senior accommodation

If you think you will have sufficient income to pay for a bit of help with the garden, with housework etc., and you can also afford to future proof your home by having bathroom/wc access on all floors then perhaps it is wise to stay where you are. That is my plan anyway, as I have a GP surgery, shop, pharmacist etc within walking distance, and more importantly, I could not live anywhere I was not allowed to have a cat!

Do not move yet but explore all your options. Decide if you want to stay in your area or move nearer an adult child and their family. Do not buy into a system that has large service charges, may not be suitable for carers to attend, would be difficult for your inheritors to sell and who may have to keep up paying service charges until it is sold often at very low cost back to the original company to be quit of the expenses..

It is useful to explore this website, subscribe to their free news letter, attend a regional meeting free of charge that is in your area. Their site also has a post cod finder of different types of senior citizen living accommodation near you.

www.housinglin.org.uk/

My father went into flats for the over sixties. The service charge was phenomenal. The live in warden only worked Monday to Friday office hours, so emergencies out of these hours had to be dealt with by the occupant themselves or their families. When everyone moved in there were social events and outings. As the residents aged these fizzled out. Then there were the constant funeral teas in the communal area. He got very depressed and sold his flat. He had to pay a percentage of the sale price to the owners. He bought an ordinary new build with neighbours of all ages and was so much happier. I’d never buy a flat like his.

Totally agree with Lancslass, Kirsty from the TV put it even more clearly! She said ‘it is not our responsibility to house our adult child visitors’.

I think nipsmum did the right thing.
Get a small bungalow .
Don’t worry about having extra bedrooms in case people come to stay.
Most of the time they will not be needed.
If family do come ,they can stay at the nearest Premier Inn and come to you for the rest of the day.
As we get older it becomes more tiring being with people all day long and it means you will still have time for yourself.
Go for it,Optimist.
I wouldn’t need to think about it twice.

In my 70s living in a 4 bed detached with a fair sized garden. I am now looking at bungalows with a view to moving in the next couple of years. I do have a toilet downstairs with bathroom and en suite upstairs. I want to be able to tinker in the garden without it being a burden. Also the maintenance of the property would be an issue and I would hardly use it all anyway. I have read about all the conditions attached to the purchase of places in retirement villages and would avoid like the plague. My family live 40 and 500 miles from me so I really do have to be prepared to manage on my own.

I am 78 and after living in family houses and an upstairs flat, 14 years ago I made the decision to move nearer my daughter. I now live very comfortably in a self contained semi detached Bungalow. I have everything I need with no stairs. small communal outside area and flat access. My daughter and family live about 3 miles away, the Drs surgery is next door and the hospital less than 2 miles away. If more of us thought about the future and the help that may be required as we get older, it would be easier. My sister recently had to go into nursing care because she lived in a large house with stairs, bedrooms upstairs and bathroom downstairs large garden and wouldn't think of moving while she was still fit to do so. The choice was made for her in the end.

i would wait till you havent got a cat .no pets allowed in sheltered accomodation.if you are able to be independant in good health . i would stay put....

I came in near the end of that programme but what I saw was very interesting. The upshot seemed to be that the UK doesn't have sufficient properties for older people who are still lively! Sheltered accommodation, it seems, is not as popular as it once was and doesn't suit the baby boomers as much as it used to. More imagination is needed for us 'oldies'. Ideally I'd like to live in a mixed community; the thought of being just with elderly people would drive me nuts!

There was a very good programme on ITV last night, called
"Housing Crisis: What next for the Elderly"
It was extremely interesting, and pointed out the many cons, as opposed to pros, for moving into sheltered accommodation, and the costs involved.
One woman, whose mother had moved into such a flat, couldn't sell for ages, and in the end I think 'lost' approx £30,000, of her inheritance, as it had to be sold via the association etc.
I expect the programme can be found on catch up TV.

Am 84 living alone in fairly big house, lots of ground, and have thought about downsizing. However, have such peace and quiet, no near neighbours to worry about and plenty of safe areas for my rescued cats and my dogs, that haven't actually done anything about it except look at available property. It really bothers me about moving to a really busy area and perhaps ending up with neighbours as shown on the TV programme 'Neighbours from hell"! Still drive and do most of the gardening so keep fingers crossed that I stay as fit and healthy as now.

Someone I know moved into a (then) new "retirement village". Its for the over 50s so not everyone is in their dotage. There are plenty of things going on for those who participate. She loves it although I think her only grumble is that it is small so I think she had to downsize considerably and has to keep on top of her clutter (shes a crafter so stuff accumulates).

Last year we moved into an "easier" property, and we are so glad that we did. Too many people leave this too late; we are in our 60s and it was still very hard work! My advice is to do it now - move to somewhere smaller/easier to manage, while you still can. Perhaps to a bungalow, if you don't want to pay monthly "service charges" (as you do in many retirement flats, for instance). We started planning our move well before it happened. We de-cluttered (a huge amount of stuff went to charity shops) and had decorating done, as well as doing small maintenance jobs. (This certainly helped our house sale and the price paid for it.) At around the same time, two different friends were also "downsizing" in other areas of the country: a year on, all of us are feeling very happy and settled.

We have thought about this as we have a 5 bedroom house but our family live some distance away and need somewhere to stay when they come to see us. Also as there are still 2 of us we would drive each other mad in a small flat. We have decided when necessary we will have a stairlift and live in carers. We have future proofed the kitchen and bathrooms and have a WC downstairs.

I still have my dh with me, his health is not as good as mine.
but we recently went the equity release route, shower in bathroom, replacing grubby and leaking bath, and new kitchen, not easy jobs, but prior to doing that, we looked at sheltered accom . decided we would like to stay where we are thinking of if either one of us left on our own,, etc.

we had already downsized, so we are thankful we made that decision, as thinking of the sheltered accom. would not have suited us... we are able to potter in and out of our small garden, we live in a quiet close, so as long as I am able to get out, to local church, I need to get out, dh doesn`t!

so that is our little history,,, what you think will suit you as you slow down.
praying for you

I agree about investigating the costs. The service charges in some sheltered housing are very high. They also vary considerably over what they offer in the. way of social activities. I am about to downsize but don't think sheltered would suit me. My mother lived happily in a sheltered scheme for many years but it was very close to where I live and I still provided some care. There were quite a lot of disputes between the residents where she lived although mum managed to steer clear of these. Many of the older residents had care costs in addition to the service charge, so it can get very expensive.

I retired and moved from the south coast to London to be nearer my family. I always said I would move to sheltered accommodation while I was able to, rather than if it became a necessity. This was several years ago now and I haven't regretted it one bit. Good luck and check the small print as they do vary

Just one point. A friend who moved to a retirement flat in a complex built by a well known chain, is allowed to have a cat but not allowed to let it out.

I think one of the most important things to think about is accessibility on one level. Does your home have a downstairs toilet area or somewhere to convert into a bathroom area.

There will come a time when climbing up and downstairs is either difficult or dangerous when you are on your own. Having a living, sleeping, kitchen, bathing area on one level is quite important.

Other important things to think about are memories, familiarity and comfort. When we age our short term memories deteriate but long term memories are clear.

If you have no good memories to your home or the area isn't good or accessible to amenities for you then you should consider the move now. 75yrs is not too soon and I Personally would be thinking of that sooner, especially if you have lots to declutter for downsizing.

You may be active and able now but it changes all too soon.

Make a list of all the pros and cons. Especially if you have somewhere you are interested to move to.

Good luck with this.

Adnilc is right to point out the issues with continuing costs and control over the sale of your flat/unit. Do be aware of these.

I investigated a purpose-built retirement apartment but discovered that if I became in need of long-term care, problems could arise. Giving the entry codes to varying carers was not permitted and once regular care was needed, notice would be given to leave. The excuse was that it was not a care home, but a community of people active enough to take part in activities. I didn't buy.

Hmm difficult one. If you are happy where you are it can be very difficult living in a retirement home.

Before moving into a retirement property please look into the cost implications. Many of these properties charge extra fees and god forbid anything happens to you, if you've bought the property your family will have to continue paying these fees until your property is sold. Also, you may not get the full value of the property when sold. There are a lot of clauses in buying retirement properties, so please be aware. On the up side there are many fabulous retirement villages and I would move into one if the time was right.

Thanks everyone, such helpful comments from people in a similar situation.

As each year passes and as you get a bit more reluctant to do anything, I'd consider a move as soon as you can before the above sets in. As you get nearer to 80, the last thing you need is any upheaval with regard to moving house, let alone the housework you're used to doing now as a few added years can/does make a difference to your abilities whether you're presently fit or not.

Independent living is what I'd look for with a housing association where everything is on one floor but you still have your own front door. Ideal, sensible and cost-effective.

I'm future proofing my little home too H1954 - kitchen appliances at waist height, drawers below the counter top instead of cupboards, grab handle in the shower etc. Made sure that a stair lift can be accommodated. Chairs and bed which are easy to rise from. There'll be other precautions to take so that I can stay here, hopefully for a while yet.
Optimist - this work was prompted by the difficulties my mum had too before she died, she would not change a thing!