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The house I grew up in and the house my parents grew old in was built in 1842. Inhabited by our direct ancestors since 1855, the old Wisconsin farm house, set on a pristine lake surrounded by fields and woods, was a remarkable place to be a child, with endless adventures at hand, places to explore and constant reminders of those who came before us. Sounds idyllic and it was... when we were all able bodied. My mom had resisted the move there in the early 60s. With friends, family and social life in cosmopolitan Milwaukee, it must have seemed like heading for the Outback. Not to mention that she was tending three small children and an infant and the house, recently vacated by an eccentric great aunt, was filled to the rafters with stuff (I think said aunt was a hoarder) and had no working plumbing at the time. The lake loses some of its charm if you have to wash your clothes in it. But a place like that has a way of growing on you and she, like the rest of us, came to love it, despite the challenges it sometimes offered. So much so, that she refused to consider leaving even when Parkinson’s began to exact a serious toll on her physical being. Of course many (most?) seniors feel the same way about their homes, but the challenge to keep her safe in this setting was a bit more, well... challenging. I wasn’t there when the PT/OT girls (as my mom called them) arrived to make their initial assessment, but I can imagine them trying desperately to maintain their signature cheerfulness in the face of staircases that were set at a nearly 90 degree angle with a sparing use of handrails; sharp-edged cast iron radiators around many corners and several rooms that had no form of heat at all (having relied on ambient warmth from downstairs fireplaces in the olden days), plus a kitchen whose underpinnings had disintegrated over the years putting a 45 degree slope to the entire room. If you are familiar with the balance issues of Parkininson’s you can imagine the daunting task of trying to make this work. But the PT/OT girls were pros. They offered clever work-arounds and suggested support equipment and modifications to help successfully negotiate this minefield of hazards. And my mom was able to stay in her beloved home until the very end. We all face challenges when it comes to where to live as we or loved ones age. The hurdles may be physical, emotional, financial or some combination thereof. Fortunately, there are many choices for how to solve that challenge, be it support to stay in one’s home or choosing from the vast range of senior specific housing and care available throughout our area. A look at our Guide to 55+ Senior Housing and Related Services can help start you on the path. From exploring the aging-in-place assistance of home medical equipment to the idea of pulling up stakes and heading for foreign shores, this housing issue is dedicated to helping you create the best possible place to call home for your “third age.” |
Editor’s Note