Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Extension Service

by Barbara A. Holt, Ph.D.

Clark County Extension Agent-

Family and Consumer Sciences

Cooperative Extension Service

We all need a home that is attractive, comfortable, convenient

and safe -- whatever our age or stage of life. The longer we live, the

more important this becomes.

How will you live as you grow older? Eleanor Wall, housing specialist with the Cooperative Extenstion Service, University of Arkansas, describes some alternatives to consider.

Most people (86%, according to an American Association of Retired Persons survey) prefer to #"age in place," or stay where they are for the rest of their lives.

Staying put also is often the most economical choice. Once the home

is paid for, upkeep, taxes, insurance and utilities are the major housing

expenses.

But will your house, or yard, be too big and expensive to maintain?

Sometimes regular or occasional household or yard help can allow an older person to continue living at home.

Sharing part of your home with another person may be one way to remain at home for a longer period of time. This person may be a friend your own age, a younger person who needs a place to live in exchange for giving help around the house, or someone who wants to rent a part of your home.

Many college students prefer a room that's more like home than a dorm room. Can a separate apartment be made out of part of the house? Check zoning regulations before calling in the carpenters.

House-sharing may mean you move into someone else's home. In some cases, groups of several retirement-age individuals get together and form a `family' to rent or buy a house and hire a cook. Other chores and household

decisions are handled by the family members.

The best decision may be to move to a smaller, self-contained house

or mobile home placed on the lot of another single family house. This might allow parents to remain near their adult children, yet maintain their privacy and independence.

Retirement communities are becoming more common in Arkansas.

These are a mixture of apartments and cottages for active, independent adults above a specific age. Costs vary widely, depending on services provided and whether the units are rented or purchased. They provide companionship, a sense of security and social activities, yet allow maximum privacy and independence.

Congregate housing facilities are similar to retirement communities,

but they may have a professional staff such as social workers, counselors and health care professionals who provide services and social activities. In addition to companionship and group involvement, this choice monitors

your health and well-being.

Supportive housing facilities offer still more extensive services

to support their residents.

They range from board and care homes to continuing care facilities,

to nursing homes. Many try to create a homelike atmosphere and promote as independent a lifestyle as residents can handle. Additional assistance in personal care is available as it becomes needed.

A great variety of housing options are available as we grow older.

The family who has taken time to explore their choices before a crisis

occurs will make the best decisions.

For more information on your retirement home, ask for fact sheets

FSHEH10 and FSHEH15 at the Clark County Extension office, or call 246-2281.