What do poor people do when they get old? (housing, trouble, trailer)

[brightdoglover]

Must say I don't like the "senior moment" brand of humor. Maybe I know too many old people who are compromised (I work in a psych hospital and we have Alzheimer's) but we are all getting older and I personally dislike the image of crabby people sitting around being pathetic and boring and bored. People age in all kinds of ways and I think the image of old people as a monolithic pathetic bloc is not only unhelpful, it's just plain incorrect.
I also dislike referring to an old person (a patient) as "cute" or "feisty" and you hear that a lot at my job. They are old adults, not infantilized compromised people.

[David674UT]

Work until they die or live their twilight years with their children.

[brightdoglover]

George Bush Senior, long after he was retired, was jumping out of an airplane in his 80s and said something like, "I'm not going to sit in a corner in a diaper drooling." I was really ticked. First of all, few unfortunates end up like that from age. Second, he has the health care and money to get the best possible health. Third, his big daddy Ronald Reagan ended up precisely that way, with all the money in the world to be "kept at home" and dressed every day and trotted around while his wife took credit for "keeping him at home."
It's just plain mean.

[kevxu]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

george bush senior, long after he was retired, was jumping out of an airplane in his 80s and said something like, "i'm not going to sit in a corner in a diaper drooling." i was really ticked. First of all, few unfortunates end up like that from age. Second, he has the health care and money to get the best possible health. Third, his big daddy ronald reagan ended up precisely that way, with all the money in the world to be "kept at home" and dressed every day and trotted around while his wife took credit for "keeping him at home."
it's just plain mean.

amen!

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

its not as easy as buy a home and live rent free,,, life is all about trade offs...

if your choosing between renting or buying :

renting is about what you do with the money you would have put down as a down payment and what you did with the difference each month with that difference you would have paid if you bought vs rented in the early years

I rent because I don't want to take care of a house. I don't want to devote time or money to it. I live in a modern apartment complex that was built in 2007. I live within 3 miles of everything I do regularly and most of the things are within one mile. The road it is on ends at a lake. I don't pay as much (not even close) for a 2b, 2b with larger space as I did for a 1b, 1b in another state.

The goal of the town (pop. approx 27,500), when the apartment complex was planned, was to attract more people who worked in the town to live in the town. Many come from other states (and other countries) to work in the National Lab or with its contractor businesses. The schools have good reputations but the property tax is a little higher than neighboring towns. So, they built this apartment complex with a nice pool and amenities and within a quick commute (don't have to get on any highways) to work.

Guess who the first big wave of tenants was when the complex was ready?

Retirees who already lived in the town and who sold their houses to move into ground floor apartments.

It was too good to pass up. Anything breaks/needs repair, they fix it. You don't need a plumber, don't need an electrician, don't need a guy to fix the heater. Don't need to worry about the landscaper or an exterminator. No cesspool overflows. They even change the track lighting bulbs for tenants. Get a package and you aren't home when it's delivered? The rental office will hold it for you. Can't get out to pay your rent? They have an automatic direct debit you can opt for. Noise complaint? There a peace officer on the premises. The college where the town retiree program has classes? Around the corner. A large supermarket? Less than a mile away. A car washing spot (hose and vacuum and carport overhead) right on the property.

In addition to it being good for retirees, it means junior doesn't have to come running over everytime something breaks at mom's and or dad's place so it's good for them, too. Sometimes renting makes more sense.

[texdav]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

George Bush Senior, long after he was retired, was jumping out of an airplane in his 80s and said something like, "I'm not going to sit in a corner in a diaper drooling." I was really ticked. First of all, few unfortunates end up like that from age. Second, he has the health care and money to get the best possible health. Third, his big daddy Ronald Reagan ended up precisely that way, with all the money in the world to be "kept at home" and dressed every day and trotted around while his wife took credit for "keeping him at home."
It's just plain mean.

That institution IMo opinon has warp your thinking in this.

[brightdoglover]

Huh?
What institution?
And please, please, stop texting. I and I'm sure others would like to be able to read your posts and they are close to incoherent.

[donsabi]

Actually there is a huge demand for single floor low cost housing for seniors. However, there is not enough profit for investors to build this type of housing. There are a few that are tax credit elderly but even those rents would surprise you. I found two independent senior rentals and the rents were $700 and $800 respectively. Not what you would consider reasonable for a senior. There is one senior here who is around 80 and still works at a grocery store because he cannot afford living here on SS alone. So that pretty much leaves low cost housing which amounts to living with many people who are challenged either physically or mentally. In many cases that means drug addicts too.

Most retirement facilities are for the well-to-do and have endowments between $100k and $250k to walk in the door. Many have rents from $1800 to $2800 a month, but that includes meals. These are the facilities investors are talking about when they describe how they help seniors.

Unfortunately, there are many, through no fault of their own, find themselves broke at retirement time. Most low cost senior housing have waiting lists that extends for years. Today's children don't want their parents living with them and will not contribute to their well-being. I see so many seniors pushing shopping carts filled with all their worldly goods. God only knows where they sleep. Veterans can get help at the various VA centers.

Perhaps the only thing a senior is to do when their is not enough income and expenses are too high is to hopefully find another senior in a similar situation and pull resources to help each other.

[AcaciaRose]

When I was thinking about retiring I imagined myself buying a house, but when the time came I realized that's not what I wanted. I had heard so many of my single women friends talk about problems with their houses -- foundation cracks, roof leaks, etc., that I decided I didn't want the hassle. I live in a city where most people rent, so there are lots of nice apartment buildings. I'm moving to a city where most people are homeowners and it's possible I won't find another nice quiet building in a good part of town. If that happens I'll probably buy a condo.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by donsabi

Actually there is a huge demand for single floor low cost housing for seniors. However, there is not enough profit for investors to build this type of housing. There are a few that are tax credit elderly but even those rents would surprise you. I found two independent senior rentals and the rents were $700 and $800 respectively. Not what you would consider reasonable for a senior. There is one senior here who is around 80 and still works at a grocery store because he cannot afford living here on SS alone. So that pretty much leaves low cost housing which amounts to living with many people who are challenged either physically or mentally. In many cases that means drug addicts too.

Most retirement facilities are for the well-to-do and have endowments between $100k and $250k to walk in the door. Many have rents from $1800 to $2800 a month, but that includes meals. These are the facilities investors are talking about when they describe how they help seniors.

Unfortunately, there are many, through no fault of their own, find themselves broke at retirement time. Most low cost senior housing have waiting lists that extends for years. Today's children don't want their parents living with them and will not contribute to their well-being. I see so many seniors pushing shopping carts filled with all their worldly goods. God only knows where they sleep. Veterans can get help at the various VA centers.

Perhaps the only thing a senior is to do when their is not enough income and expenses are too high is to hopefully find another senior in a similar situation and pull resources to help each other.

Retirees who don't need nursing care don't have to live in special retiree apartment complexes where the rent may be higher. They just need ground floor apartments in regular apartment complexes when no elevator is involved. Decent one bedroom apartments in this town run from $500 - $700. That's pretty cheap. Coming from NY and MD, I hadn't seen $700 rents for a one bedroom since the mid-1990s, 15 years ago. I get why they are paying high rent. They want to live near their kids so they live in expensive states.