This is the time of year when I start getting emails and phone calls from the adult children of elderly homeowners. Sometimes they ask for an appointment and I make an appointment to meet with them at their parents home.
It doesn’t take me long to figure out that the elder is just going along with the whole thing because the son or daughter talked them into it. Sometimes they think their parents should move but the parents don’t want to.
Where we live is a personal choice and as adults, even the oldest among us have the right to choose.
We even have the right to make bad choices, or choices that our children don’t fully support.
As adults most of us value freedom. Even moving to a senior apartment or downsizing to a condo causes the loss of some freedom.
You can lead your parents to senior housing but generally, you can not and should not make them move.
I don’t have a problem meeting with people who have no interest in selling their house. I learn something new just about everytime I meet with a potential home seller or buyer and I empathize with the sons and daughters who set up the meetings, they probably learn something new too.
According to a study conducted by AARP, 90% of older adults nationwide want to remain living in their homes for as long as possible and we all know that anything is possible if we are up to the challenge.
