Seniors Housing
Anita Jenkins
The Best Place to Retire :
Should We Stay or Should We Go ?
ARTA retirees face many big questions , including “ Where should I live , now that my job doesn ’ t require me to stay put ?”
For some , the answer is easy . They want to remain in a community that offers familiar places and longtime friendships . For others , it is equally easy : their children live elsewhere and they want to be near them . Deciding to move is especially common if grandchildren are part of the picture .
Others struggle to answer this question , since every choice has pros and cons . Here are a few stories from ARTA members ’ experiences .
Bobbi and Dean McMullen , 79 and 80 , are content in their home of many years , even though their three children and four grandchildren live elsewhere . Their small farm near Vermilion , Alberta , is the place for them .
The McMullens bought the property in 1973 and in 1976 – 78 designed and built their dream home . Their careers took them to Edmonton for about a decade , but they kept their rural home and happily moved back there . “ City life is too busy ,” Bobbi says .
The pluses of their current life consist of close friends and active community involvement , including curling and golfing .
The McMullens ’ two sons live relatively close by in Sherwood Park and Ardrossan , and their daughter and her children live in British Columbia . They stay in touch with their daughter via video conferencing and are still comfortable driving to the west coast to visit . Their daughter and her family also come to stay at their nearby lake cabin for several weeks every summer .
Dean mentions that at some point it might be good to live closer to a hospital and seniors services . The McMullens ’ daughter has suggested building a bedroom and bathroom addition onto her house so they could live with her . Bobbi and Dean are considering this move in the future . “ Better weather is a big reason ,” Dean says .
Pat and Cec Race , married fifty-five years , moved from Leduc to North Vancouver in 2008 . The main attraction for them was their three children and eight grandchildren , who all lived on the west coast . Also , Cec ’ s mother lived in Victoria . Even though the Races had been active members of the Leduc community for forty-three years , when their third child joined the others to live in Vancouver , “ It seemed like a sign ,” Pat says .
Pat and Cec wanted to be near their families and to help out as needed . “ The children seemed very positively disposed ,” Cec says .
The Races struggled with leaving behind many good friends and Alberta relatives . In addition , housing in Vancouver was a financial challenge , and they exchanged their large family home in Leduc for a townhouse in North Vancouver . Consequently , they had to do what they describe as a “ huge downsizing ,” and moved with approximately onethird of their belongings .
Pat told herself , “ This is just stuff ; it won ’ t hurt .” But it did hurt , she says . However , in hindsight , doing the downsizing and moving while still in good health made sense to them .
Pat and Cec are comfortable with their current lifestyle . It is a ten-minute walk from their home to the ocean and a ten-minute drive to the top of a mountain . They have become involved in many interesting pursuits with new friends , for example ,
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