New Idea September 03, year 2010. After playing another round of this on my neighborhood, I've seen the importance residents have to maintain their old friendships, even in the last days of their lives. While it's good that a CNA can invite a resident's family over to visit, we have an acceptable break from reality. That sim on her last day of life can still dial a telephone and talk to neighbor, daughter, son-in-law, whomever. If you have 4 residents, designate one day per week to each resident and let them dial out, invite people over, build those relationship scores (or let them fight if they start fighting) Monday for Bob, Tuesday for Sue, Wendesday for Alice, Thursday for Grace.. you get the idea. Scoring? How about a glass of brandy and some nice socks while you play the game. That's a good score.
Everyone who posted here. THANKS for your ideas. I'll let others read your posts and adapt as they wish. There are a dozen ways to play this game. It can be played against the asylum rules or exactly the same as you wish. I'm not above a dice roll and Rodney's Death creator to deal out a random death or two.

The Golden years don't look so good here at Shady Oaks. Medicaid only pays for so much. We'll seize pensions and family favors for the rest. Our staffing formula says only one nurse/CNA per hall, so you have one adult and as many elders as you like. That's the catch here. All the NPCs you create to live with your adult must be elders. The elders get no jobs. They stay at home all the time. It is best to use sims you've played until they reach elder. Let them retire and bring that pension to Shady Oaks. Did you charm a nanny, headmaster, or host into living with you? Send them to Shady Oaks for a "peaceful" retirement.
As for your Nurse/CNA you must remain on the lot at all times. You can't have an outside job and you depend on the residents for income. The next shift called in sick, so you have to stay for double, no triple shifts. Sick days? Forget it! We can't pay for that. Did you think you would get a vacation day? Fool!! We can't afford the extra staff, so you're stuck here until someone can replace you. Yes that's right. Maybe another adult has befriended you and you can ask her to move in. That's the only way you get to leave. Do not marry or move in a partner. If Shady Oaks wanted you to find love, we would assign you a partner. Nurse / CNA tends to be two to one female to male, but you can play either gender. Wear your scrubs or nurse outfit when on duty. Use testing cheats and shft-N if you must to create the outfit.

Shady Oaks home must have at least one electric stove. The food isn't that good and the elderly don't absorb nutrients as well as you. Provide frequent access to meals or snacks. We tried, but the residents must have free access to the kitchens.It is a rule from a recent lawsuit we had. Have fewer beds than residents. If you have six residents , four beds are required. Some residents sleep in ugly cheap recliners or on cheap couches. Place television or radio for residents preference in living areas (near couches and recliners) and in bedrooms. One or two residents per bedroom is the maximum. Another lawsuit says they can turn on and off the electronics any time they wish, even in the dead of night. Yes, the elderly do wander the halls at night. You must keep the doors locked after 10PM to prevent falls and injuries. Reopen at 8AM.
You must get to know their families. Answer phones if you're required. The secretary is unavailable always. If you see visitors, allow them access to the residents at all times.
Yes, at Shady Oaks we do take care of the afterlife! Outdoor garden access to tombstones and indoor table access to urns is available. Our residents don't mind getting a visit from that passed away spouse, sibling, or room mate. It is a friendly reminder to our residents , they will get to leave Shady Oaks some day.

Score 1 point per resident every day the elderly remain alive. Score 5 points every time you move in the nanny, headmaster, or host from that restaurant. After, they score 1 point per day like others. Score 10 points for each resident that dies of old age. Score one point per visitor per day that you allow access to Shady Oaks.

Subtract 1 point for every visit by a psychiatrist / doctor required. Subtract 1 point for every fire, electrocution, or fight between residents. Subtract 10 points for every person that dies of fire, fright, electrocution, etc - not old age. Another family lawsuit would put us out of business!

Some ideas for variations.
If you have Seasons, only allow outdoors visits in summer. No residents go out in Winter!
If you have Apartment Life, can you create a one story sprawling building for Shady Oaks? You must NOT use staircases. The residents may fall!! (ok, I've never seen that in Sims 2, but it is reality, so no staircases) Elevators may be fun?
If you are familiar with Scout's Asylum challenge, try adapting rules from it. But the key difference is all your NPC housemates must be elders.
Dementia has deteriorated their minds. Expect elders to act in confusing ways. They may not understand your commands. They will wander day and night in the halls. You cannot control the NPC residents.
Use no hacks that provide free cash, full fridge, prevent kitchen fires. Maybe you should make this challenge as difficult as it can be. Score some extra points if your hack / mod makes the challenge more difficult!
sitting tubs only! Do you think Grandpa can stand in a shower stall? If the resident wants to take a two hour bubble bath, you must allow it. Maybe 1 tub per four residents, including yourself.
Dude you stink! Influence -> Bathe . If I had it I would use it every day in this challenge. It's the only influence I would use.
You may hire repairmen and a gardner if you have decorated outside the building. Score 1 point if you do NOT have a maid.
All the time, some residents pass out and fall to the floor. In reality this would be a Very Bad Thing, but here, how should we score it? The elderly are much more robust and hard to injure in Sims 2.

If you have variations for this challenge, be sure to discuss them. If you ask "Can I do this?" Yes, but do not make the challenge easy. Having a difficult time is fun!

Last edited by TortureTheNannies : 4th Sep 2010 at 02:54 AM. Reason: add new idea

I don't know if I will actually try this as the challenge, but I really thank you for the idea. I hate it when my sims age up to elders - especially when they've achieved most of their goals. So I love the idea of moving them into a retirement home with a single adult on-staff at all times! And a graveyard for families to visit, because I don't like ghosts waking babies up all the time and I don't have whatever expansion is required to have a community graveyard. So you've suggested a solution that fixes 2 problems for me. Thanks.

It is Nightlife that allows community graveyards. However, this challenge can be done with any combination of expansions. I've run it with no better than OFB.

I must say that I like your description of this challenge-that's almost as much fun as setting it up, which I will do as soon as I have enough elders to put into a nursing home...oops-I meant a "seniors retirement home".

I've thought about having an elders home, not necessarily a challenge.

You know, that does sound like a good idea...except I generally like multigenerational families.

If I did have an old folks' home, I'd have the caregiver write checks to the old people's families so they can inherit Grandpa's half-million Simoleons.

This is just a poor copy of the assailum challenge but with old people. I have an old peoples home in my game and was hoping this challenge would spice it up but I guess not. Why for example would anybody put their parents into a house if they can't even get a bed? My resident's all get their own room. The money they bring in is their money, so it's in their inventory, and every week they pay an amount either 500§ or 10000§ depending on do they have a double-bed room, or a single bed room. Every time a bill comes, the resident's pay 200§ (I use the 10x bills so bills are huge), for expenses. When the resident dies, the staff gives the money to the residents next of kin (the person they had the best relationship with).

What makes it challenging is trying to operate the household with only the money you get from the resident's, and your own job if you have any. Also when a resident dies you need to fill up that empty room to survive otherwise you cannot afford the bills. Currently my old folks home is on cutbacks, that means no maid, no repairman. The owner needs to take care of these stuff by themselves. Resident's are never directed to do house work, they are there to be taken care of, not taken advantage of. I'm going to loose two residents the next time I play this house so the challenge bit is going to increase, and because I only put play-able sims who have grown old in the house, there will be no magically appearing elders to fill the empty slots.

When a resident dies, the bed they used will be sold and replaced (so nobody needs to sleep in an dead sim's bed), this also effect the bills and it forces you to re-decorate the room for the next resident. And it can't be done with a cheap bed, it has to be in the medium to high category. When a resident dies, a funeral has to be held by the home, it's paid by the resident's money, and the rest is given to the next of kin. Because rent is payed on monday, a new resident cant come into the house until the next monday. So If a resident rents a room, pays the rent, and dies the next day, you have to wait for a week before you can put a new resident in.

Because not all old people can afford to pay the fees, the fees will be paid by their children. I either play the elder and have the home cover his fees, and then play the kids house and have them pay the money the resident owes.

This challenge does have potential, but currently, I'm just not seeing it.

Last edited by ani_ : 24th Aug 2010 at 05:19 AM.

I may do this to get rid of a few elders I wasn't sure what to do with. I have a few survivors from my asylum challange who diserve to take it easy in old age. Not that they will.

There are certain, self-important people here who should get off of their high horse and keep their negative opinions to themselves. Also, these same people should learn to spell.

Great Idea! A home for old people...why didn't I think of that?