Living with a roommate

Jazzy1

Jazzy1

Got A Treat?
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Remember the show The Golden Girls? Some might write it off as being a frivolous comedy about a foursome of “little old ladies” sharing a home in the retirement mecca of South Florida. Thirty years after the season finale, the show is more popular than ever with millennials having discovered its progressive themes on aging, age discrimination, dying, chronic illness, and similar social issues. The Golden Girls also foretold today’s trend of seniors 65 and older making the decision to share housing as roommates for economic and lifestyle reasons.

As the population ages, more and more seniors are looking for creative solutions to aging in place. One such solution that has gained popularity in recent years is senior roommates.
What’s the consensus on getting a roommate?

Is it not a big deal? Is it fun because it feels like college/living with friends? Is it awful beyond belief? Does it help with loneliness if you don’t have a spouse or kids or is it a poor substitute for a fulfilling household?
 

I wouldn't want to battle another me with how to clean or keep a house, move next door and we be fine!
My neighbor and I are early risers , we watch out for each other like what time our porch light comes on
and what we do routinely in case something goes off kilter. We have texted each other on occasion
to see if the other is ok. This works out great and we both still can have our alone time in peace.
 

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Due to the fact that it's been the trend for several years now that people are having fewer and fewer kids--in fact, more and more people aren't having any--that means fewer opportunities for the elderly to move in with family (or family move in with them). So it's becoming the case that the elderly who want to live somewhere halfway nice will either have to live with roommates or be very wealthy.
 
I have occasionally considered this. The house floor plan is very amenable to such. It's like two small homes connected to each other. One half I don't use except for storage. It has its own living area, bedroom, bath, laundry room, which could easily be made into a little kitchen, too. The catch is that that other part of the house doesn't have its own entrance and the parking area may need to be enlarged.

A young, very nice and hard working man who lives next door with his very large family expressed an interest in this. Work on the interior needs to be done first (but I think he would take it as it is). He has done clearing and landscaping work for me and maybe he could live here in exchange for one day a week of work?

OR if the time comes when I can no longer live alone, maybe get a live-in nurse aide?

I don't think, however, that a roommate situation whereby living spaces are shared would work for me.
 
officerripley said:
Due to the fact that it's been the trend for several years now that people are having fewer and fewer kids--in fact, more and more people aren't having any--that means fewer opportunities for the elderly to move in with family (or family move in with them). So it's becoming the case that the elderly who want to live somewhere halfway nice will either have to live with roommates or be very wealthy.
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When I moved here my son was attempting to find me a house to buy. After much thought with the years I may have left, the cost of
buying, maintaining etc, and then how to leave the mess behind for loved ones to take care of, I chose to rent. I found a 55+ community where I have a 3 brd house and a nice sized yard and a private lake for half the rent or house payment elsewhere.
The thing is, it is in a Mobile Home Community and my son scowled his lip at that. I been dubbed "The Depression Grandma" by him 😂 Laugh all he wants, I could have bought that big house and then ended up having to ask him to pay some bills for me or buy my food. I love it here and this home takes 20 minutes to clean over a house he was picking out for me. Trust me my Son, mother does know best, he has no idea the stress I took off his shoulders later down the line. And it sure beats living with him and all he's going through right now.
 
My late sister and I used to talk about what we'd do if we got old and infirm and lost our husbands. Our solution was to go together to buy a 3-bedroom home and offer one of the bedrooms as partial pay to a caregiver.

Maybe, when we didn't need much care, we could get a college student or someone who worked part-time. They'd do some of the harder cleaning and drive us to appointments if we no longer drove. Then later, if we needed more care, we'd get someone with some medical training and pay them more. It would definitely be cheaper than a nursing home or assisted living.

One of my grandmothers spend some time in an ACLF (Adult Congregate Living Facility). There were eight ladies sharing a converted house with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a living room and a dining room. The garage had been converted to an apartment for the resident manager. There was always someone available, 24 hours a day.

It was a heck of a lot cheaper than traditional assisted living. They watched TV in the living room, had their meals in the dining room and played bingo every night. There was a nice patio to sit out on and watch the birds. They didn't get nursing care but medications were monitored and there was always someone on hand to supervise bathing if necessary.

It was like being at home when they could no longer "be at home".
 
jujube said:
One of my grandmothers spend some time in an ACLF (Adult Congregate Living Facility). There were eight ladies sharing a converted house with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a living room and a dining room. The garage had been converted to an apartment for the resident manager. There was always someone available, 24 hours a day.

It was a heck of a lot cheaper than traditional assisted living. They watched TV in the living room, had their meals in the dining room and played bingo every night. There was a nice patio to sit out on and watch the birds. They didn't get nursing care but medications were monitored and there was always someone on hand to supervise bathing if necessary.

It was like being at home when they could no longer "be at home".
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That kind of place sounds great. Every time I've looked into it, though, they all seem to be on the East Coast, nowhere near me.
 
I can't afford a nice living complex around these parts. Thank goodness the monthly expenses are within my reach. I have an extra bedroom, but not an extra bathroom. That bedroom is my grandson's playroom, and the cats preferred place when they're not hanging around me.

My mother used to say "I need my own bathroom, I earned it!" Me, too.
 
Much will depend on a senior's finances. I would expect, many of those with enough assets to easily live alone, would choose to remain alone so, because living together with others requires compromises to be compatible. Then there are those that might do so for health, security, or loneliness reasons versus being able to set up in some expensive senior care facility.

I don't have enough assets to buy even a small residence here in coastal California, other than at a low end trailer park. But do have enough saved assets that I could get by at least frugally without even SS benefit income for the rest of my life.
 
I inherited roommates when my son died. I kept them on for the time being and it has worked out. I have my own suite and their rooms are on a different floor.
They are male and younger. We look out for each other.
 
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