It’s really happening.
Until yesterday, I thought “We’re practicing, getting ready to age in place.”
Then I realized “It’s really happening. This isn’t practice, this is the real thing!”

My wife is 68 and I’m 74.
We are now living on our retirement incomes, and have been for several years.
Due to illness and Covid we lost some of our best planned years for building a larger retirement fund.
We’re o.k. We own our house and have adequate income, but we won’t likely move to a CCRC, so this is IT.

My wife has had 3 major surgeries in 3 years, and we have handled her recovery here.
With the latest surgery we have several weeks of in home PT, so we are getting to know a local medical service provider, and our first experience is very good. We’re learning to safely navigate our home with a walker and cane.

I’m working with an older neighbor couple to learn about the kinds of in-home assistance available in our town. A lot is available if you can discern what is right. We want to make that discernment before there’s an emergency need.

I’m learning to manage care of 1 person and 2 dogs, and so far still have a few hours open on most days as my wife recovers.
I had a small surgery a few years ago, and my wife got a trial run then.

So far my health is very good. I heal quickly.
My wife has multiple health issues. She tries very hard to get better, and perhaps if the Trigeminal Neuralgia surgery is successful, she’ll be able to get back to a quietly active life.

What we have going for us here includes: two dogs, our individual offices/libraries, my workshop and my wife's meditation room, a kitchen where we can make our quirky food, trees and birds and a state park next door. Top quality medical services within 5 miles. A food store that will deliver to our home.
These are things we would lose if we move to the CCRC we can afford.

The dogs are very important. They give us regular doses of be-here-now optimism, and get me hiking in the park daily.
When my wife could hardly move due to pain, she still got up to care for her little Havanese dog.

We do have long term care insurance.
If needed we have backups for house cleaning and dog walking.

So, this isn’t “getting ready to age in place,” this is “really it.”
And so far we’re doing o.k. If at least one brain keeps working, we can probably do it.
Almost daily I see two 90-year-old neighbors out for their walk. At 74, it’s great to have two mentors who are 15 years older than me!

And this online discussion group gives me something positive to do at my computer!!!
Many thanks!!!