independent/assisted living at some point.
I'm 74 years old, in excellent health at this point. But I know that can change. And I have spent the last year, along with my sister, getting our older brother and his wife into assisted living. What is so frustrating about this is that they put off the move years beyond when they should have. Brother went blind some years back. Finally gave up driving years after he should have. Sister-in-law has many health issues, and also gave up driving some years back, when it became physically impossible.
They live in a 2 story house purchased in 1980. Sister-in-law was not able to climb the stairs for some three years, so living on the main floor. The only bathroom there is a 2 piece bathroom. Dear lord. Three years ago she should have told my brother "I'm out of here" and actually gotten out.
The good news is that my sister and I, along with the help of our nephew (other sister's son) were able to visit about 8 or so assisted living places to figure out where they should go. We found a truly wonderful place, and they are supposed to be moved in as of today.
Here's the thing. DO NOT delay moving into some kind of care facility until it becomes a crises. Sadly, that's exactly what my brother and his wife have done. There's been a lot of scrambling to get them relocated. And oh, they are hoarders. They've lived in that same home for over 40 years, and rarely gotten rid of anything. My sister and I did a lot of heavy lifting to start the process of getting rid of stuff. To all of you reading this, look at your own home. Get rid of stuff.
Honestly, it helps to move often as an adult. The first ten years my husband and I were married, we moved about every other year. That kept us from accumulating too much stuff. Then we stayed in the same place for a long time. I lived there from 1990 to 2008, when I moved away because we were divorcing. I took out all of my things that I wanted, and left everything else behind. He'd left me for another women (it happens) and they continue to live in our old house. Personally, had the divorce never happened, I'd have gotten us out of there and into a smaller, more appropriate place for two people. Oh, well.
I currently live in a two bedroom, two bathroom, three skylight place in Santa Fe that is perfect for me. Because it's so small, and because I have a cleaning service every other week, I simply don't acquire too much stuff. Although I do need to cull my books.
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