Question: My husband and I are considering selling our home and moving into another residence. I am a bit overwhelmed with all the choices out there and unsure where to start. How do we begin to make a decision about what option is best for us?
Answer: That is a great question, and you are not alone when trying to decide if you should move and what residential option is best for you. Making a housing choice is a huge decision and worrying about that choice can be extremely stressful. Let’s take a moment to talk about things to consider and how one can go about educating themselves on their choices. One stop can certainly be ADRC. An ADRC Specialist can help to narrow down the choices based on your preferences, needs, and values.
First step is taking time to consider what your needs are moving forward. Ask yourself, are there certain factors that played into your consideration of a move in the first place? Has yard work become too much? Is a location near family, shopping areas, or medical appointments important? Or have you found that chores inside the home are overwhelming, including personal care such as bathing or mobility? Make a list of the top factors so that you can consider these when looking at alternative housing.
A second consideration may be which residential option provides the support you feel will best meet your needs as you “age in place.” It’s important to not only consider what has become challenging about living in your home, but also how you view your needs changing over time. This can be difficult, especially since none of us know what the future holds. However, we can anticipate what features will be important to us as time passes. For instance, do you feel that moving to a location that has on-site meal options is important? Will you have access to in-home care within a residential option if needed, or would you prefer to hire help from outside of your new residence? These questions all may help determine if you prefer an independent setting or a setting that offers both independent living apartments as well as assisted living services.
Once you have established what is important to you in a new home, then it is a matter of educating yourself on the different options in each category of housing. If you prefer a completely independent setting, you may begin with the senior apartments, or federally subsidized housing if affordable housing is a concern. If you have decided that “aging in place” is more to your liking, then you may begin looking at a residential care apartment complex, which can include both independent or assisted living. Below are links that help you explore all of the options available:
Federally Subsidized Housing List
Independent Apartments for Older Adults
This link will also provide more specific information on what the different levels of assisted living can provide: Finding and Choosing an Assisted Living Facility
