this proposal threaten to “destroy” the character of the community, or does it provide needed services?

It does both. The issue as presented is a false flag.

First, will it destroy the character of the community. Absolutely, a 99 unit facility built where there was once a field will change all the things brought up in the article. It will increase traffic, business will be built to cater to the population that works there, putting a place like that in what was once a field is a first step to a diminishing rural aesthetic.

Second, does it provide a needed service? ABSOLUTELY! It is not like old people are a finite population. Everyone will be old at one point and many will need a place like this to go. The way we treat our elderly is near criminal and projects like this are at the very least a first step to addressing that.

Maybe if we were able to get over the “you’re wrong! No, you’re wrong! “ mentality and have an actual discussion we could as a society make progress.

The real question that should be getting asked is, are the changes to the character of the town that are needed to support the elderly acceptable. If not, consider a different approach, if so, start building. The longer both sides refuse to admit they are both right and both wrong the longer divisive stuff like that can be used to further drive a wedge between poor and middle class people so we don’t look around and notice the buffet of prosperity we are supposedly being served is nothing but scraps.

*The fact nobody agrees this should be a conversation speaks volumes about reddits problem with group think.