Senior Moving Guide
Moving can be stressful at any age but can be even more so as a senior. A lot of our clients are looking for more space for their growing families or perhaps their ‘forever home’, but many clients we help each year are doing the opposite. Making the decision to downsize your family home can be a really hard decision, whether you are moving in with family, into an assisted living community, or just into a smaller home it can be a big change that comes with a lot of emotion. It’s often not simply a practical move, but one that can come with its own challenges as you navigate leaving a home filled with many memories and probably quite a large collection of sentimental items and/or clutter from over the years to sort through. In our field, we know how important our homes are, and we value taking the time and care to acknowledge and respect the weight of these decisions surrounding moving in this stage of life. In this blog, we talk about the different options you have for where to move during this stage of life and even a few recommendations for senior housing in Arlington. If you’d like more information, Caring.com has put together what we think is an invaluable resource to our clients in this stage of life, or even to our clients with parents at this stage that we’ve linked here as well complete with a Senior Moving Checklist available for download.
“For most people, aging brings a new set of challenges. New health problems may affect your ability to live independently, financial challenges make it tougher to maintain your lifestyle and adult children moving to faraway places may make you feel less connected to your home.”
Options for Where to Move
So you’ve come to the decision it is time to move - what are you options and how do you decide what is best for you and your loved ones? This is a hard decision and not one to be made lightly. Make sure to take into consideration what is best long term - when it comes to the financial, medical and emotional aspects of where to move.
Downsizing
There can be many reasons you may want to downsize your home. Extensive landscaping or extra rooms can be hard to keep up with, rooms may be going unused or you may be too far from family. On the upside, your home potentially has increased in value since your original purchase, especially if you have lived in your home for a long period of time. Real estate is a great, stable investment and owning your home can lead to more flexibility when making choices about when to sell and where to move as a senior. If you’re ever curious about what your home is worth, even if you’re not ready to sell, feel free to reach out to us and request an estimate home value for your home in the current market. When looking for a new home, it’s important to consider what will be best long-term for any current or potential health concerns or changes. Minimal stairs, optimal safety features and convenient location to family and doctors are all great things to focus on.
Moving in With Family
Some seniors are able to downsize and live on their own in a smaller home. However, some choose to move in with family. There are many aspects to think about when making this decision, on how this may impact your family as a whole and each individual living in the home. Moving in with family can be a wonderful solution to the extra care some seniors may need if they have health concerns or are not used to living alone. This could mean searching for a home with an au-pair/in-law suite or guest house, or even adding one on to your current home. While this is an investment, when done right you could potentially see a good return on that cost when selling your home down the line.
Assisted Living Communities in Arlington
The other option is, of course, an assisted living community. This can be a hard decision to make either for yourself or for a parent/loved one. Picking the right community is essential and it’s important to take the time to ensure the place you pick will meet your needs and provide a great environment for you while also hopefully being close to local family and friends. We’ve helped multiple clients move into some of the following local Arlington assisted living communities.
The Jefferson
Situated in a prime Ballston, VA, location, The Jefferson offers you the chance to live an active, urban lifestyle among a tight-knit group of peers.
“It’s easy to live each day to the fullest in our vibrant community.”
Goodwin House
“We are all aging, and as we do, our needs evolve. To that end, we offer the following levels of living:”
Independent living
Assisted living
Memory care
Health Care center
Culpepper Garden
“Culpepper Garden includes two independent senior living facilities with 273 apartments. Ours is the largest low-income retirement property in the area, and the only one that offers a dining plan.
Our assisted living facility, the first HUD-subsidized, assisted living community in the nation, provides an additional 73 apartments for residents who need 24-hour supportive services and help with activities of daily living.”
Sources:
https://www.caring.com/caregivers/senior-moving/
https://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/communities/va/the-jefferson?utm_source=directory_listings
https://goodwinliving.org
https://culpeppergarden.org
