Retirement Village living

lessonlearned

Just a thought.

Did you know that, to comply with EU regulations, all properties built after 2007 have to be wheelchair user friendly. This will mean easy access, no steps to the front door, all doorways must be wide enough for a wheelchair and all staircases have to be wide enough to accommodate a stair lift.

You might be able to find a nice newish house that can be easily adapted to meet future needs, ie changing a bathroom into a wet room for example wont break the bank.

Just a tip - it is easier and cheaper to fit a stairlift onto a straight staircase than a curved staircase.

I paid £1200 for a stair lift for our straight staircase, my parents curved stairlift cost £4500.

Another quick thought. When making a low maintenance garden, be careful where you put gravel. It is virtually impossible to push a wheelchair over gravel.

bellaquidsin

lessonlearned, thank you for two very interesting posts. We will certainly be giving ourselves a break now before we consider anything else. We've got to clear our heads.


We have looked at bungalows but it's amazing how many have steps up to the front door and/or very large gardens.


We'll keep looking and I'm sure when the time is right, we will find something. We had previously set 75 as the age to start considering a move, it was just the fact that the Retirement Village is so near to being completed and fully occupied that prompted us to look now.


Bella.

lessonlearned

No problem, happy to be of help.

As I have said, although I do not profess to be an expert I do have a lot of experience in this area, so I think I now know what to look out for.

I sold houses for over 30 years, mainly new builds, and then I became a manager in a shelterd housing complex.

I also looked after my husband who developed a neurological condition which gradually robbed him of his mobility and left him virtually paralysed.

I kept him at home as long as possible by constantly changing and adapting our home to meet his changing needs. We had a team of carers and between us we kept him at home for as long as we could.

Unfortunately eventually his paralysis got so bad that it took at least two carers who had to use a hoist for transfers and he then had to go into a nursing home. By this time he needed at least two carers 24 hours a day so we had no real alternative.

This level of care is rare though and I think thT most people with a bit of forethought and planning will be able to chose the right accommodation and adapt it to suit their needs, then hopefully manage with buying in the appropriate help.

Most councils are very much in favour of keeping people in their own homes rather than using nursing homes. Our local adult social services moved heaven and earth to help my husband remain at home and I found they were a very useful first stop for finding out information.

Funnily enough, I was thinking that assuming someone was in good health then I think 75 is the right age to be thinking about the "final move"

I begged my parents to move before they left it too late but they just would not listen. Mum had a moderate stroke when she was 86 and had to go into care because dad could just not manage any more. If they had been in a house more suited to their needs this would not have been necessary.

Knowing what I now know I would advise everyone to think and plan ahead in plenty of time. Don't wait until you are in your late 80s because it will be so much harder then.

[Deleted User]

lessonlearn you are so right in anticipating your future needs.When we downsized we were lucky that my eldest DD knew the local area very well .I remember one day leaving my OH looking after the two small (then ) grandchildren, and her and I brandishing a list of 21 different houses to view and going through them and whittling down to the best three.She wanted to make sure that we were near enough to the shops and local facilities Drs,libraries etc and buses and mainline stations so that when we were less mobile it wouldn't be so difficult .She also said a smaller garden would be easier to manage (how right she was ) and although at first I found it strange to adapt to a house well over half the size of my previous one I now don't regret the move.It meant the bills were lower, and we bought it outright, and had a fair bit left over which we gave the two girls a chunk each (very useful at that time as they both had small children and large mortgages) and had some even left over to bank for a rainy day. Its a case of adjusting to your needs. I now have a stairlift, and an adapted bathroom and have no need to go into sheltered accomodation (fingers crossed ) and I shall hopefully live out the rest of my days in my cosy cottage.Its good to know that apart from the normal bills I have no mortgage to worry about and have more than enough for my needs.My heating bills are a fraction of what they were in our previously large house, along with the council tax which dropped from F rating to B.

I am on a meter for the water and it only costs me just over £12.00 per month another saving.Now I am widowed, rattling around in my previous house would have been horrible I am lucky to have lovely neighbours who look out for each other and even if I am snowed in, someone always knocks to see if I need anything over at the shops which is lovely .
As poster said wait until after Chrismas and then I'd make a list of your wants/needs and list the essentials to make yours and your OHs life comfortable.No point being somewhere that you can't afford to heat or run. In our case it meant leaving my home town of London, and moving 40 miles south to the Medway.I am five minutes from the countryside and less than half an hour from the coast.But I can also get into London for a day out via the train locally very easily. List the pros and cons and maybe you may find moving to a different area to your advantage.
Good luck in what ever you decide though This of it as part of a new chapter in your lives
JackieO xxx

bellaquidsin

Things have taken a new turning today. As nursemaggie advised, DH has seen the Doctor today and has the classic symptoms of angina, sooooo..., The garden has to go and we'll do well to get rid of the big windows.


Just shows how life can change overnight. We are looking at investigating a small retirement bungalow within spitting distance of DD. Lots of thinking to do.


Bella.

lessonlearned

Sorry to hear that Bella.

Try not to panic, angina responds to treatment and good management.

My dad was diagnosed when he was 50. He is now 89, same with FIL who is now 92.:D

Good luck with the bungalow. Hope it suits your needs.

lessonlearned

Jackie I always enjoy your posts, you sound like one savvy lady.:D

nursemaggie

Hi Bella

I thought it sounded like angina. Now he has been diagnosed he will be well monitored and less likely to have a heart attack than a 40 year old as Lessons learned has testified people live a long time with angina once they are diagnosed.

An additional bit of information most local authorities if there use their own central control for their sheltered housing offer the emergency service. You wont get a regular warden but will get an emergency cord for a small monthly fee. There are also several private companies that off it. BT used to offer a similar service I don't know if they still do.

Age UK will know. They are worth a visit even if you just move to a bungalow. These services often include an annual visit from someone trained to help if you have any problems.

shykins

just to add to this thread my mum moved into a mccarthy & stone apartment complex 2 yrs ago and absolutely loves it.

we looked at them a number of years ago when they were new and no way could she afford it even with the sale of her house. as is the nature of these places they regularly come back up for sale. so when we looked again they were half the price

so bella you may find that in a year or so the complex you are interested in may become affordable even tho it seems out of your reach at the moment. also in a year or so u may be more ready to move. so keep checking there if thats the place u want

good luck

bellaquidsin

Hi nursemaggie,


I'm so glad you have posted again as I wanted the opportunity to say a very big THANK YOU to you as you may have saved the life of my DH. We were making light of the chest pain until you mentioned angina but then he started to look into it and realised he has the classic symptoms. This has been a life changing week for us. He is taking it steady until he has had an ECG and we find out if he needs further treatment other than a spray. Meanwhile I am the head cleaner trying to come to terms with the very heavy vacuum cleaner which was his choice. I'm also head gardener although there's not so much to do out there at the moment, just mountains of leaves to clear.


We will certainly give Age Concern a visit.


Thank you for all your advice.