Life Narrows
When aging in place depends on who owns the place.
This is what happens to a 71-year-old woman when the only negotiation for a roof over her head is more money. No one disputes the legality. A property owner can sell. He can raise the rent. The law protects his investment. But law and justice are not synonyms.
At 71, life narrows. There are no fresh starts, no decade to recover from being priced out. There is fixed income, rising costs, and the basic need for shelter. When the only terms are financial, the negotiation is not between equals. It is between capital and time, and at my age, time loses.
His foundation funds “aging in place.” Just not in a place that’s his.
For him, it’s a transaction. For her, it’s an ending.