= new reply since forum marked as read
Too many yahoos that think and act like this moving in:
and a concern I'm not unfamiliar with. It's exactly about survival for millions and the planet, conditions becoming worse every year it seems and no solutions from our diminished, corrupted govt. and institutions. The young people get it though, for they have been impacted the most severely. This country's decline and unnecessary misery over 20+ years is deplorable. So many people don't realize it because of the phony mask kept up by the corp. media as intended.
let me know if it works out 
pass along to some contacts. Now I recall the 'aging in place' concept from news coverage about 4-5 years ago before conditions and austerity had become so severe. What I saw was a feature on a group of older women, perhaps a couple men in a Boston area neighborhood where they had lived for some time and didn't want to move.
Most of the members were in their 60s and 70s, financially alright, living independently in their own homes and in fairly good health but without spouses or children nearby. Their arrangement was mainly focused on keeping in contact by phone or otherwise, letting each other know if help with errands, transportation or problems was needed. ~
Thanks for the information, it's encouraging and innovative.
Although I don't farm, gardening is a passion and I know a fair amount about cooking and healthy eating. I've experience caring for a couple relatives dealing with medical matters and worked in the health and disability field. My mother and grandmothers, one with a small farm late in life, another a backyard fruit orchard I fondly remember making jams and canning when I was a small child.
plots could be turned into gardens. Combining that with communities consciously helping older adults and we're getting somewhere. It's easy to feel despair in these times but there are lots of resources, we just need to find the energy (or coffee) needed to take steps.
in "average" American homes and apartments? The characters almost always live in upper middle class homes at the very least.
I saw a clip from "Roseanne" not long ago. I was struck by the fact that we thought of them as a blue collar, working class family at the time. But honestly, a home like theirs would go for 400k in my neighborhood. Blue collar families around here live in small cramped apartments, ramshackle little rental houses (1,200 or smaller) or trailers. That was only the 1980s. In the 1970s my grandfather worked a lower middle class job and put four kids through college, retired at 55 with his home paid off, took a trip around the world with his wife and never had to worry about not being able to pay his basic bills. That's unheard of these days! We're more productive than ever before, but all of the gains go to the 0.01%. Young people know this, and I think some of them wonder if it's even worth it to try anymore. Even my top students can't find regular work after graduation. The bounce around freelancing for one company after another, sometimes not getting paid. And the more average students? I have no idea what happens to them, but it can't be good.
of homes and other basic necessities have escalated in the last 10-20 years especially. It's obscene, and young people with genuine concerns have been robbed of a decent future unless real change happens soon.
A 'career' is becoming less and less of an opportunity, rapidly being replaced by tasks, multiple projects and irregular jobs, many without benefits, something that was unheard of a few decades ago. I took notice when reading Robert Reich's piece on his website addressing this growing reality and posted here, 
*WHY THE SHARING ECONOMY IS HARMING WORKERS – AND WHAT MUST BE DONE*, ROBERT REICH, Nov. 27, '15.
In this holiday season it’s especially appropriate to acknowledge how many Americans don’t have steady work.
The so-called “share economy” includes independent contractors, temporary workers, the self-employed, part-timers, freelancers, and free agents. Most file 1099s rather than W2s, for tax purposes.
-->It’s estimated that in five years over 40 percent of the American labor force will be in such uncertain work; in a decade, most of us. Already two-thirds of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck.
This trend shifts all economic risks onto workers. A downturn in demand, or sudden change in consumer needs, or a personal injury or sickness, can make it impossible to pay the bills. It eliminates labor protections such as the minimum wage, worker safety, family and medical leave, and overtime. And it ends employer-financed insurance – Social Security, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, and employer-provided health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
No wonder, according to polls, almost a quarter of American workers worry they won’t be earning enough in the future. That’s up from 15 percent a decade ago. Such uncertainty can be hard on families, too. Children of parents working unpredictable schedules or outside standard daytime working hours are likely to have lower cognitive skills and more behavioral problems, according to new research. What to do? ~ READ MORE: http://robertreich.org/post/134080559175
From 2012--
KCUR’s Susan Wilson talked to therapist Rennie Shuler-McKinney. Rennie has worked at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in the behavioral health program for the past 25 years. They talked about warning signs, area resources and possible reasons for the increase.
Interview Highlights
“You know we’re still in the middle of this economic crisis and my belief is that, and what I hear from our patients, those men who have made a serious attempt at their life, they’re struggling with that sense of failure. They’ve been fairly successful in running a household, maintaining a job, providing for their families. And with numerous layoffs throughout the community, men are finding themselves, initially after the layoff they’re energized to go out and find a new job, and they’re working maybe off a severance package and they have some money or maybe they’re tapping into their retirement. But then as time goes along, and the jobs aren’t out there, they’re finding themselves in a huge financial crisis. And for the first time in their life they’re facing a situation where they’re no longer feeling that they’re the main provider for their family.”
“They’ve (men) been able to provide for a very nice home and a nice lifestyle and when they’re not able to provide that anymore and they’re having to sell material items just to get by month to month. I think that’s playing a larger impact on those individuals.”
“In our assessment and intake center here at the hospital, we average over 350 calls every month. And many of those are from loved ones that are concerned because the person that’s experiencing the difficulties often don’t know where to reach, or to embarrassed to reach out and ask for help. SO often the spouse is the one that’s making that initial phone to call to say, ‘Can you help me? Here are some things I’m seeing, what do you think I might need to do next?’”
“Expectations in our community is that we do more with less in pretty much every organization, and with those pressures we’re seeing more and more men come in and ask for help.”
--more--
http://kcur.org/post/middle-aged-white-males-drive-suicide-rate-johnson-county#stream/0
Johnson County, Kansas, is considered middle- to upper-middle class.
