Several months ago in this column I wrote about a couple who were living on a large property many miles from the closest town.
When they saw a section of their fence fallen-down, they felt it was a sign 鈥� time to move to more easily managed accommodation.
A few days ago, over coffee with a friend who has considerable disabilities and who is receiving daily home care, I noticed tall weeds outside her living room, right up against the neighbour鈥檚 fence, and so about four feet from her neighbour鈥檚 house. I offered to find someone to come and deal with this, but my friend was concerned about the price and said that she would try to hire her grown up grand kids.
We went on a trip in the spring and when we came home down our driveway, I was happily surprised to see that the lawn did not seem to have grown in the two weeks we were away. I had been perseverating that the lawn would be 2 feet tall, then, on our return, it would rain for three days and I would not be able to cut it before an AGM scheduled to take place 4 days after our return. Perseverating but not acting. I found out with a little inquiry that the lawn cutting was a Mother鈥檚 Day gift from our kids, who paid for the service. I could have done the same and avoided 4 or 5 days worrying about it at the end of our holiday.
While the fallen down fence on a ranch, may be a good sign that it is time to move closer to services, in other situations action can easily be taken, by hiring someone to do the task. The failure to act--to hire someone to mow the lawn, weed the garden, help with household chores, fix the rickety wooden stairs -- seems to be a common situation for seniors and should not be the determining factor in whether the person needs to be moved into 鈥渃are鈥�.
Why is this a common problem for seniors? Some of it is of course the cost, and the change in the cost of services (the rapidly rising cost of everything). And some seniors may feel they need to hang onto their 鈥渞oubles鈥� to pay for some more serious expense, like future care. Some of it is, I think, a kind of nostalgia 鈥� 鈥淚 used to do this, if I hire someone, I will never do this task again鈥�. This, of course, would have been completely misguided in my situation, as I was not here to cut the lawn, and I would have lots of time to do that stimulating task all through June and July. Some of it maybe that property maintenance is on the 鈥渢o do鈥� list but down below personal health care, or caregiving, and just keeps getting 鈥渂umped鈥� off the list. But counter to the misguided nostalgia is the reality: if you do not keep up your property, it may be a sign to family, neighbours, friends, that you are not managing, and may be the point on which your independence teeters. And also, if it is just too far down the 鈥渢o do鈥� list, remember it is just a phone call or two away.
But what about the cost argument? A friend paid $200. for someone to move some boxes into her garage! Seniors may be concerned that they are paying more for services than others pay (make sure you ask around and try to get three quotes from reputable companies for major work). In England there is a municipal government run service that provides names of people able to do minor repairs and yard work, and the cost is on a scale based on income and is provided clearly and in advance.
If you can afford to get these property and household jobs done, good management of your premises is a sign to family and friends that you are managing in your present living situation, and so it is well worth the expense, if you are in fact managing well where you are.
If you cannot afford this maintenance, in the Comox Valley, Hornby and Denman Health Society provides the "Better at Home" program that helps qualified seniors (based on income) with some household chores. For more information on this program: check out the website: hornbydenmanhealth.com/comox-valley-better-at-home or email Kris at kris@hornbydenmanhealth.com or call her at Comox Valley Better at Home (250)-871-1165.
Those little jobs around the home and garden do not have to be done by you (the senior) even if you 鈥渁lways鈥� did them, and are a good sign, if done, to family or friends that you are managing your life in your present home.
