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What are your tips for staying independent at your own home?
Aging Well | Last Active: Mar 13 3:19pm | Replies (160)Comment receiving replies
I also have many of the safety things you mentioned, such as safety bars in both bathrooms, plus in my en suite bathroom, in the separate toilet room. No throw rugs, etc. My house is medium, 1560 sq. ft. My husband and I bought it together. Now he is gone, but I am not. I have a very nice handy man who will come when he is not busy, and slowly we are getting the garage cleaned out. I plan on living here forever. As I said earlier, I am already 89 but in relatively good health. So who knows? Shall I visit the lady with the crystal ball? Another one of my safety measures is checking in each day with two people via computer. This is important when you are living alone. Last year a woman who lived down the street was dead for several days before anyone thought that they hadn't seen or heard from her for a while and called the police for a health check. This really gave me a jolt because it had not occurred to me before. So I remedied that. There is only so much that one can do.
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@sueinmn, @thisismarilynb , @brandysparks, and all...My goodness! Such excellent suggestions. Many of you have already addressed this issue. It's fun reading your life solutions!
I'll add a couple I've made to adjust my life to what life has thrown at me...adjusted with acceptance that I must deal with what I've been given, not chosen for the life I wanted and expected! This is the major step I took to have a good, happy workable living situation...
First, my 57 year old son moved into his Florida home across the street from me 20+ years ago. I intended to move into a retirement community I chose, to live in a nice small apartment with new friends in all stages of aging. With good food available, activities, health care, emergency care, etc.
I have multiple health issues 🙃 all overseen by my Mayo doctors. I'm better today than in decades, more active and my body is fragile but much improved. My son is disabled and I realized moving is not one of my choices. So, after a hospital stay at Mayo, I made the decision thrust on me, to make my 2 story condo work FOR me the rest of my life!
My full baths are upstairs. No BR downstairs either. To make my dining room work as a BR, I could easily add a wall and expand the half bath adding a shower. I want in a position to do that construction as my body couldn't handle hiring, planning, overseeing, the job was too big! So...I moved upstairs.
I have 3 bedrooms...love mine and added a recliner, plants I rescued from the garden shop, a larger TV. I had the master bath tub removed and made a safe, walk-in shower with a seat and grab bars.
The smallest BR is now my new little 'kitchenette', with a small fridge with small freezer, a microwave, pink Keurig single cup coffee maker, an old desk I use as counter space. I turned the closet, with doors off, into my pantry and storage for paper products, food stuff, drinks. etc. I have 3 floating shelves I'm hanging to house my NEW, funky dishes! I bought on Black Friday Sale a perfect set ot 4 salad plates, use them as dinner plates for portion control, cups, small glasses, bowls, flatware...I'm have a huge estate sale in A couple of weeks selling everything I don't want, don't use, my son doesn't want, and preselling artwork, sterling, pricey things! YEA!!!!
This is huge for me to accomplish this event and to set up my upstairs for living. I visit downstairs and love it still, but my life is now ipstsirs, living in 800 Sq. ft. Rather than 1900 Sq. Ft. It's lovely. Easy and pleasant. A great life! Easy. No falling. If I'm not well, I can stay safe and recoup in comfort. As I'm doing now, with love ferritin awaiting iv iron infusions next week, recouperating the last several months from my 1st Covid, bronchitis, 2 procedures that really were difficult, lowering Ferritin, low B12, intestinal issues and more. What a wonderful way to get better, to take good care of myself. No stairs to navigate more than I must. Usually, no more than 1x daily, if required.
So. There you go. Thats my aging story. My home adjusted for aging in place. Leaving when God calls me home...
May you find some good things to apply to your lives!
I'm adding some pictures out my upstairs BR window...I have my own private tree loft, in the arms of my live oak tree about the window. I keep my drapes open and welcome God gift of each new day as it sits through my tree's arms. A lovely way to wake each day!
Blessing, Elizabeth