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Downsizing, To Move or Not to Move? That is the Question
Aging Well | Last Active: Mar 23 9:13pm | Replies (473)Comment receiving replies
My husband and I are both 84. We must make a decision this year or the choice retirement community will no longer be an option because their waiting list is 8 years long. Their new Indepent Living is being built, all apartments immediately had money down on them. We put a large chunk down but if we don’t move in, it’s refundable. My husband is becoming seriously depressed about this impending move. We live 2 blocks from our daughter. Our house is all one floor. Hospital 5 minutes away. We love our neighbors. My husband spends a lot of time puttering in the yard even though we have a yard service. The AL apartment is on the 4th floor with 2 br + den and good size balcony. First floor is all restaurants, gym, coffee shop, pub, etc.
he hates the idea of having to get on an elevator to go outside and the rules of living there. If we stay in our house we could hire medical and housekeeping help. So far, all advice in this discussion comes from people in their 70’s or from their children. Easy to say what you will do. I’d like to hear from anyone 80+ who has or has not moved to Independent Living. Advice, please?
Replies to "My husband and I are both 84. We must make a decision this year or the..."
I would like to move but my husband loves the house. We are about your age so I will stay! Our children are so far away from us but we have friends and great neighbors plus fantastic doctors and dentist! Why move!!??!
I’m sitting where you are and it seems to b smarter to hire help if needed rather than ‘’make do’’ with what others think I need or want, stay in familiar area, keep the friends , docs, shopping I have and do I really want to pack up, move, start all over? Most ppl I know who have moved to AL say they miss the old, dislike the new. Let the young’ ens move, resettleand make new friends.
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Hello. @woot While I can’t really offer advice, I can relate what my mother thought of the outcome of her and my dad’s move to a retirement/graduated community. They were in their early ‘80s.
She was never happy there. They, too, bristled at all the rules, discovered it was not as ‘all-inclusive’ as advertised, and tremendously expensive for the ‘add-on services’ they each eventually required.
This was only their experience and their community. My mom frequently told me she wished they’d never left their home.
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