[twick]

In the 1970s or '80s, I read a novel that was as much fantasy as sci-fi, set in a nursing home. An old man, resident in the home, begins to dream that, while asleep, he is revitalized and takes part in battles in which he and other humans fight alongside aliens of many worlds against a powerful enemy somewhere in space. Initially bewildered by the dreams, little by little the old man becomes aware that growing numbers of residents in the home are having dreams just like his, serving alongside the same aliens in the same battles, and sometimes dying in those battles.
Toward the novel's end, as the old man himself lies dying in his nursing home bed, he is visited by a soft-spoken officer of the fleet, who thanks him for his service, and awards him the decorations his courage has earned him.
Was all this just a fantasy--an old man's delusion, somehow shared by others living in the same place? Perhaps so, the author leaves you thinking, but maybe not; maybe it was much, much more.
Title? Author? I would be grateful if anyone could help me with either.