Attribution: Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in noting that one of the major adjustments in moving into an independent living facility like Vista West is accepting that an elevator will now be a significant fixture in your life.
Most VW residents came from single home or apartment lifestyles where only stairs and steps accommodated necessary elevation changes.
Now, however they must push the summoning button in the hall and then wait and wait until Mr. Otis’s contraption finally gets around to stopping on their floor, whereupon passengers embark and the elevator voice announces that it is going up when the waiting rider’s plans are to go down.
While there is a padded bench to accommodate elevator waiters it is not enough: a cot for napping is needed. And perhaps a “portapotty” of some sort. Most VW residents are accustomed to going downstairs or to the bathroom “right now” with no lengthy waiting involved.
The keeper’s suggestion that a sliding pole like those in some fire departments be installed next to the elevator shaft has not received serious consideration, nor has his proposal for a zip-line over to the high school across the street where VW residents could audit classes on historical ups and downs.
Photo by Bill Stokes