It is hard to make changes to, or leave, your home. You get attached to familiar things, but what is it that you are attached to? I’ve moved often over the last 50 odd years. I learned, early on, that it is people and memories that make a home, not the “junk” in the attic.
Any house can be a home. Knocking out a wall, installing a chair lift or an elevator does not change the dynamics. Face it, the house that was perfect for you when you were 30 is likely not going to work for you today. High ceilings, multiple staircases, sunken living rooms, attics full of junk, and upstairs bedrooms, what were we thinking?
Whether you decide to remain in the family home. or move elsewhere, you need to consider your changing needs. Living alone, or being a caregiver, is a whole new ballpark. Don’t wait to sell, remodel, or move until a medical emergency forces your hand.
Near falls, painful joints, no longer being able to drive or even walk safely impinges on your ability to stay in your own home. Still you resist. We all do.
Older people resist remodeling because they don’t want to spend the money or don’t want their house to look like an old folk’s home. At 50, 60, even 70 you never feel that you are quite ready for “that.”.
Did you know that you can remodel today in a way that makes upgrades possible tomorrow. For example, if you are doing a bathroom remodel today, you can build reinforcements into the walls that will accompany the addition of grab bars later. A closet today might reserve space for a dumb waiter or elevator shaft tomorrow. On the other hand there is no shame in having decorator grab-bars installed today or upgrading your shower so that you can safely bathe tomorrow.
Even a little stumble can spell disaster. Every time you notice that something is “tripping you up” you need to think about what you can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If you need hands-on advice check in with your local Council on Ageing.
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