Wow, what started as an offhand MAPSIMS post of mine has turned into a thread with some really interesting, in-depth stories. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Even though Mrs. Solost and I are not at the stage yet where we’re quite ready for an IL facility, I do see an interim stage in a few years where we downsize and maybe do a condo or something with much less maintenance, sometime after our youngest goes off to college next year.
When we moved into our current place 18 years ago, a good-sized house on an acre and a half of beautiful treed property in an area with many lakes and rivers nearby, I felt very happy and lucky. And it has been fantastic living here for the most part. But, we’ve had so much work to do and so many expenses. Maintaining the yard alone in the warm months is a ton of work.
The house has been somewhat of a money pit over the years. It’s an older place and was not not terribly well maintained by the previous owner. Just a sampling of what we’ve had to fix or replace:
2 furnaces (replaced an old one right after we moved in, then the replacement died last fall)
2 well pumps (similar story as the furnaces)
A new roof (this was back in late 2008, after the economy crashed and oil was topping out at $130 a barrel. Guess what shingles are made of? Cost us $15,000).
Several major plumbing issues, to water and waste lines, some of which required excavation because part of our home is on a slab.
Multiple appliances I’ve fixed when I can, but have replaced washer, dryer, dishwasher, fridge.
Several big trees that died and we paid to have cut down and removed (if they fall I cut ‘‘em up, but I ain’t climbing trees with a chainsaw).
Now our septic seems to be failing- doesn’t drain properly. If we have to replace, by law we need to hook up to city sewer- quoted at upwards of $30,000, not to mention the godawful digging up of our property for the connecter line they would need to do.
Multiple misc. maintenance and upgrade costs to interior and exterior.
And I’m probably forgetting a lot. Between the work and writing checks, it’s exhausting. And though I’m still in decent shape physically, mentally I find myself just sort of feeling done with it all. The older I get the less I feel mentally up to taking on tasks. Maybe it’s just sheer laziness. I’ve always been a bit of a procrastinator, but once I get my butt in gear I used to be pretty good at getting things done. Mrs. Solost is a dynamo in that regard, but even she has said on multiple occasions “we can’t keep doing this much longer”.
Early sign of senility is forgetting how old you are. People often believe they’re still much younger.
That’s what they all say when someone reminds them of their dotage. Sorry to let you know, it’s a lot like waking a sleepwalker, but better to do so before you find where your family hid the car keys. Now if you’ll excuse me there’s a presidential election coming up and I believe that Obama fellow has a real chance of winning.
My sister worked for nearly 20 years as the unit secretary on the geriatric floor in a hospital. She enjoyed it. Lots of stories. And she said the thing you had to do is just go with the flow. If they want to tell you the same story they’ve already told you dozens of times, don’t interrupt them. Just sit and listen and pretend its the first time you’ve heard it.
We’re talking past each other. I’m not talking about luxury apartments for seniors who are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves but don’t want the hassle of owning a home. I’m talking about the kind of assisted living facility that promises to take you in and care for you for the rest of your life whether it’s one year or 20 and whether you’re capable of taking care of yourself or confined to a bed.
Part of that deal means that when you run out of money, you go on Medicaid and they keep taking care of you, despite the fact that Medicaid won’t pay the bills for a place like that. In that case, how much you’re worth is going to enter into the equation whether you’re currently healthy or not.
Well, yes. But when they’re cagey about the price, it engenders the suspicion that the price is “Everything you’ve got, however much that is, as long as it’s more than our (secret) $X hundred K minimum.”
Them asking age and health questions to inform their risk calcs to derive a actuarially valid price is honest. Them asking how much you can afford before asking those questions sounds corrupt. Maybe not, but appearances matter.
I can see them qualifying the lead to some degree, but that can go too far real easily.