Good advice! I think a lot of people are taken off-guard by how different retirement is from how they envisioned it will be. Here in America many people were sold on the "golden years" fallacy where you work like a dog and sacrifice until you're between the ages of 65-72 and then retire to live a utopian life. Far too few people put any thought into how important the feeling of purpose is to their overall well-being. Thank God I have my writing, that's served me well in that regard. I just watched a video about a retirement community last night and it was looking pretty good to me. I love how engaged these people still are in life.
I was thinking to myself the whole time, This wouldn't be a bad way to spend my last two decades.
Hi Eric, thank you so much for sharing that video. What an amazing place; it's huge! I had so many chuckles, especially when they spoke of how the women outnumber the men. I'm looking at Umdoni Village - much smaller, around 350 homes, but a similar concept. Someone told a friend that what often happens there when a woman dies first, the ladies from the village start carting bowls of food to the widower; men are scarce there as well😅
I was thinking of your Mom the other day and wondered how she's getting on.
Have a wonderful Sunday, Eric!
You're welcome! It's got a reputation for its residents being a little on the frisky side. Lol. The community you're considering looks very nice! I really do think places like this make sense because isolation is such a danger to all of us, especially as we age and get less mobile.
My Mom is doing okay. She had a bad fall a few weeks ago and hit her head but, thankfully, she wasn't seriously injured. My brother and I would love it if she moved closer to one of us but she doesn't want to do that so we have to try to make it back there as often as we can and look after her from afar to make sure she has everything she needs. My brother, Curt, is closer—about 2.5hrs away. It's a huge worry for both my brother and I. We're trying to get her to be a little more proactive and make the move away from living alone before she actually needs to.
Thank you, Lizelle! I hope you have an amazing week ahead.
Haha, I saw that. They're very naughty in their old age, had me chuckling- so funny :)
I'm sorry to hear about your Mom's fall. It's always a concern when one lives alone. I, at least, have someone here 90% of the time. I fell last week, fortunately had a soft landing, but I jerked my neck a bit. Not too bad, but I undid some of the neck physio.
It's a pity your Mom doesn't want to move. Isn't there someone she's close to who could live with her?
I hear you about making the move before she needs to; that is the reason I decided to move now as it would be way more traumatic if I can't pack my own stuff and decide what to keep and what to give away and to whom.
It's very difficult if the person isn't ready to make the move. Hoping you find a solution or that your Mom realizes it would be better to move while she's capable of sorting her own stuff.
Take care, Eric, and enjoy the rest of the week!
It is funny! But the more power to them for still having fun.
Thank you, Lizelle. This is her fifth fall in the last few years, I think. I'm glad you had a soft landing! Do you have an Apple Watch? That has fall detection and will give you the option of calling emergency services or the watch will do it by itself if you're unresponsive and send them your location. That gives my brother and I some peace of mind. My Mom's sister lives about half a block down from her now. My aunt drives her to appointments and errands now because she can't drive herself.
You're smart for being proactive. Those communities are known for adding years to people's lives too.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy your week!
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