DH and I were invited to eat out with friends last week who recently moved into a Senior Living Community. They are very good friends and made the decision this summer to sell their house and move. They did a lot of research on the different 'Senior Living' available and came to the conclusion that this one was best due to location and amenities.
Apparently there are 4 restaurants on the premises and we met and had dinner at one. The food was very good. I had filet mignon which I hadn't had in a very long time - as well as garlic mashed potatoes and spinach. It seems you can pick a salad or soup, entree with 2 sides, as well as a drink and dessert.
After dinner we went to their apartment. It also was very nice... not large when compared to their house, but had all the necessary rooms (2 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen, nook, and living room).
I guess some of the advantages of going this route is there is no lawn upkeep, no pool upkeep (they did have a pool at their house - now one is available without the upkeep), lunch and supper is available if desired, activities and doctors on site also... kind of a little village in itself... although the place itself is huge.
Made me think. Could we do this? Would we want to? At the moment, I have to say no. I like my house. Next year we will have been here for 40 years. And I like my yard. I'd miss the 'critters'... and we (so far) can still take care of our yard and house. But we're both 79... and I wonder sometimes if we shouldn't wait too late to downsize or whatever.
Anyway, it gave us something to think about. Maybe some of you have thought about it or possibly made the move yourself. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.
And here's some pics of what the boys had for supper last night here at home:
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| put ham, turkey, cheese and bacon on croissant |
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| rollup! (I put hot dog on some) |
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| Finished sandwiches! |
The guys really like them! (I can't eat them as the croissants aren't GF - but it doesn't matter as they are easy peasy to make)
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I do consider moving into a retirement community at intervals. I am reluctant at the moment (I really like having a garden and visiting birds but maintaining it is becoming increasingly difficult.
ReplyDeleteOn the crazy world front both of my hands are firmly up.
It is something to think about, EC. But I'm not ready either... would miss my house and the outside critters.
DeleteI haven't considered a retirement community at this point - I'm only 65 (though had you asked me thirty years ago, I would have said that was ancient). I did, however, sell my house last year, and am now living part time with each of my children and travelling part-time. I have the benefit of yards and cats in both homes, but not nearly the amount of responsibility I once had. ;)
ReplyDeleteMae, I can see the advantage in what you are doing... and have given that option some thought. But again... not ready.
DeleteI've gone for the retirement community. My loom fits and I like my neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI think you have found a good fit, Joanne.
DeleteRian, a nice read about your friends. Living alone like I do, I gave this a lot of thought last year until joining my local senior center, and enjoying the lunches and outings. I may still do it, just to be nearer to medical help and friends, in a few years. Hopefully I'll still be here to decide. PS. Wow, 40 years in your home! That's awesome. 🙂
ReplyDeleteDug, it is an option... and would require finding the place that fits (whether for us that would be a Senior Living place, a down-size, or possibly with our kids). But yes, after all these years, it would be hard to move. But time will tell and we'll do what's best then... just not ready now.
DeleteA lot of my former work friends are about 10 years old than me. This actually has proven very helpful in making decisions or helping to decide or think about deciding, lol. I have two friends who downsized to a condo. I have a friend who moved into a senior apartment. And I have a friend who moved in to a senior living complex. They all have positives and negatives. When we were first married as teenagers, we bought a small house, all on one floor. And then had too many children to upgrade to something bigger. Now we live in the same house, all on one floor, including laundry, but with a nice big living room addition. We made upgrades to heating and plumbing and electrical so we should be good for the next 20 years. We even enlarged all the doorways with wider doors to accommodate wheel chairs if necessary. It will be cheaper to hire landscapers than pay condo fees. Our decision is to "age in place".
ReplyDeleteSo far I agree with you - that it would be cheaper to 'age in place'. But maintenance does get expensive... and as we age, we may need to have some help. Right now we're able to do house upkeep and yardwork ourselves, but at almost 80, that may change.
DeleteI live in a rented apartment with my husband. If it becomes too expensive, or if he were to die, I guess I'd think about a retirement home, but I don't think I would like it very much.
ReplyDeleteRetirement homes are expensive too. I guess it all boils down to an individual's needs at the time. But maybe we need to find a happy medium between an unnecessary worry about the future and a certain amount of preparedness.
DeleteWe remodeled our daylight basement into an ADA compliant apartment three years ago. One of our kids lives upstairs as our tenant and concierge. So far, so good. But if the kid moved out or one of us became seriously disabled, it would be much harder to age in place.
ReplyDeleteLinda, in a way, we have this now... in that our grandson (26) lives upstairs (2 bedrms, open area, and bath). DH and I have the downstairs. And it does to help to have a young man on the premises when needed. But the expense of maintenance could still become an issue at some point...
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