There’s No Place Like Home!

The lure of owning your own home, feathering your own little nest is deeply ingrained in all of us. Growing older changes things, however. Bones creak, energy wanes, and a lifetime of accumulating clutter becomes overwhelming. Maintaining your home becomes more difficult. Does that mean you must sacrifice your freedom and independence? Absolutely not!

Part of the transition in aging healthfully and gracefully is in choosing to retain our independence in a way that makes sense. Today’s seniors are ditching their parents’ old folks’ homes in favor of living in a small community of new friends and neighbors. Choosing a patio home is a smart move for healthy seniors who want to enjoy this stage of life.

Faced with a choice of a small room in a senior living center or a small maintenance-free patio home, which do you think nine out of ten seniors will choose? You’d be right! Patio homes offer more autonomy with less upkeep. 

In choosing your new patio home, there are several things to consider: 

1. What amenities do you find attractive?
2. What community services are available?
3. Is this a neighborhood you will find enjoyable?
4. Is the floorplan one which will meet your needs?
5. Are you able to live independently without 24-7 medical care?

These considerations make a big difference in the level of satisfaction you will experience afterward. 

Take the situation of friends of ours, Greg and Linda. They are in their 70’s, and were ready to downsize from their high maintenance home into something more manageable. They rented an apartment, and suddenly found themselves squeezed into a fourth of their usual living space with a big change to their way of life. Two months later they were ready to leave their apartment and are now looking for a patio home offering more autonomy. They represent one of a growing number who seizes the opportunity to enjoy age gracefully and independently.