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Did you know the United States hosts two nursing homes providing care for retired actors? Let’s take a look at them.
Actors Fund Home
Originally opened on Staten Island in 1902, the Actors Fund Home later moved to Englewood, New Jersey, where it still exists today.
A group created in 1882, known as the Entertainment Community Fund, developed the home. As a nonprofit organization, the group helps support retired people in the performing arts and entertainment professions.
The Actors Fund Home welcomes not only actors but many other people from the entertainment industry. These include film editors, sound technicians, dancers, writers, stagehands, and movie directors.
Residents enjoy activities tailored to their past careers. These include movie screenings with discussions, drama therapy, and classes in fine arts.
The home’s short-term rehab unit is open to the public. However, the other areas (assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care) have specific admission requirements. The main one is a minimum of 20 years of working in performing arts and entertainment. Spouses, children, parents, and siblings of the entertainers are also eligible for admission.
Motion Picture Country Home
Located near Los Angeles, California, the Motion Picture Country Home had its beginnings in the 1940s. Its funding came from the Motion Picture Relief Fund, a brainchild of actress Mary Pickford. Its purpose was to help people in the entertainment industry who fell on hard times.
Today, the retirement community offers a variety of living situations, including independent living cottages, assisted living apartments, long-term care, and memory care. With criteria similar to those of the Actors Fund Home, the Motion Picture Country Home serves people from many areas of the entertainment industry.
The campus includes a TV production studio where residents can continue to practice their creativity. They also host a robust writing group.
Over the years, funding for the home has come from the private donations and fundraising efforts of an impressive array of entertainers. These include Elvis Presley, Kirk Douglas, Jodie Foster, Steven Spielberg, and George Clooney—just to name a few.
I would love to visit these senior living communities someday. Imagine the fascinating stories the residents could tell!
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