I agree with this. I am 80 and single, in the Midwest, with a tiny family. My son lives 150 miles from me and my daughter lives 15 miles away, but with a busy work life and many other responsibilities and we visit once a month or six weeks. I am planning to move to a retirement rental community in a few months.

I'm in much better health than most of the residents there, I'm active and I still drive, but I see myself slowing down and since I plan to see my 100th birthday, I'm thinking ahead, for the time when I don't drive and am less able to do things for myself. Handling this move on my own is difficult enough; I don't want to make another. So I'm moving to a place with all the helpful services I'm going to be making use of someday.

It's close to excellent healthcare, a vibrant and active senior fitness and social center, and all the shopping and entertainment I enjoy. I won't have to give up my friends and make new ones, and a few rules are a fair trade-off for all the benefits I'll be making more use of later on. I've looked at the areas I actually spend most of my time in, in my current home, and the square feet I actually move around and use routinely is even smaller than the one-bedroom apartment I'll be in, plus there are all the common areas.

I've set up a shared folder on the Cloud where my kids and I discuss this and other ageing-related issues, such as how to decide when I give up my car. I'm putting copies of my powers of attorney and health care directives on it, and other information they may need. I want to get all this done now while I still have most of my marbles and physical ability. Even paring my posessions down to the ones I truly love or really need and use is a kind of Swedish death cleaning, a favor to them and a meditation for me. I want to make it as easy as I can, for them and for me, so nobody has to make sudden decisions under pressure, then we can all relax and just enjoy the passage of time.