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And if you can no longer drive, it's easy to start making a pain of yourself by constantly calling others and asking them to haul your ass around here and there. Aging in place requires a certain amount of willingness to not think you're going to rely on others for everything or assume that they will be happy to take care of you.
Of course, that doesn't mean we never ask for help (something I HATE to do) when we absolutely have no other alternative, but if you find you have to ask for help constantly, it's time to consider that the aging-in-place ship has sailed.
When I got rid of my car a neighbor told me she would call me to see if I wanted to go when she went to a store. I told her not to since I don't want to be THAT guy! Anything they sell in a store I can have delivered. She can't wait until she retires so she can get rid of her car. Uber 3 or 4 times a week is cheap compared to owning a car.
I am going to be 72. I am thinking of buying a single level townhome in Tucson. My son lives in NYC, so is very far from me. I have no other family nearby. What do you do as you get older? What if I have to stop driving or have some other type of situation? I want to stay in my home for sure. Any ideas or experience?
First the important question on staying in Tucson.
Do you LIKE living in Tucson? Do you have friends nearby that you can talk to or do things together?
I assume you're by yourself. One idea is to start a network among your friends and visit each other, check into those who's having difficulty getting around, offer them a ride. Then as you get older, others may offer you a ride as well. Then with growing popularity you can include others in this group. One thing the seniors crave is community of support & caring folks as company.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I'm your age, and we are planning to move when I retire in the spring. We are looking for a single-level home, smaller, but on acreage. We also want a shop/garage with at least spaces in addition to the garage for working on my classic car and other projects. One never knows what will happen but as of now we still do day or overnight trips often with me driving 500-600 miles in a day without any problems. For maintaining the yard and growing a significant garden I'll have a tractor, to compensate for less mobility. Consider that my parents lived on 5 acres and heated their home with wood that he cut and split
himself until about age 78, then when it became too much sold his splitter and bought it already split. I would go up every spring and do the planting but they were able to maintain a good sized garden for their own vegetables and fruit until ages 88-90 when he passed and she went into assisted living.
I am going to be 72. I am thinking of buying a single level townhome in Tucson. My son lives in NYC, so is very far from me. I have no other family nearby. What do you do as you get older? What if I have to stop driving or have some other type of situation? I want to stay in my home for sure. Any ideas or experience?
Next round.
It also depends if you are a people person or not.....for whatever reason.
I'm not, essentially. Oh, I am talkative enough when around people but often, at home, it is like "You had your life in the Federation" (said to Worf), because that is the way I am. I certainly welcome company when it comes by, offering maintenance and friends water, coffee, or wine, but each night, when the sun goes down, I am alone. It is the kind of life I have learned to live with.
One must or should be in the environment that works for them. Moving out to the country, "they" said that if one was the kind of person who needed nightlife entertainment, in 6 months, they would move out of the country. Fortunately, that is not me and further, I don't have the wish to be at the grocery store every 3rd day or so, either..........
..........but for other people, that may not be the case.
One thing I do have are my Minders. Those I check in with daily, at least twice a day, to let them know I am alive. If I miss the morning signal, it can be okay. If I miss the evening signal, they are going to be calling each other to see if they have heard from me.
Equally, I have been fortunate that my neighbors of the next ranch over do check in on me from time to time, such as in blizzard or wildfire conditions.
Finally, shifting several gears, what would I do if I became less mobile? Probably have the other side of rooms off the Great Room redone so I could be like Old Rose and take in a Lizzy Calvert to look after me (Titanic). It is not such an outlandish notion....when I had the house designed, it was with extra wide hallways incase I became disabled.
If you plan to "age in place" then make sure the "place" allows it.
I've already downsized. I sold my ranch out in the middle of nowhere in Texas and now live in a beach town where everything is about 10-15 minute drive. It's good enough for me now but there is no mass transit.
So it may take one more move down the line to get to the right place that has mass transit.
My MIL (mid 80's) has a good setup in FL. She has the bus service and once a week uses uber to do food shopping.
I see several posts depend on relying on others to do things for you. What if others can’t or don’t want to help you? What if you are in a state to not be able to coordinate things? My mom always said she was going to age in place. She needed and had me to help her, but after awhile, she needed more help than I was capable of providing. Not trying to be depressing, but just smart to think about possible scenarios down the road.
I am going to be 72. I am thinking of buying a single level townhome in Tucson. My son lives in NYC, so is very far from me. I have no other family nearby. What do you do as you get older? What if I have to stop driving or have some other type of situation? I want to stay in my home for sure. Any ideas or experience?
I am aging in place.
Social equity is one reason. I don't know all that many people, but I do know my way around and there is something to be said for going somewhere and meeting someone who is familiar - even if it is a friend of a friend.
Financially, I paid everything off. Everything. Got plenty of cash flow.
Medically, I am pretty good. Yes, I had open heart surgery, but I bounced back and no one has to take care of me. I work out 3X a week so that it stays that way and I keep myself busy in the yard and with back yard projects. For me, buying a low maintenance town home would be a mistake; I need the property to keep me busy.
I'm 78. Still buying tools, still working on my truck, still mowing the yard, still watching what I eat and weighing myself every day.
If I have to stop driving I will sell everything and move to a local assisted care center. There are several to choose from.
I am aging in place.
Social equity is one reason. I don't know all that many people, but I do know my way around and there is something to be said for going somewhere and meeting someone who is familiar - even if it is a friend of a friend.
Financially, I paid everything off. Everything. Got plenty of cash flow.
Medically, I am pretty good. Yes, I had open heart surgery, but I bounced back and no one has to take care of me. I work out 3X a week so that it stays that way and I keep myself busy in the yard and with back yard projects. For me, buying a low maintenance town home would be a mistake; I need the property to keep me busy.
I'm 78. Still buying tools, still working on my truck, still mowing the yard, still watching what I eat and weighing myself every day.
If I have to stop driving I will sell everything and move to a local assisted care center. There are several to choose from.
Big gap between not driving and assisted living. I can go anywhere I want. I just have to pay someone to take me there.
I'm your age, and we are planning to move when I retire in the spring. We are looking for a single-level home, smaller, but on acreage. We also want a shop/garage with at least spaces in addition to the garage for working on my classic car and other projects. One never knows what will happen but as of now we still do day or overnight trips often with me driving 500-600 miles in a day without any problems. For maintaining the yard and growing a significant garden I'll have a tractor, to compensate for less mobility. Consider that my parents lived on 5 acres and heated their home with wood that he cut and split
himself until about age 78, then when it became too much sold his splitter and bought it already split. I would go up every spring and do the planting but they were able to maintain a good sized garden for their own vegetables and fruit until ages 88-90 when he passed and she went into assisted living.
3 years ago I sold the house and bought a single story condo right in town convenient to the bus stop. I have an elevator in my building for when I can’t do steps. At 855 sq ft I can do everything myself and still love to entertain but just have fewer people.
Our bus service is crappy so would never be my first choice. The bus service specifically for people with disabilities is often late by hours so really hard for people to use for appointments. I have compared the cost of car ownership with taking Uber or Lyft and it’s much cheaper to own my car.
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