The Aging In Place Tour Of Your House

If your children and grandchildren visited you for the holidays this year, the visit probably began with you showing them everything in your house that you had acquired more recently than their last visit, such as new furniture or appliances.  When your family is visiting you, it is always a reminder that human companionship plays at least as big a role in your wellbeing as your physical surroundings do.  Now that your younger relatives are leaving, though, think about the aspects of your house that are easier for the younger generations to navigate than they are for you.  Perhaps you were astonished at how nimbly your son-in-law removed the Christmas lights from the roof or how your children vaulted in and out of the bathtub with the greatest of ease.  The idea of leaving the house where you and your family have established so many great memories is heartbreaking, but the good news is that you don’t have to leave.  Your house can change with you, and Florida houses are especially well suited to aging in place.  A Tampa estate planning lawyer can help you with the plans associated with remodeling your house to accommodate aging in place.

Tour Your House With the Ghost of Christmas Future

Andrea King Collier’s Next Avenue article about aging in place leaves readers feeling relieved to live in Florida.  Collier, 65, has lived in the same house since she and her husband moved there 32 years ago, and they intend to stay there for the rest of their lives.  The house is not exactly senior-friendly, though.  While the stairs, bathtubs, and low toilet seats do not pose a problem for Collier and her husband now, the house would be full of hazards for octogenarians.

Lucky for us Floridians, we do not have to worry about staircases or furnaces.  You should, however, carefully examine your house from the perspective of your future self.  Which of the chairs and couches are hard to get up from?  How often do you use the bathtub, and do you feel safe using it when your spouse isn’t home?  How practical are your toilet seats?  Are the doorways to each of your rooms wide enough that a walker or mobility scooter can fit through them?  If your house is working well for you for the time being, there is no need to do any remodeling now.  It is never too soon to start planning for remodeling projects you may need to do in the future.  If aging in place is part of your estate plan, your estate planning lawyer can help you prepare for it.

Let an Attorney Help You Today

Aging in place is an economically sound choice for most people.  An estate planning lawyer can help you develop an estate plan that involves staying in the house that you have lived in for decades and have already paid off.  Contact David Toback in Tampa, Florida to set up a consultation.

Source:

nextavenue.org/getting-financial-act-together-aging-in-place/