Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
How old people in Europe handle stair. I guess that is why there is more obesity in the US.
The elderly in Europe have falls also. It's not about obesity as much as age related decreased mobility. People have to have regular exercise to mitigate this.
It only takes one ankle surgery to figure out really quickly what an unexpected challenge stairs can be.
True, I blew out my knee a few years ago, and going up and down the stairs was a slow and painful process (those are the times when living alone truly sucks). Bedrooms and bathroom are on the second floor, kitchen on the first floor and laundry in the basement - so I spent most of my time upstairs, hobbled downstairs to get food once or twice a day, and only did the laundry when I absolutely had to. It was a challenge, but I managed and have since recovered.
If I purchased a home based on any contingency that could ever conceivably happen, sounds like a mud hut might be the only option. Although ... in a heavy rain ...
My next house might be a one-story, depending on when and where I move. Hard to say now. As long as I can manage the stairs, I'll stay put.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ylisa7
There are many people who have/had problems with stairs due to things that were not because of willful neglect.
That's so true - we have no idea what's in store for us and our lives can change in a heartbeat.
But from this thread - aside from the people who truly do have health problems to the point where stairs are downright dangerous or painful - it sounds like there are a lot of people who just don't want to be bothered with stairs. I interpreted "willful neglect" to describe folks who don't exercise, who don't take care of their health, etc., and not people who are ill, injured, or otherwise unable to manage a flight of stairs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowsnow
And hauling the vacuum cleaner
I have 3 - one for each floor (the beauty of two middle-aged adults combining houses). But I still haul laundry (and everything else) up two flights of stairs. Helps keep me in shape!
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatwomanofV
The first house I lived in as a kid, I think it was my mother who cut a hole in the floor under the bathroom sink. That was our laundry chute.
LOL, my parents did that, too! The clothes always got hung up on the water pipes, though, but it was awfully handy because we didn't need to take up floor space in the bedrooms or bathroom with a hamper, and it kept the dirty laundry out of our way. I was perplexed when my mom closed it up years later.
We currently have a raised ranch in jawjuh, which is situated above a two car garage and bonus room. It's well insulated, especially the garage ceiling / house floor. All the A/C is routed to the upstairs living area, and the downstairs does not get conditioned air. However, the downstairs laundry is segregated from the conditioned space - a holdover from older designs. Any appliance that gave off too much waste heat (i.e., clothes dryer, water heater, etc) was segregated from conditioned space.
LOL. I get a kick out of that term. It's not something I've ever heard anyone say in real life, and the first time I ever saw it was back when I first joined City-Data. Haven't seen it in a while.
In my younger days, I moved around a lot and said that I had gypsy in my blood, too. (Lived in 8 states, 9 if you count a short time overseas, 10 if you count the State of Confusion where I am most of the time. lol) But, I realize why. I never felt at home in any of those places. First I found the state that I love-and if I travel away from it for any length of time, I get homesick. The house we moved from about 4 years ago was the house that I lived in the longest in my entire life. Hubby bought it with his ex-wife and while it was a comfortable home, it never really felt like MINE-but I did try to make it mine. But, now I have a house that IS mine. In fact, I joke that it is MY house and I allow my husband to live here. lol. I'm not saying that I will never move again, but I really can't see myself doing it. But, the newness of this house still hasn't warn off. Will it ever? That remains to be seen.
Cat
That is so nice that you have a place like that.
For most of my life, I assumed I would always be a renter and would not be able to buy a place of my own. I was just never in a financial position to do so, but then when I was 52, I found myself with a better income, the debt from being married was finally paid off, and a tax credit was available for first-time home buyers. I got a small condo that I could afford to continue to pay the mortgage on in retirement, knowing I will likely be dead before I can pay off the mortgage (unless I make it past 82).
Before I bought this place, I fantasized about just living in hotels. Not the kind where the druggies and hookers and transients live, just that if I ever got rich I would not bother trying to own a house at all, just travel around and live out of my suitcase. I suppose that would get old, though.
My mom is almost 88 and tramps up and down the basement stairs multiple times a day. I'm almost 30 years younger than her and have such rickety knees I find it hard to use stairs at all. I would love a two story house, but I think whatever I live in in the future is going to be one story or have an elevator.
My mom is 89 and did the same, but now in the past six months she is unable to go down to the basement to do the laundry. Her legs are getting wobbly and she has some pain in one foot where she broke a bone years ago.
My brother lives with her, and he has his own physical problems (bad spine) but he has taken over the laundry, thank God. He can still do the stairs.
My last house had all the bedrooms and the laundry room on the second floor. Doing laundry was easy.
My friend has that setup. Her father built her house for her, so it was obviously her preference.
The only thing I would worry about with a second floor laundry is that if a hose or pipe breaks, you have a problem. Water travels down. It could do a lot more damage from the second story than it could in a concrete basement.
If the cost of homes in this area weren't into the stratosphere, I would LOVE to buy a single-level home. Many, many, many Baby Boomers have the same wish but they're also good starter homes, too.
I always preferred the looks of single leveled houses but today it's more of a convenience thing. For a lot of aging people stairs become a big problem in due time. Ours is a split-level, and I already despise having to go downstairs to do laundry. But, the house is paid for and I don't want to start on payments all over again. No clue what we'll do it one of us develops a big problem with stairs.
That's what we've got - two bonus guest rooms and a bath upstairs but all the rest of the rooms downstairs. So we basically live downstairs and shut off the upstairs unless we're expecting company.
If the cost of homes in this area weren't into the stratosphere, I would LOVE to buy a single-level home. Many, many, many Baby Boomers have the same wish but they're also good starter homes, too.
I always preferred the looks of single leveled houses but today it's more of a convenience thing. For a lot of aging people stairs become a big problem in due time. Ours is a split-level, and I already despise having to go downstairs to do laundry. But, the house is paid for and I don't want to start on payments all over again. No clue what we'll do it one of us develops a big problem with stairs.
So if I don't fear stair, I am not old huh. Everybody is different. I like 2 storied house and stair is a part of it. I am willing to accept it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.