Brecht Associates

"Redesigning Your Life; Making the Move from Home into a Retirement Community"
by Nicole D. Muller

Nearly 40 years ago, Phil Heaver and his family moved to an 18th Century farmhouse nestled on 43-acres of rolling hills and countryside. The breathtaking views and quiet calm made it difficult to imagine that the city of Philadelphia was only 11 miles away. His children and grandchildren and even their children played in the fields and visited the family farm for festive holiday dinners. After the death of his wife, Phil found himself alone in the 15-room farmhouse. With neighbors seldom seen, Phil's children felt that the farm was becoming too isolated and required too much maintenance for their 81-year old father. Phil agreed that it was time to sell the farm and move to a nearby retirement community.

As many families often realize, downsizing from the family home and sorting through 40 years of accumulation can be an overwhelming task, especially for an older person. So why would anyone want to move?

Maybe home maintenance like shoveling snow, cutting the grass, and cleaning out the gutters have become too troublesome. Perhaps the neighborhood is not as safe as it used to be. It could be that the house no longer suits your needs and future health care issues become a concern. For all of these reasons and more, it may be time to move to a retirement community. Where to begin?

Reasons for moving are just as varied as retirement housing options. Some of the most common reasons are:

Home maintenance and repairs become too troublesome and/or expensive.

Desire for more socialization and activities.

Loss of a spouse or caregiver.

A changing neighborhood brings fears about safety.

Looking for future security with regard to health care.

The home no longer meets the present needs (stairs, location, etc.)

A move to a retirement community can be an exciting as well as a stressful time. Not only do you have to find the right retirement community, but you need to sell the house, pack and sort through years of accumulated memories, and worst of all, actually move. This change in life would be traumatic at any age but at the age of 65 or more it may seem even more difficult. In fact, many seniors put their name on a retirement community's waiting list with all good intentions and when their name finally approaches the top of the list, they can't face the move.

You may wonder if it is worth it, but there are many benefits to living in a retirement community. Moving from home to a retirement community gives seniors and their families security and peace of mind. A full range of services and amenities are usually offered which can include an elegant dining room, arts and crafts studio, library, pool, fitness center and even a beauty salon. Retirement communities differ in many ways from their location and setting to their residents and social environment and the choices can often become confusing. A "retirement community" can be an independent living community for healthy and active older adults, an assisted living community for those in need of more personal assistance, or a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). A CCRC offers a continuum of care all on one location including independent living, assisted living and nursing care. CCRC's usually require an entrance fee which serves as a type of insurance that a resident will be cared for regardless of their future medical needs. A monthly fee covers the services and amenities of the community, usually including meals, utilities, transportation, housekeeping and maintenance.

The first step is to select the right community and determine where to move. The majority of seniors choose to stay close to home, where they are familiar with local services, shopping, and churches. Moving out of the area usually occurs when seniors are relocating to be near their children or close relatives, or some may move to warmer climates in search of recreation and a new lifestyle. Whatever the decision, you can begin to research and compare the various housing options in the location chosen.

Things to consider when looking for a community are:

The proximity to family and friends

Apartment type and size offered

Services and activities

Reputation

Costs and value

Quality of Care

Ability to meet future health care needs

Financial strength

Affiliation and sponsorship

Remember, communities often have long waiting lists which can range from a few months to several years and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) require that residents be fairly healthy and able to manage independently. It is never too early to begin exploring retirement housing options and reserve a place on the waiting list once the right community is selected.

Downsizing from a larger home and selling the house will be necessary regardless of which type of retirement community is chosen. The process of cleaning out the basement, attic and garage should begin right away as it is time consuming as well as very emotional. During this time, begin to decide which pieces of furniture will give the best function and satisfaction, and choose which personal belongings to take to the retirement community.

Because downsizing from a large home into an apartment can be a difficult task, some retirement communities have interior designers or move-in coordinators on staff to assist with the process. The most important thing is to select the furniture that you love. The furniture can be arranged according to what will work best with your lifestyle. Over a lifetime, a variety of special pieces have no doubt been collected; these should be incorporated into the new home. For those who like to entertain, bring a dining room table that can be expanded with leaves. Or convert a favorite chest that may have been in the guest room into a coffee table in the new living room; the benefit will be extra storage space and the enjoyment of a favorite piece. Many retirement communities offer additional storage for things like Christmas decorations and luggage, so be sure to ask if this option is available.

Now that you have decided what to bring, what can be done with all of the rest? Many times children and family members welcome the opportunity to select special pieces to enjoy in their own homes. This allows family treasures to be enjoyed for generations to come. "I made a memory box for each one of the grandchildren," explained Patricia Colvin, who recently sorted through her 80 year old mother's basement full with over 20 years of accumulation. "There were things I just couldn't bear to throw away so we got a large storage box and put each child's name on it. We enjoyed looking through pictures and memorabilia and writing about each item we found so that the grandchildren will have these memories to cherish."

Some retirement communities will even display antiques in the common areas or hallways for all residents to enjoy. For a profit, choosing to sell the extra items to a local antique dealer or auctioneer is an option. Or try to sell them in a nearby consignment shop. There are many companies that will come to your home and help you sort through this process. The Salvation Army, Goodwill and the American Cancer Society are just a few of the charitable organizations which will gladly accept donations of household items, furniture and clothing in exchange for a tax-deductible receipt.

Now that the unwanted items have been cleared out, it is time to clean up the home to make it more marketable. "Usually, all it takes is a good cleaning out, a few coats of neutral paint and maybe some new carpet. A good rule of thumb is that for every dollar you spend to update the home you should get back $1.50 in the selling price," explained Elizabeth Blacque, president of Homarc, a local company which specializes in helping seniors sell their home and make the transition into a retirement community. "Absolutely nobody should totally remodel their kitchen or their bathroom just to sell a house."

According to Homarc, the keys to successfully selling a home are proper planning, cleaning up and cleaning out, finding the right real estate agent and pricing the home correctly. Homarc works with its clients up to one year before the house is placed on the market which gives ample time to prepare the home and the client for the move. "One of the first things we do is get an opinion of value or appraisal on the property so that the client will have a clear financial picture," stated Ms. Blacque. If priced and marketed properly, a home typically sells within 60 to 90 days.

The thought of a move may be enough to make you cringe and even put off the decision to move to a retirement community until it's too late. Often times families pull together and can assist with the actual move. Other times, family members are out of the area or are working full-time and need extra help. There are local companies which can come to the rescue in these situations. Resettlers, Inc., based in Wilmington, Delaware, organizes every facet of the move from packing and labeling items, arranging for a qualified mover and assisting clients with discarding unwanted items. Resettlers unpacks and sets up the new home and even makes the bed. "Some say our service is like ÔRent-a-Daughter'," explained Mary Jane Nikolich of Resettlers. "We can help with the move every step of the way, from selling your unwanted possessions to helping decide which furnishings will fit nicely in your apartment."
After the move you may look back and wonder, "Was it all worth it?" According to Phil Heaver, a resident of Dunwoody Village, "I am happy here. Even though I miss it, I will always have special memories of my farm." Now Phil Heaver enjoys the wooded views from his cottage and delights in the occasional visits from whitetail deer, red fox and Canadian geese.