Housing

It's exciting and may be challenging to consider options for our future.

Will we retire in-place? Move to another part of the city, state, country, or even relocate to another country? There are so many options!

Whatever you decide, please keep in mind that as we age, our physical abilities usually change and maybe our mental abilities change, too. I know that can be hard to imagine, but I also know my body won't dance for hours like it did when I was in my teens. Good doctors, hospitals and rehab centers that are nearby are important. Every person has other thoughts about where they want to be, but I think this is something we all have in common.

My recommendation is to copy and paste the following links into a program on your computer such as Notes, Pages, Word, Excel - you get the idea. Click on one link at a time and make a note of what is most useful for you. 

National Association of Move Managers - we used a local service to help sort and downsize our loved one. They had a floor-plan of the new apartment to help decide what would fit and the layout of furniture. Boxes were packed and labeled so when they unpacked, everything went in the right place.

55 Places - search site for active living communities for ages 55+
A Place for Mom - you may have seen this advertised. My experience in October 2016 is that you have to provide contact info to get to the information, and they will call you immediately.
About Assisted Living - general information and links to sites in different states

Checklist: Choosing an Assisted Living or Continuing Care Facility - this is from the Elder Law Answers site
City-Data - informative profiles on each state, very useful if you're considering relocation
Cohousing - intentional communities
Fellowship for Intentional Community - intentional communities and cooperatives
Senior Living - a guide to senior living and retirement. Be sure to read their article about Continuing Care Retirement Communities.
Seniority - insert your city and see if they have resources in your area for assisted living or caregivers at-home.
Top Retirements - active adult communities, places to retire. Great blog with alerts about new topics if you sign up. For example, check out Singles and Retirement or Digital Legacy - or Digital Mess. Be sure to read the comments as they are very useful and you can ask questions.

2019