Sheltered housing

looksee

There is an interesting thread in AH about whether children should look after their parents as they become incapacitated. This set me thinking about sheltered housing.

My mother lives in a warden assisted flat in the UK in a very nice complex. Not fancy but everything you need, and clean and well maintained in nice grounds. Her apartment is the way she wants it and she has her own furniture. My sister looks after her with the help of paid carers who come in 3 times a day. She has very good quality of life despite being 90 and having had two strokes, she has aphasia, heart failure and thyroid problems.

The idea of sheltered accommodation is so obvious, so money saving compared with nursing homes, and so attractive to people who want to retain their independence that I think it should ne given much more attention.

I know people sometimes do not want to sell the family home as they want to pass it on to their children. But a home is insurance, it should be possible to sell one's home when the time comes and use the money to buy into price controlled, sheltered accommodation. I don't get this idea of wanting the state to provide care while hanging on to a house.

I appreciate there is an issue if a child has been living in the home while providing care, but it should be possible to balance out the rights and obligations involved.

I know not everyone will agree with aspects of what I am saying, but it is a subject that will be relevant to all of us eventually, and some sooner than others.

OldGoat

Am trying to persuade my mother to move into sheltered housing but she still equates it with a workhouse for the destitute and not somewhere a "proper decent person would ever end up".
Meanwhile my inlaws absolutly love their accomendation claiming that moving in is the best thing they ever did. They retired from South Africa back to the UK simply because OAP care and lifestyle is better there.

Rubecula

We had the same house for a number of generations. After my mother passed away we tried so hard to look after my dad (he has had heart attacks, anuerisms (sp) and brain damage. He also has a number of other problems. But he moved into sheltered accommodation in another part of the city and now we pretty much have our mind at rest. He has a nice little flat with no stairs to climb, he has three visits a day from the staff, who also cook his meals for him. He is more independent now than he ever was at 'home' He even makes plans to visit me and do my gardening for me. (I won't let him do the gardening though as it is beyond him these days, but I encourage him to think independently) My sisters are there nearly every day, he has his Skysports channels and he gets to go out and go shopping with my sisters when he wants to. He has a little balcony where he can keep his potted plants. His quality of life has greatly improved since he moved in. I sometimes spend a few days with him (I have to sleep on the couch though) and he seems to be pretty contented now. All in all it is the best thing he could have done for him, and I don't give a fiddler's finger for any inheritance that I may be missing out on. I would sooner have a happy dad than a big sum of money or whatever.

odds_on

The UK seems to have an abundance of Warden assisted Housing (usually flats) designated for people over 50, 55, 60 and even 65 years of age, depending on the development.
However, Ireland, I fear, definitely lacks this very useful form of living for the older person.

looksee

odds_on wrote: »

The UK seems to have an abundance of Warden assisted Housing (usually flats) designated for people over 50, 55, 60 and even 65 years of age, depending on the development.
However, Ireland, I fear, definitely lacks this very useful form of living for the older person.

Over 50!!! I was thinking of more like over 80!

Rubecula

looksee wrote: »

Over 50!!! I was thinking of more like over 80!

ROFL.

I was living in such a scheme when I was in my 30's. I don't know why they let me, but it was great and the warden was a good friend when I got to know him. I even helped a bit around the place. Sadly that particular scheme was demolished for redevelopement. But for a few years I liked living there.