Senior Living Series Part One: Preparing for Change

Senior living communities exist to help people continue to live their lives comfortably if they’re unable to do so in the house where they had been living or they want to enjoy a turn-key lifestyle. And, while senior living communities have evolved a tremendous degree from the stereotypical image one might have had of a dusty old “elderly home,” some seniors still have worries about making this transition.

Recently, we spoke with Adrianne C., a woman in her 70s who made the move from her Craftsman house in Proctor to a 55+ community in West Tacoma. Though she’d owned her house for over a decade, she eventually came to the decision that getting ahead of the curve, when it came to her health and capabilities, was the best way to go. She got on a waiting list for a very sought-after property, and she spent over a year waiting for it to become available.

 “I am still able to do what I need to do, but that house was not going to accommodate me if I had problems,” says Adrianne. “I’m one of those people that tends to get ahead of things; I like to prepare well in advance. Which, in this case, I’m glad to say I did. … I decided that the house was way more than I needed to deal with anymore. I had an incredible yard that I had created, but that meant it was a lot to take care of – it was on a hill, there were stairs at both ends, so it became not wise to stay there.

“And what really did it is that I’d fractured an ankle two years before that and realized that I couldn’t get out of my house,” Adrianne continues. “We had to call the EMTs to carry me out. So I started thinking about it about five years ago.”

A lot of seniors have concerns about losing independence when they move on from their previous homes, and Adrianne is no different. She’s still mobile, loving to go for walks in the neighborhood, and not needing dedicated assistance. Still, her duplex – one of several in the community – is outfitted with walk-in showers, extra-wide doors for wheelchair access, and the grounds and any technical issues are maintained by the rental company. This is especially important, since some of the residents are in their 90s.

Maybe more than the fear of losing one’s autonomy, one of the struggles people have with moving into senior housing is leaving behind the items and spaces that have defined their environment for so many years. For Adrianne, her move was more pragmatic, but she knows the difficulty that can arise.

“I had to sell my parents’ house, and they had that for 53 years, so that was a tough one,” says Adrianne. “It’s painful, when you’ve been somewhere that long, to let go. My house – and I love my house – I haven’t been really sad about letting it go, because I knew I needed to. I knew I couldn’t do all that work anymore; and with those old Craftsman, no matter how much you fix them, there’s always something else. And I, being single, have to hire out whenever something has to be done.”