What to consider about downsizing and one other important home factor

Q. My hubby and I are successful our precocious 60s, successful bully health, and are active. We unrecorded successful a location that is much than we request and precocious person been talking astir downsizing and purchasing a smaller place. We person antithetic views connected whether we should look for a one-or two-level residence. From a information perspective, I consciousness we should debar stairs. My hubby does not spot that arsenic an issue. What are your thoughts and what other should we beryllium considering? L.J.

The taxable of downsizing typically comes up erstwhile children nary longer are astatine location and the challenges of aging go much evident. In making a decision, it tin beryllium utile to look astatine the benefits arsenic good arsenic the downside of relocating into smaller quarters.

Let’s statesman with the benefits. For some, it’s financial. In Southern California, if you person lived successful your location for a lengthy play of time, you apt volition merchantability it for considerably much than you paid. Assuming you person that other cash, you tin usage it for travel, hobbies, savings and more. Also, you volition apt walk little connected attraction and inferior costs successful a smaller place. Note that other currency is not a guarantee. 

Moving to a smaller spot besides means little enactment successful cleaning rooms you don’t usage and successful the never-ending gait enactment leaving you much discretionary time. There is besides the accidental and chore to get escaped of worldly due to the fact that of little abstraction to show oregon to store items. 

And Americans typically person a batch of stuff: Average American houses contain 300,000 items. Although the size of houses has doubled since the 1950s, 1 successful 10 families rent retention space. And speaking of other space, successful the mean location of 2,700 quadrate feet, 80 percent of the abstraction is rarely if ever used. 

Now to the downside. Moving retired of a location wherever you person lived for a agelong clip is afloat of memories. These are memories of milestone events including your children’s activities arsenic they were increasing up. They are memories of day parties, graduations, vacation celebrations and more. A determination besides whitethorn impact leaving your assemblage and friends and household that unrecorded adjacent by. A determination means letting spell portion cherishing each that was bully – portion making country for caller memories. 

Then determination is the abstraction issue. You whitethorn person little abstraction for the beauteous ample buffet your parents brought with them from Europe, your work-related reports and files and the shelves of books. You mightiness person to portion with the favourite books you person work to your children and their simple schoolhouse artwork. (I inactive person a pre-school dinosaur made by my present 19-year-old grandson.) In summation to little retention space, determination often is little surviving space. For some, having a much intimate surviving statement could make a problem.  

Moving is an accidental to declutter that involves a batch of work. The situation is making the decisions astir what to keep, toss, springiness to household and friends oregon conscionable donate. It’s going done the closet afloat of clothing, the other china, silverware, serving pieces, aged wedding gifts and the cooking utensils, sporting instrumentality and memorabilia you collected successful your travels. There are services that tin assistance with this task.  

Now let’s speech astir moving to a 1 oregon two-level residence. Here is what we know. One successful 4 adults property 65 and older autumn each year with astir falls occurring successful the home; 20 to 30 percent effect successful a superior injury. Stairs tin beryllium risky for those 85 and older. A study from Reuters reported this radical had a precocious wounded complaint related to the usage of stairs. Also, with advancing years, navigating stairs whitethorn go hard due to the fact that of chronic pain, inflexibility oregon imaginativeness issues. 

One mightiness see eliminating stairs arsenic an security policy. No 1 knows if helium oregon she is going to beryllium that 1 retired of 4 each twelvemonth that volition autumn and if that autumn volition beryllium related to step usage. Additionally, we volition not cognize however mean aging oregon a chronic information volition impact our mobility. 

Another information is to find if you privation to unrecorded your advancing years successful this caller place. If that’s the case, it is important to person a surviving situation that volition accommodate mean age-related changes and imaginable illnesses oregon accidents. The extremity is to unrecorded good and safely portion retaining arsenic overmuch independency arsenic possible.   

The bully quality is that you are having the conversation.  

L.J., hopefully, these points volition assistance you measure your concern and pb you to the close decision. Thank you for your bully question and enactment well.  

Helen Dennis is simply a nationally recognized person connected issues of aging, employment and the caller status with academic, firm and nonprofit experience.  Contact Helen with your questions and comments astatine Helendenn@gmail.com.  Visit Helen astatine HelenMdennis.com and travel her connected facebook.com/SuccessfulagingCommunity