Take It From A Retiree – Move Before It’s “Too Late!”

It was when my wife and I were discussing her mother’s dilemma that I came to my own realization about retirement living. You see, she’s 88 years old and has been in a nursing center rehab for the past two months. She had fallen in her home and couldn’t get up. And, well, now her fate is becoming increasingly clear: She will not be able to live by herself anymore. 

Move before it’s “too late!”

Only a little over a year ago, my senior mother-in-law turned down a chance to move to a nice little independent living community. She had placed her name on the wait list maybe 5 years ago; but, each time her name was drawn, she declared that she wasn’t ready. My wife and I couldn’t understand why she didn’t want to move to a better place; somewhere she could socialize more and be close to help if she needed it.

This last time her name was drawn, we attended a meeting with the director of the independent living community. He advised her not to wait too long. He recommended moving while she was still able to enjoy life there.

That director may have been right.

Now, with the end of rehab in site, it appears my mother-in-law will be skipping the independent living and going straight to assisted living or maybe even to a nursing home.

My Realization About Retirement Living

My wife and I see parallels in our own lives. When we sold a business five years ago we started looking around for places to retire. The process helped me to start a new business, which turned out to be a fun retirement job that I’m still learning and exploring. However, it’s now 5 years later, and at age 63, we’re still “thinking” about more options for retirement. When we first considered buying a home in a 55-plus community, we had decided that the time wasn’t right.

…the time wasn’t right for us. Where had we heard that before? Were we doing the same thing as my mother-in-law?

Maybe now I can understand her reluctance a little better. Even a change for the better is hard to make. You’re giving up what’s familiar for something new.

But, she didn’t want to move when she had a say-so, and now it looks like she will be moving with no say-so.

Take it from a retiree – Move before it’s “too late!”

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