Planing for getting older, what have you done?

seven-day-weekend

chesky369 wrote: »

You don't HAVE to have grass if you have a garden. My garden is a small London plot and I have it paved with beds/planting all around. If I ever want more plants and I don't have room, I just dig up a couple of the paving stones. I had it done from a design choice, thirty years ago and my goodness, I bless the fact. Also, mowing the grass I always thought was probably the most boring job in the world.

I agree. We have clay paviours and raised beds.

mumps

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

We would miss our garden at the moment, which is why we returned to our house in England rather than downsize, but I'm hoping that we won't move into the flat until we no longer want the garden, as long as the flat has a communal garden, which most of them round here do. However, if a bungalow comes along at the right price and without too big a garden, we would consider that too.

This would be ideal: - about two minutes walk away from my son's flat.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22946208.html

It looks nice, I always worry about noise in flats, maybe because I've never lived in one I have the wrong idea.

seven-day-weekend

mumps wrote: »

It looks nice, I always worry about noise in flats, maybe because I've never lived in one I have the wrong idea.

I know plenty of people who do, they can't all be wrong. I have always lived in a terraced house. Never any problem with noise, although I suppose it would depend who your neighbours are, as it would in anything other than detached.

Errata

I was fortunate in being able to downsize to a HA bungalow whilst I was fit and active. One of the first things I did was redesign both the front and back gardens with decking, gravel and flower beds filled with perennials so the only maintenace they need is a bit of light hoeing.
If I lived somewhere where I couldn't open a door directly onto my garden I think I'd go quietly loopy. A communal garden wouldn't help, as I wouldn't want to sit on a blanket on the grass or haul a deckchair outside every time I wanted to sit in the sun and fresh air.

[Deleted User]

we downsized 7 years ago to a leasehold development with lovely communal gardens. The house was lovely, well insulated and a terraced town house. The development consisted of apartments and town houses and quite a few acres. There were gardeners every week and we all paid for insurances, lighting and heating in communal areas etc. Our yearly management charge was £2000 and it was only that because we bought the freehold between us (40 properties) and we ran the management company. Unfortunately several properties were rented out and tbh many of the tenants couldn`t care less about noise, parking, rubbish etc. So the dream gradually went down the pan. We only had a patio to call our own and anyone from the estate could and did, walk past. The grounds were lovely but not our own and you always get a couple of horrible nasty people when communal decisions had to be made

So speaking from experience, I would never ever recommend a communal garden unless with a very small group of owner occupiers that you like and get on with. We moved to an eco house with a small orchard surrounding us. We have total privacy behind and to left and right, it couldn`t be better. The garden is easy, no grass and only a hoe required from time to time

Errata you are spot on

mary-op

I'd had my pension for a few years when I lost my Mum. That got me and OH thinking about updating wills, poa etc. so we sorted that out along with burial plans.
Then along came illness.........I was diagnosed with osteoporisis resulting in difficulty walking and bending. Occ.Therapy sorted out various aids for me and they helped a lot. Council said they would put in a stair lift and wet room upstairs but we had to wait about 9 months. During this time OH became ill, mum had left us some money so we decided to do the house up to make life much easier for both of us.Neither of us wanted to move as we love the house, the town and have superb neighbours. So a new kitchen was fitted with a worktop height oven so no bending for either of us. Our concrete garden now has several raised wooden beds in it for flowers and OH has had the back shed knocked down to make room to grow a few veg.
When we had the kitchen done the electrician advised us on sockets we needed and I felt if they were put in at waist level it would be easier -once again no bending. The back room that led off out kitchen and was a general dumping ground that was also home to our boiler and freezer was cleared out, the washing machine put in there and a cubicle biult in for a downstairs loo. I prefer to use the stairs as its excercise for my legs but the downstairs one is handy to get to if I'm in the garden.
Basically we've tried to get everything at a height we can reach without bending, have de-cluttered (or at least re-organised the stuff we have) so should there come a time when either of us need a wheelchair there's ample room to get around both inside and out.
We started taking coach holidays before our illnesses and sadly for this year at least we're not able to travel for any distance. We got rid of the car saving us a fair bit of money and anywhere we need to go thats not far we can travel on the bus. The garage is now a workshop/shed for OH to potter in and it also houses my mobility scooter. The big doors were taken off and a single door put on thats easier to open and shut.
Another thing I'd advise is to take up some kind of interest or hobby. I'd be lost without my paints and sewing kit to occupy me on the many wet days we seem to be having. You may not 'need' to do these things when you're able bodied but I found out the hard way how things can change overnight.
Hopefully that wouldn't happen but best to be prepared not just physically but mentally as well

Sorry I've rambled on but just thought some of the things we've done might help someone

chesky369

Oh... decluttering. How that word frightens me! I know I should but I just can't bring myself to do it. I've lived in the same house since 1966, married, kids, now live alone. So I've got 'stuff' in every room. I can't even bring myself to sort out the hundreds of books, even though I know I won't ever read most of them again - and as for throwing them out or giving them away ...

seven-day-weekend

chesky369 wrote: »

Oh... decluttering. How that word frightens me! I know I should but I just can't bring myself to do it. I've lived in the same house since 1966, married, kids, now live alone. So I've got 'stuff' in every room. I can't even bring myself to sort out the hundreds of books, even though I know I won't ever read most of them again - and as for throwing them out or giving them away ...

What my friend did Chesky - she had to declutter as she was moving from a large house where she had looked after problem teenagers to a small terraced house - was got someone else to do it. She went out for the day and her daughter threw everything away. She never knew what had gone, because she didn't know what was there in the first place.

If you haven't looked at something for five years, just get rid, you will never look at it again.

pollypenny

That is such a good idea - if OH went off to an away rugby match I could do that!

My friend has got rid of all her text books, uni notes & essays etc. Can't bring myself to do that yet - I will though!

Especially if we move to the US _ seriously thinking about it as I froze yesterday!

Dunroamin

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

What my friend did Chesky - she had to declutter as she was moving from a large house where she had looked after problem teenagers to a small terraced house - was got someone else to do it. She went out for the day and her daughter threw everything away. She never knew what had gone, because she didn't know what was there in the first place.

If you haven't looked at something for five years, just get rid, you will never look at it again.

Books would be the exception to that for me. We have several thousand and some of them are double stacked on deeper bookshelves which means that we shift them round every couple of years and it's wonderful seeing old friends again.