Philip Y. Kao PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

link fence of post-industrial suburbia, Grandma’s Place looked like just another workingclass
house. There were no obvious business signs, although next to the mailbox above
the street curb, a sign (with a phone number) was stuck in the ground that read: “Love is
the Main Medication.” A walkway of stones that snaked behind the garden of hubcaps,
faded birdbaths and junk led to a southern style porch, replete with small American flags
and pithy wood signs.
As I walked up to the porch, I noticed another less pithy sign hand written in highlighter
orange that read: “If sick or coughing, don’t come in.” I was surprised to be greeted at the
door before I even had the chance to knock. I introduced myself by saying that I was a
caregiver interested in research on ageing and how we care for our elders. A young
woman, who was a former registered nurse, let me in. From the way she moved
efficiently and with a dash of assertiveness, I got the impression she was in charge of
keeping schedules and running the daily tasks of the home, which included carefully
preparing an afternoon snack of Jell-O and canned peaches served up meticulously in
glass bowls. The owner, who I will call Grandma, was someone in her late fifties.
Grandma was in the kitchen when I first entered, and soon offered me a seat. She was
not too surprised at my unannounced visit. I explained to her that I was a caregiver, and
an anthropologist researching ageing, and that her sign by the mailbox had piqued my
curiosity.
I took a seat, and while still a bit anxious over my somewhat random visit, I remarked
that, “this place is really like a home.” Grandma said, “Yup. See, this place doesn’t smell
like a nursing home.” I wasn’t focused on the two older gentlemen reclined in their La-Z-
Boy loveseats, but I recognized the scene. The men were drawing oxygen from their
tanks and watching afternoon game shows. I began to take notice of how this ranch-style
house was much larger on the inside, and ran deeper into the back than I had initially
expected. Some drywall was knocked down to create two large living spaces, both of
them proudly outfitted with two brand new flat screen televisions. There was even a
study room sandwiched between two bedrooms, with a computer and an Internet
connection. Grandma went on to tell me that she owned this house, and that after taking
care of her now deceased mother, she decided to go into the business of caregiving, by
offering something that was more humane than the nursing home. In her words, she said
this was an opportunity “To do it right, the way I see fit.”
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