Radiotopia from PRX.

From PRX's Radiotopia, this is Radio Diaries. I'm Joe Richmond.

For most of human history, people didn't expect to live into their 80s and 90s.

But these days, that's the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population.

It's led to a surge in demand for places that can

house and care for people as they age. Sometime back, I became mildly obsessed with retirement

communities. I spent a few months at one, Presbyterian homes in Evanston, Illinois. I got to know

some of the residents there, and I gave a few of them tape recorders to keep audio diaries of their lives in retirement. I wanted to know some of the residents there, and I gave a few of them tape recorders to keep audio

diaries of their lives in retirement.

I wanted to know when you spend so much of your life moving around, getting to the next

chapter, what's it like to find yourself in the last place?

Today in the podcast, The Last Place, Diary of a Retirement Home.

Music in the podcast, The Last Place Diary of a Retirement Home. It's only a shanty in old shanty town The brown is so slanty

With the silver big crown

In the shanty

In the old shanty town Department A.103.

And it's a little two-room cubicle.

My name is Joseph G. Pine, P-E-I-N-E, the Hardway. I'm 88 years old. I was a free soul up until a couple

of years ago. And after the last bout that I had with the hospital, came up with the, what you call it, Presbyterian homes,

and said, this is the place to be.

So that's where I'm here.

So I sold the beautiful car of my life.

...