Preparing to Age in Place

Ed and Jim (@jimhd) - When ]Ed says "I really enjoy doing things like this. It's our house and I love taking care of it, and I'm very picky about details. I'm struggling with the realization that in my upper 70s it may be time to pay someone to do it..." I really relate! We paid someone to do the painting on a kitchen remodel early this year, and I just couldn't watch them!
But so far this year, we have paid for the kitchen/plumbing/new window installation, new siding & trim on the front of the house, and a solar installation on the roof. We "could have done" each of these, but arthritis, periodic vertigo and age have somewhat grounded us.
My young - 55yo - next door neighbor convinced me to replace my rickety 50yo five foot step-ladder with a new, light sturdy one that has a handle on top for steadying oneself.

And my daughters keep reminding me that old bones, muscles & tendons heal more slowly than they used to - which you have clearly learned this year, Jim!

When my Dad was in his 70's he treated himself to a 5-hour workday. If it wasn't done by 1 pm, it waited until the next day. I'm still at about 7 hours, but 5 is pretty much all I can do of the very active stuff.

Congrats on starting the new projects, and please stay safe.

"Even my 50-something neighbor with a bad back has to grit his teeth and prod his 16yo to mow lawn."

Hi, Sue (@sueinmn)

That made me smile! Mowing my lawn used to be a favorite weekend chore, a ready excuse to spend a few hours in the sunny outdoors after a week passed in the sunless indoors. I can't say that hauling the trash out to the alley was ever a "favorite chore;" instead, it was more of a must-do. It's having to give up on favorite chores, like lawn mowing, that leaves a twinge.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Ray (@ray666)

I have found that my walker with over size tires made it possible to get around my very uneven yard. I had bilateral Achilles tendon ruptures and have had one fixed, but the other one is still gone (the tissue was destroyed by an antibiotic), and I'm having to retrain my foot and ankle how to walk. I have CIDP, but it doesn't affect balance, just loss of sensation in various areas.

I know that the day will come when I can't do everything I do now, and we'll have to sell our place, with the plan for a smaller place that doesn't require all of the work our house on 10 acres does. Until then I'm working at staying active and making the place lower maintenance. Aging is a real challenge full of opportunities to learn new ways to do things.

Jim

Ed and Jim (@jimhd) - When ]Ed says "I really enjoy doing things like this. It's our house and I love taking care of it, and I'm very picky about details. I'm struggling with the realization that in my upper 70s it may be time to pay someone to do it..." I really relate! We paid someone to do the painting on a kitchen remodel early this year, and I just couldn't watch them!
But so far this year, we have paid for the kitchen/plumbing/new window installation, new siding & trim on the front of the house, and a solar installation on the roof. We "could have done" each of these, but arthritis, periodic vertigo and age have somewhat grounded us.
My young - 55yo - next door neighbor convinced me to replace my rickety 50yo five foot step-ladder with a new, light sturdy one that has a handle on top for steadying oneself.

And my daughters keep reminding me that old bones, muscles & tendons heal more slowly than they used to - which you have clearly learned this year, Jim!

When my Dad was in his 70's he treated himself to a 5-hour workday. If it wasn't done by 1 pm, it waited until the next day. I'm still at about 7 hours, but 5 is pretty much all I can do of the very active stuff.

Congrats on starting the new projects, and please stay safe.

Yesterday I had a talk with my dog-walking pal, Chuck.
He told me his neuropathy was worst when he first got up from bed, making him very unstable for the first ten or so steps.

Bingo! I knew what he was talking about.
Elderly gentlemen often make several short night time walks to the bathroom, barely awake and hurrying to get to the bathroom without leaking.

Someone recently posted that her husband fell and broke his femur, refusing to use a walker for his bathroom run. It would not surprise me to learn that he refused the walker because one hand was busy trying to stop leaking.

This has got me thinking how I can assist my nightly bathroom walks. The footboard of the bed is just where I need it. I can add a grab bar/towel rack in the bathroom and there are already bars by the toilet. The vanity is well located. That leaves about a ten foot gap which I need to think about.
It also wouldn't hurt to have a urinal by the bed for emergencies.

I don't like thinking about this, but I know we've come to appreciate bathroom grab bars sooner than we expected.

As much as l hate to think about it, at 77 l know l’m slowing down. Five years ago l sold my house and moved closer to my son and his family. My apartment is all l can care for . It is an over 55 community and my bathroom is already equipped with grab bars and l have the shower chair my husband had. But it is a tub shower and l know with my
Spondyloarthritis that some day l’m not going to be able to step over the side of the tub. I use my walker when l need it and it’s good to have it to sit on if it hurts too bad to stand for very long.
I will hate it when the day comes and l have to wave the white flag and surrender to assisted living. I have been so independent since my husband passed away nine years ago. I don’t want my body to fail me and have to give up that independence.