The problem always comes when you start figuring costs. Raee, you said that your mother needed someone for maybe 30 minutes a day? Let's figure that out. Current costs around here for licensed and bonded and trained agency people is $25.00 an hour. Three hour a day minimum. Of course, the employee only gets less than half that $25, but let's use $12.50. Oh, and don't forget the employee's transportation costs and the time spent going from one job to another. BUT in an ideal world, let's say that you find someone who will visit your mother for $12.50 an hour (bonded? Licensed? Insured? Trained?) So $6.25 x 7 days a /week is $43.75. Or $187.50 per month. Oh, and who pays the payroll taxes? The average social security payment for a retired worker is a little more than $1200 a month. Many of the seniors that I work with are below the Federal Poverty income level, which is $957.50. A senior with that income will still pay $100 for Medicare Part B, and maybe $40-$50 for Part D insurance. (Supplemental insurance would be at least another $100). Rent? Hope for Section 8 assistance, then baseline phone and utilities. Most seniors I know could not pay $187.50 a month for help. They might scrape up $20 once or twice a month for help getting a ride to the doctor's office or help with shopping. It's always sobering to put real-life budget numbers on paper and figure out how much help really costs.

Facebook isn't just about "friending" people you know face-to-face. It's about networking with people who have the same interests you have. If it wasn't for Facebook, I wouldn't talk to my cousins, who ALL live in The Netherlands. None of us like letter writing. Their emails get lost in all the spam I get. I have a lot of co-workers on FB and we have silly conversations on FB that we can't have at work. We don't all work the same shifts, so it's nice to talk on FB when it's convenient for us. I have friends who live in the US. We are a group of women (I mentioned our private group here a few days ago), and a few of us have met face-to-face. We used to use YahooGroups, but Facebook is so much easier to use. I belong to several colouring groups, photography groups, Calgary groups, etc., to get information directly from others. I learn more through FB about my hobbies than I do through Google, although quite often when I ask a question, I'll get sent to google... lol Facebook is addictive. It's fun. It's my way to keep up with my family because we are all so busy with our families, jobs and life in general. Do I really care what someone ate for breakfast? Nope. And they're probably not interested in what I ate either. But we post pictures and sometimes someone will say, "hey! You have a recipe for that? It looks delicious!". There is so much more than posting the food you eat or how the weather is.

By open, I meant...open to opinions of others. By repeating the same comments, you imply that anyone who does something differently from what you do is wrong and or making a mistake. When an actual Chromebook owner spoke of having a positive experience, you responded by saying "I would never have one". I'm not sure why you find it necessary to be so contrary but that's YOU berating others. I think it's nice that you help others. I hope you continue to do so whether here or elsewhere, but that's not a license for being narrow minded with the advice you give.

My DH's grandmother lived in one ages ago -- all I remember about her choice was: location (in her hometown, with several of her children nearby), health care (she moved up to nursing care for a while then was able to return to her own apartment), and she had enough room in her apartment for her furnishings and mementos. My own dear mother and father were in their 70's when they picked out where they wanted to live. Again a main factor was location -- they wanted to be central to all us kids. My mom was ready to quit the daily cleaning and periodic maintenance of their large house, was looking forward to a small, downsized apartment. Alas her cancer came back before she and dad could move. Soon after her death, dad was able to move there. He especially enjoyed having company more his age and abilities, such as a (slow) walking club. He also enjoyed his "meal of the day", being able to select what he wanted from a pretty extensive menu. He was very content there until us kids started to retire and move; then he moved to be central to us, again likes his retirement community. My Dh's aunt (early 80's) is finally ready to move into one, after a health scare that took her to the emergency room and then in the hospital overnight. She's been eyeing one in particular for years, based mostly on its location -- only a mile or two from her house. She wanted to stay in a familiar part of town, with relatives nearby. It's kind of you to assist your friend in her decision. I've visited several (besides the ones with relatives). I think an important factor is how do you feel when you walk in the main door. Is it welcoming, is it clean and tidy, are there people around or does it look deserted.