Blog Archives
Where are we supposed to go?
So, in our Google Alerts yesterday, or maybe Tuesday, who remembers, was this. The way I read it, apparently we boomers are irresponsibly aging in our homes and making it hard for younger families to become homeowners.
(We do empathize with younger families. They have no idea what it was like to live in a country where the top marginal tax rate was 90% and public goods and services were adequately funded. It wasn’t uncommon for a family to thrive on the equivalent of one full time income. States funded public education and university tuition was affordable for most.)
Our point here, though, is: where exactly are we supposed to go to age? There’s an implication that because younger people need the space we live in, we ought to go somewhere else for our declining years. Perhaps some of us will want to do that but a senior community – or silo – is not for everyone, besides which not everyone can afford to buy into one. Look, our communities should support us to be where we’re comfortable (albeit not necessarily the comfort of the older couple pictured). And that support must include the practical help that a Village – Cville Village! – will offer.
Heartwarming, and brilliant.
How about this story about an ager-in-place and some homeless moms? We should do some of that here in Cville, right?
Intergenerational housing issues – not as dull as it sounds!
The folks who run this site, which is all about urban planning and is new to us, recently posted the 2nd part of an article “The Shifting Boomer Bulge.”
Here is part 1.
And here is part 2.
We found ourselves nodding in agreement as we read, so it may be interesting to some of y’all out there.
Happy Spring!
Aging in place just a dream?
In order to age in place, you need – yes, THE PLACE. Housing affordability being what it is, having the place is just a dream for some.
Read about it in this issue of Harvard magazine.
Yes, we’ve been busy with the OLLI course – which had a great 2nd session yesterday and wraps up, hopefully, next week, if your editor does not come down with covid after an exposure last night.
Downsizing
We found this article useful and thought-provoking, and it’s not behind a paywall so you should all be able to read it.
Many of us who are adamant about staying in our homes don’t take the time to downsize our belongings so that our kids, or perhaps our executors, won’t be saddled with that task while they’re grieving our deaths. Think of it as a gift to them.
‘Kinless seniors’ – CvilleVillage is for YOU!
Yesterday’s NY Times had an article that might scare you.
Who will care for ‘kinless’ seniors?
Are you in this category? You are if you have no living parents, siblings, spouse, or children. It’s to be hoped that we all have friends or work pals for social connections. But they might not be the people you’d be comfortable calling on for help. So when it comes down to it, who will you be able to rely on for that ride to and from your health care provider, for example?
This is exactly what a Village is for! Once we have a Village going in Charlottesville, there will be someone. A volunteer you may already know, who can help you make a list of questions, drive you there, wait with you, take notes on the provider’s advice, help you make sure your questions are answered, and drive you home with a stop at the pharmacy if needed, and maybe even stay to have a cup of tea with you.
You can help make this a reality for yourself, for a kinless senior you know, for kinless seniors in our town, with a donation of money and/or your time on our Planning Committee.