A couple of months ago I took a tumble from my stairway and landed hard on my right knee onto the tile entry floor. I hit so hard that initially I thought I’d broken my patella (knee cap) and the pain was so excruciating that I nearly threw up and passed out at the same time. I’ve never felt pain like that before and it really scared me. I was lucky this time. Nothing was broken and within a few days I was fine, but it was definitely a wakeup call. In my mind I think I’m thirty, but my body isn’t and I tend to forget that. In the past year I’ve done some pretty stupid things and I keep hurting myself. I need to slow down and pay better attention to what I am doing before I seriously injure myself.
With that in mind I’ve had to sit down and really do some soul searching and face the fact that I’m not going to get any younger. I have to focus on taking care of myself, inside and out, and I need to think about living in a place where I can do that to the best of my ability long term. As much as I love my current home it is not conducive to aging in place and I know it. My current residence is a two story townhouse with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an eighth of an acre yard with no homeowners association meaning I am responsible for the care and maintenance outside as well as the inside of my home. I bought it in 1995 as my “starter” home with no plans to live in it for the rest of my life. I have been here thirty years. This house has seen a lot of changes as I raised my family here and it has served me well, but it won’t be able to indefinitely.
Even though I am still young (I am 60 years old right now) I have some health issues that do affect my daily life. At the age of twenty I had a stroke and when you are young like that you can do all the things to make your recovery have the best outcome as possible, however my weaker left side is giving me some grief as I am getting older. Since my stroke the two things I’ve had the most trouble with are riding a bike and going up a flight of stairs. Along with the arthritis in my joints (knees, hips, ankles, wrists, hands, elbows, etc.) I am having more difficulty with the stairs.
As a retired patient coordinator I had to sit down and really assess my current situation and take a good hard look at where I am at with my health, my heart and artery issues, my auto immune disorder as well as my current physical state and make some realistic assessments including a risk assessment. I had to have the hard conversation with myself and accept that in no way is this house set up to accommodate anyone with mobility issues. It is also a lot of work for me to keep up and maintain this house every year. Hard fact - I won’t be able to successfully stay in my current home and age in place.
The time has come to start making some plans and looking at other options. It will be much easier for me to do it now while I am younger than for me to wait until I am much older and struggling. I’ve been doing a lot of research and brainstorming and I’m ready for a new adventure. While it saddens me to leave this house and all of the wonderful memories it holds for me it is also exciting to think about opening a new chapter in my life. It is going to be a big change. HUGE!
I have a lot to do to prepare and get ready for what lies ahead, but I am not in a hurry. By starting this process early I have time to get things done and make decisions and I have some pretty big decisions to make. Because of the housing market here, this change will also include me having to move to a different state. To do what I want to do, I will have to leave Idaho. How about that?
We’ve thought about this as well. I have arthritis in multiple areas. Had 1 knee replacement and my other knee is acting up. We also have a 2 story home where all the bedrooms are upstairs.
ReplyDeleteWe’re 63 and 65. My issue is not exactly selling but being able to find another home and not having a mortgage.
How smart to plan this now. And based on how you approach other things in your life I'm sure you'll be sharing some good ideas & examples.
ReplyDeleteMy mother is 89 living in a 2nd floor condo she purchased over 30 years ago. Twenty years ago she started talking about moving. It won't happen now unless it's a facility. Living there has restricted her life and affected her negativity. Watching her go up the stairs is down right painful as she has very limited mobility (she probably needs a walker but she will barely use a cane). Not desiring to go out because of this I believe has contributed to her dementia and poor health.
My husband and I live in a 2 story. We plan to stay here and are currently working on it to carry us to the end. There are 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. One bedroom is now the grandchildren's playroom. The other is my sewing & craft room. Right now going up the stairs is not an issue but because of a genetic medical issue it could be someday. This is not likely to be an issue for several years but my initial plan is to have areas on the 1st floor set up so I can sew or craft with eventually moving the craft room to the 1st floor guest bedroom and moving the guest room upstairs. The craft room is upstairs so I can be near the little's playroom. Someday that won't be necessary.
The laundry room is in the basement. I am actually working on having less stuff so there's less laundry. As long as one of us can do stairs we probably won't move it. We have discussed moving it but we won't be doing that any time soon.
The 1st floor is semi open so getting around is no problem. I realized years ago the advantage of a smaller home was I'm steps away from the kitchen or bathroom when I'm in my bedroom.
I do think it's easier to plan these age related changes while they seem like they are far away. It can actually be fun. We've seen the problems my mother and in-laws are having and we want to avoid those as much as possible.
How brave and insightful of you. Kudos to you for facing the facts and making some hard decisions. Can't wait to hear about all of your upcoming adventures!
ReplyDeleteWow, big steps, but knowing you (and I don't, really) I think you are probably putting pencil to paper and planning as much as you can so that you make the best decision. My mother lived in a two story house until 93, fell often, and I always thought it was just one calamity away from dying in her home. I vowed that if I ever moved, it would be to a smaller place with an easy to care for yard and NO stairs. Plus, I will have to get rid of fully half of what I own. At 65 this year, a 2100 square foot house is really too big for me, but I am planted in Austin and until interest rates come down, I will stay here as long as I can. I will be very interested and excited to see what you choose to do!
ReplyDeleteWow, the thought of leaving Idaho must be sobering. But since you have Laverne, you can travel to the places you think you might want to live, and spend a week or so hanging out, checking out 55+ housing options (there are several developments in my town that are small, standalone houses where all outdoor work is managed) and seeing what the town's vibe is like.
ReplyDeleteI keep telling my that I want to live semi-urban, within walking or bus distance of shops, doctors, restaurants. I think it's going to be my job to see that it happens, and just drag him along with me.
PS: Stairs concern me, too. I have already begun to always grip the railing when going up or down. The pain you felt hitting your knee on tile sounds EXCRUCIATING. I can't imagine...
ReplyDelete