What are your tips for staying independent at your own home?

@lizzier- When my sister was ill she had a Rollator. Before that, she had an electric wheelchair. I have no idea how she afforded it but she used to buzz around like there was no one else in the world. It must have felt like a Thunderbird to her. I thought that she would kill herself with all the chances she took, but the thing only went about 3 miles an hour. She might have imagined her life is full of excitement and adventures, like Walter Mitty, if for only a short time. I think that it gave her much pleasure.

Merry

That’s a great line “ pride comes before the fall”. My husband was unaware that I was spiraling out of control. I’m a short chubby gal and not that agile to catch myself. Love my rollator. And dear hubby.

Need to add grab bars in the bathrooms. On the to-do list.

/LarryG

I will be 89 years old in 16 days, yet I am still here. I sometimes compare myself to Old Man River. I just keep rolling along. I am so fortunate that I have retained all my cognitive abilities and am still able to drive my car to wherever I need to go - even on the freeway. I have no major illnesses. At times I have an ache or two, but nothing major. The absolute worst thing that ever happened to me was losing my husband of 59 years two years ago. I still miss and grieve for him deeply. I have remained in our home and intend to do so as long as possible. I still can do most things for myself, such as shopping for groceries, making meals, doing laundry, paying bills and taking care of my finances. I have a wonderful cleaning person who comes every three weeks. As long as I can maintain this style of living I am staying put.

My hillside home is up two different intervals of entry stairs then on five levels. When my husband needed more support than a cane, our solution was to keep a walker on each of the three levels he used. The best one, with a seat, was always kept in the car. All of them were needed, then kept for my own aging. Don’t need them yet. So far I don’t even need a cane, unless presented with stairs without a handrail.

Now that I have “suddenly” become elderly (83) I’m preparing our home better to age in place. To circumnavigate this house there are 81 places where one must either step up or step down. All of them now have handrails. The wooden entry stairs will be replaced, then a stairlift added to help carry the two or three zipped big thermal bags of groceries to the front door. The stairlift will be very useful because even now I’m getting the bags upstairs like a human inchworm. I lift one, place it up two steps, then bend down and pick it up to place it up two higher steps. Likewise the other one or two bags. Yes, that sounds pathetic, but it works. Seven times lifting and placing gets me to the front door. It will feel like a luxury to simply hold them on my lap and press a button to transit up the different intervals of steps and a slope directly to the front door!

My perception has changed to notice things which never mattered before. When watching movies I now notice when someone is shown going casually up or down stairs. So very long past is the era when I could go up two steps at a time. Nowadays, I notice actors, or politicians, going on stairs; simply gliding up or down, without paying any attention to the handrails. How I envy them!

This is how I’m (already) aging in place.

Where are you living and why are you there alone? I lived in the South of France with my French husband. He died of cancer and I stayed about a year and came back to the US with my tail between my legs. The language and writing in French was an issue as was communicating with Government officials, etc. regarding the death of my husband and taxes which they though I should pay and I refused as my income was no derived in France. They dropped that, finally after a battle of sorts.

Good for you, Madame. I am 80 and worried about ageing and being able to do all that you do. My husband and I are considering a major move and I hope I have a strength and stamina to bash on regardless. We own and drive three Porcha cars and I don't want to give up my little Boxter as I know exactly how it reacts to all situarions but may have to as we are considering a two car garage as opposed to the three that we have. I know. Poor me. Sorry to whine...just spouting off for a moment.

Have a lovely day and stay well and safe.

When we lived in a large home with steep stairs we purchased an Acorn Chair Lift which was ideal when going to the lower level with dishes or up with laundry, etc.. You may want to consider several of these for such a challenging, multi-story home.

All the best to you and stafe and be careful on those stairs, Madame.

@thisismarilynb- And I don't blame you for staying put. Happy Birthday! Wow, 89years old and healthy. What a blessing you are. I know that it must be very difficult losing your husband. I lost mine just 5 months ago and we were married 45 years. And I want to stay put in my home for as long as possible too.

Thank you, Older Diva!

My late husband was born in Vienna and was fortunate to escape the Holocaust. True to Austrians’ love of the mountains, he purchased a home in the Hollywood Hills West area of Los Angeles.

Having studied with an IES program in Vienna during my junior year abroad, I enjoyed improving my German fluency with him on our return visits to what he always considered his homeland.

A friend inherited a house on the French Riviera and informed that inheritance tax there was prohibitive, so congratulations for escaping French taxation!

Friends have a Bruno stairlift on the spiral stairway leading up from their garage and I’ve already received a bid from their sales lady, to be ready to get going with it as soon as my new stairs are in place.

Resilience depends on adaptation.

You GO, girl!