Some people who are approaching retirement or already in retirement believe living at their current home is their best option as they age.
Some reasons to stay home
- “My current home will be the best possible place to live in my post-retirement years.”
- “My current home is the best option to continue an active social life and to stay connected with friends in the years ahead.”
- “It’s less expensive and more financially secure for me to stay in my current home.”
- “It would be easy to get any care I might need at home.”
- “CCRCs are filled with old people who are sick and dying.”
Are these reasons valid?
Many seniors living at home spend all or most of their time engaged in chores like housework or yard work. Many of them tend to stay at home in dark rooms and become isolated and lonely. Their old friends are dying, dead, or become recluses themselves.
If you hang around old people who are inactive, you will tend to behave the same way. If you hang around with old people who are active and are working at staying healthy and staying mentally, emotionally, and physically fit, you will tend to behave the same way. New surroundings, new friends, and new experiences perk you up and make life more enjoyable. You can sit in a chair in the dark and bemoan your aches and pains or you can get out and do things. The aches and pains will still be there but you won’t think about them as much while you are having fun and enjoying life.
The cost of maintaining a home can often be much greater than many older people anticipate, even if the mortgage is paid off. They forget that the home is also aging and that the older it gets the more maintenance it needs. As you age and your health falters, your home may need extensive renovations to make it safe and livable. Sometimes these renovations may lower the value of the home.
Many people reach a point when they are no longer able to maintain their homes or they just do not want to bother with doing it themselves any longer, so they pay somebody else to do things like housework or routine repairs or, more commonly, they rely on their families to do it for them. The child ends up serving as the chauffeur, gardener, shopper, and housekeeper for the parent. This can be a burden and put unneeded strain on the family and lead to discontent and arguments. The old belief that you have children so they can take care of you when you are old is passé.
CCRC residents live active, independent, fulfilled lives. Instead of needing to take care of a home or being isolated due to living alone, they can participate in the activities they genuinely enjoy, make new friends, and be around their friends every day. Instead of eating alone every day, they can dine with friends or eat at home if they so desire. Independent living residents are surrounded by active people who encourage them to be active and social. As they age to the point that they are sick and frail, they move into assisted living or skilled nursing facilities and enter the next phase of their lives. But they are still near old friends for visits.
CCRCs are relatively expensive to live in but they are like living in resort hotels where your needs are catered to daily. If you have the money available, then consider moving to a CCRC. It’s your money, but you can't take it with you when you die! If you don’t spend it on yourself while you are alive, others will spend it on themselves after you are dead.
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