Before I write more you should check out this documentary on Netflix: Andrew Jenks, Room 335.
In 2005, 19 year old Andrew Jenks wanted to learn about the meaning of life. He decided to check himself into Harbor Place, an assisted living facility in Florida. He made a documentary called “Andrew Jenks, Room 335” as a result. Jenks packed up his things, brought his two friends Jonah and William along for the ride. The three friends drove from New York down to Florida to spend a month at Harbor Place and see if they can learn anything from the people living there.
This was a phenomenal documentary that highlighted the ups and downs of living in an assisted living environment. Everything was documented, from eating food, and getting ready for bed, to what happens when the power goes out and the downhill stage of death and dying. Jenks made everything raw. Nothing was covered up or disguised. He highlighted many people’s lives but Dotty and Bill were highlighted most. Bill was an old man who tried to act tough and always was getting into trouble, shenanigans and hitting on the ladies. Dotty was a little lady who was checked into the facility by a friend.
Many people dismiss the elderly and just see them as dying people who lived their best years and just need to die. Some people see them as a nuisance. When interviewed, one woman said there is a reason that African Americans, Asians, Mexicans and others aren’t seen in assisted living homes; their families take care of them and couldn’t imagine tossing them to the side. Another woman said that she felt she lived her life and didn’t want to burden her children with her presence. She felt it was her daughter’s turn to live her life.
I volunteer at a nursing home down the street from my college. The stories the people tell when you’re painting their nails or coloring is amazing. One woman was 101 while her sister was 103. She never met her brother because he died in the war when she was two months old. She still has a raggedy old teddy bear that he gave her before he left. She carries it everywhere. I’ve asked her questions about her brother and to this day she gets emotional and cries, only wanting to talk about her brother.
One woman, Mrs. Rusher who is my favorite never remembers me. She is always so nice though and tells me about her grandchildren. One time she didn’t feel well enough to go to the dining room to get her nails painted. I went down to her room and painted her nails while she sat in her wheelchair. She kept falling asleep, as she talked to me, sometimes drifting off mid-sentence. I always check the obituaries to see if she has passed. I just checked and she passed away about a month ago. She had the softest voice, and the sweetest eyes. She reminded me of someone who would make you cookies and invite you into her home. She always wore beautiful, long floral dresses and I would push her in her wheelchair. One day last spring the weather was nice and I was allowed to take her outside. A worker went with me and wheeled another resident. We looked at the flowers and the trees, she pointed out different things she thought were pretty; she noticed the beauty in everything. I’ll miss her a lot. Going to the nursing home won’t be the same.
Andrew Jenks didn’t do anything revolutionary, but he shined a spotlight on the aging population, the little things we take for granted taking up some of the most space in the elderly hearts. People in assisted living facilities and nursing homes need love and attention. They need exposure to young people. Old people tend to feel neglected and feel as though their life isn’t important to the younger generation. Visit your grandparents; think about the situation they are in. After watching the documentary I know I don’t want my parents going into an assisted living facility if I can help it. There are so many other ways parents can be taken care of. They can have care in their home, or live in a small cottage type house that is independent of the main house that the children live in. This cottage would be my ideal situation for myself as well as my parents when they get older.
