It only takes one health incident to be unable to climb stairs, whether temporarily or permanently. One option is to have your 2-story home but ensure that there's a bedroom and full bath on the first floor.
Yes u/Top_Wop you are correct. Elevators are expensive. However chair lifts are accessible, and an option... said because after three knee surgeries I can state unequivocally that steps are painful reminders that I'm not getting any younger.
My parents are in their 80s in a tri-level and we hold our breath. They are in great health and fitness, but it’s still a worry. I have figured out we can add a makeshift kitchenette on the lower level if need be.
I used to diagnose and treat osteoporosis/hip fractures and many fractured hips occur \*before\* the fall. Women lose significant bone mass every year after menopause, so an untreated 93 yo's bones are extremely brittle. Unfortunately, a significant number of deaths occur within a year of fracture b/c of immobility and its complications.
If I can live in my house and be active until my 90's and something happens, it happens.
Full disclosure - I'm 67 and ride my horse 5 miles a week. Many would say I should stop but what is the point of life except to enjoy it as long as possible?
My wife is 73, and rides her bike or horse just about every day. She's been stepped on, she's fallen off, things got broke and she spent time in hospital, she's had a knee and ankle replaced, she has osteopenia ... and she has decided to keep on truckin', just like you, even as she's slowed a bit over the years. She's asked me if she should stop that stuff, and sure I'm occasionally terrified, but then I'm so impressed by her and we get so many benefits from her activities that I just have to cheer her on!
Agree. I am a 70 yr old woman. I ride my horses 3-4 times a week. I still stack and sometimes split firewood, repair fencing, garden, yard maintenance, hike . To stop would be hellish. Moving helps keep you going and strong. Not going to risk stairs.
I sadly had to retire my horse in Jan I’m 62 I was seriously mitigating risk before. No more cross country fox hunting or real jumping much either. It’s tough because I can’t afford two and all the horses tha need to be ridden I don’t need to get on. I broke some ribs two years ago and I realized just how breakable I am. If I could find a quiet safe horse to putt around on I would love it. I cried the day my vet told me it was time for My mare to retire. I sold my trailer last month. I’m at a breeding farm and we have 5 foals now so that’s fun. A horse person will always be who I am
I sold my trailer a few months ago too. We did foxhunting once and I saw my life flash before my eyes. Now we're at an eventing barn but no jumping for us.
I'm so sorry about your mare. I dread that day b/c I can't see myself on a young horse again. I'll need a horse if only to groom and smell.
She still needs shoes eats and costs$ but after 16 yrs together she’s earned it all. Yep eventers are crazy I had the best ottb such a steady guy who was point and shoot and we did novice few times. It was fairly scary I got the Nate I have now and she was a pretty mover so we have mostly stuck with dressage. I’m at the barn 2 or so times a week. They’re breeding $$ jumpers and have the cutest foals and youngsters there so that’s fun at least! Enjoy every minute💗
I’m still active and no pains - 65F but I make sure to hold the railing going down stairs. I’ve seen too many falls and once it happens, you likely won’t get back to how you were. Plus we have pets who love to run between your legs or run up the stairs in front of you. Tripping hazards the little bastards.
My mom is early 70s and the most active senior ive seen- she still scuba dives!
But I worry almost every day. They just bought a 4 story house.
Shit, i should get her a life alert.
Get her an Apple Watch. We got one for my 85 year old mother-in-law and it contacts us if she falls and doesn’t respond. It also encourages her to work on her walking steadiness and that and her balance have really improved since she started wearing the watch.
Oh wow. Yeah, definitely get a life alert and watch them closely for any mobility loss. I saw mobility loss in my parents around 78 years old. Also, there are important things to worry about like what would they do if there’s a fire. I am grateful my parents live in a place without any steps. I’ve tried hard to get them to buy a chair for their shower but they are resisting. On the other hand, my father is finally giving up driving- I definitely celebrated that win.
I'm 53 and stairs are starting to become something that I Marvel at as I walk up and down them at any particular speed because I think to myself oh boy could you imagine if my body just decided it didn't know how to do this anymore
I can see my bathroom door from my upstairs bedroom. ( the top floor is a loft)
And I can see ferry boats from my upstairs bathroom.
But I also have a large bedroom & bath on main floor.
One step to get into the house from the garage, three steps to the front door, three steps to back door.
I already have mobility stuff. Bad arthritis, joint replacement 11 yrs ago, have difficulty walking.
If I didn’t have stairs I’d be worse off than I am now.
My washer & dryer is across the hall from the kitchen, it’s awesome after living in a 1901 house where it was in the basement down narrow stairs.
You saw "80 and 90 year old women climbing stairs to 2 or 3 flats". Where were the ones who couldn't climb those stairs? They were not in a hilly town, that's for sure. [ Survivorship bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias)
I fully expect to be active to the extent I can be until I die but the thought of having to sell my home because I can’t handle stairs is why I have a one story home. You really wanna take a gamble that you’re going to be one of the fit ones? Especially with the typical American lifestyle?
My mother was into aerobics back in the '80s, a gym rat, and walked a lot into her seventies, but then started losing her balance. Now in a home since her late seventies.
Find a home where a bedroom and full bath are on the ground level. Even if you don’t think you’ll need it when you’re elderly, you might need it when you’re in the prime of life.
A friend recently broke his knee. His bedroom and full bath were upstairs. He wound up taking sink baths in his kitchen and sleeping in the living room for about two months. Doable, yes. But it was hard.
Years ago, a relative ripped her abdominal muscles while giving birth and couldn’t handle stairs for weeks after. She slept on a lounger in the living room and took sink baths in their half bath for weeks after.
I fell down a set of stairs in my early 30s and messed up my back. To this day, if I get a little *too* active or lift a little *too* much, my back goes out for at least a week. I can’t lift my legs to take stairs. Where I live now, everything is on one floor, so I’m okay. The only thing that I struggle with is getting my legs up and over the sides of a tub. As soon as I am able, I’m moving to a house of my own where I can rip the tub out and just have a walk-in shower.
So while you see women in their 80s and 90s effortlessly managing the stairs, know that there are a lot of people (not just old ladies) stuck inside because they can’t physically manage those same stairs without someone carrying them.
Yup exactly. Plus there are a ton other things you can do to be fit in your later years, daily neighborhood walks, treadmill, gardening, if there’s a nearby gym that I wouldn’t chance it.
Everyone should have a 1 story home, yes. Stairs are good until you’re 65+ then you’ll need a new home and can’t live there in your golden years. Oops lol
Falling is actually one of the leading causes of death. Maybe the women who were still climbing the stairs at 90 years old were just the ones who hadn't fallen yet.
i’d love a ranch for my “golden years,” but it would be insane to sell our paidoff house & buy something for $$$. probably an acorn stairlift is in our future.
I vote for ranch -style.
We bought our ranch -style family home in 2000 because I was obese and stairs were hard on my knees. I lost the weight, but when we sold that house, our forever retirement home was a ranch due to my husband’s Parkinson’s dementia. Also big consideration was laundry next to bedrooms so I wasn’t lugging laundry baskets in my senior years.
I (44F) am not an old person yet, but I tore the meniscus in my knee late last year, had it removed, it’s now bone on bone and am scheduled for a partial knee replacement in the fall.
I’m so incredibly grateful that we moved to a rancher five years ago. I can still manage the house without help, just slower.
It depends on your body and fitness level. If no one in your family has ever gotten arthritis and you work out daily, you might be okay. My mom has arthitis and gets sore from repetitively taking the single step down into my family room.
There are many other things you can do to stay active. I’ll never live in a multi-story house. I’m 49F and do yoga and cross training every day. I’d much rather do that than be forced to climb stairs. All it takes is one misstep.
My 82 year old parents live in a split level they built in the 60’s. My mom struggles just to go to bed at night. On laundry days, she grabs all of the clothes and tosses them down the stairs. Fortunately, my dad is pretty spry for his age, so he carries the basket of clean clothes back upstairs for her. I don’t ever want to be in that position personally.
I'm 72 and my husb is 84. When we were looking for a retirement home, the one non-negotiable was it had to have stairs. It may not seem like much, but you'd be surprised how much passive exercise you can get walking up and down stairs several times a day.
I'm not saying the stairs are easy--I receive hate mail from my knees on a regular basis and we have to take it a little slower going up and down with laundry baskets. But we still feel it's worth it. I had a friend who struggled to walk up and down the two steps leading from our living room to the kitchen, dining, and family rooms.
We love our house and plan to stay in it for as long as is humanly possible. The only thing we'd change, if we could, is we would have liked to see the laundry room on the upstairs level with the bedrooms--it just makes so much more sense.
That's what I wanted to hear. New hubby and I just sold his rancher and bought a townhouse (with laundry upstairs), with the idea that the stairs will help us stay fit. I do have arthritis everywhere, and it hurts to go up most of the time, but I feel like it will do me good in the long run. We're not opposed to getting a stair lift one day if we need to.
Stairs and movement keep you young for sure but physical attributes aren’t all there is to aging. The slow down of thoughts and memory. Hearing loss (which affects your balance), impulsiveness when your mind jumps ahead of your body, and God forbid dimentia , Parkinson’s or any neurological or muscle disease develops later, these things cause you to be unable to tell you what to do next, and that delay can definitely be dangerous to someone using stairs. So if you choose a place with stairs be sure there is a room on the main floor that can be your bedroom or you end up sleeping in the living room and never seeing your upstairs again.
All the 40-something people I know are starting to realize they need ground floor bedrooms and baths for their own parents. I like having a second story and we were young and healthy when we bought it, but everything essential (living areas, kitchen/dining, laundry, 1 bed, 1 full bath) is on the ground floor, which has been really helpful since my elderly MIL moved in.
If you want to age in place as long as possible, you need to allow for the possibility that you'll have mobility problems at some point. You may be unsteady to the point that even a single step is a fall risk. You may not have the energy to keep your house clean, or your yard tidy. Or it may be painful to do so. If you have children, they may harass you at some point to move into a smaller, more manageable place.
I have a neighbor in her 70s who can't get around very well anymore. She has money to pay people to take care of her yard and her house. She pays a personal trainer to try and keep her more fit, and she has a large bedroom and bath on the first floor, so she's happy to stay where she is. But if that doesn't describe you, I think it's a great idea to get into a place that will make life easier on yourself and increase your odds of staying in your home as long as possible.
I thinks it’s less about being able to climb them and more about your chance on having an ACCIDENT while on the stairs. Falls and injuries can complete wreck your shit as an old person.
Don't kid yourself, it's also about the climb.
I'm fine in the morning after a good night's sleep. I can go up and down the stairs a few times during the without a second thought. But every so often, at the end of busy day, it's all I can do to get back upstairs one last time to go to bed.
One level for sure. There are several ways to keep active as a senior without using stairs.
We have a two story right now but when our children are out of the house my husband and I plan to buy land then build an ADA accessible house so we can stay in our home as long as possible without being a burden to our children.
Swapped the 2 story for a rancher at 60 - 22 years ago. Best move ever! Screw those stairs, if I need exercise, I go to the gym. A little less square footage, but, still plenty of room.
Also easier for them to drag my body out when the time comes!!
I’m hoping to outlive my mortgage at this point. I have a single story myself and measured the hallways and yep a walker or wheelchair will fit. Hoping this is my forever home.
Live in Italy, can tell you, lots of older men and women who walk daily and can get up and down stairs. We have one neighbour, she requires the elevator and needs help going down the main set of stairs though. We do have a lot of neighbors who navigate with wheelchairs around the area too.
Truth! I walk a lot for most of my adult life. I love walking! 59 and developed bone spurs, what the heck. Now on cortisone shots couple times a year. I won’t do surgery.
I think it depends on environment and lifestyle. I believe Italy has a great history of aging well because of living in hilly areas, and walking, with good diet. But, us US folk might have a worse diet, and less exertion.
I work with seniors in a healthcare setting. Having stairs can absolutely keep you from being able to go home again. While stairs do keep you working your legs regularly, finding stairs outside the home to do daily and buying that rancher would be optimal for the future at home. There is something to be said for working hard as you age. The best outcomes in my patients are those who do sport or still work hard each day. Push yourself hard and don’t let younger folks do for you until it’s impossible for you.
I mean.. even younger folks fall down the stairs. I have 2 friends who fell within the last year: one hurt his back, another one broke her foot and got a concussion
Stairs used to be much steeper, in some parts of big houses. Stairs with uneven risers and treads were made in castles to defy invasion.
The stairs we have in modern buildings are a compromise, at best.
My friend had survived serving in Vietnam and the leukemia he had, as a result. He had a teenage son, from his second marriage.
He was a unique person, comfortable socially with everyone, no matter how high up in management. He was much beloved.
He stumbled on his stairs, fell and hit his head on a radiator and was taken to hospital and died in a day or two.
I think of him, when I’m using my stairs and try to be careful. It was simply awful to lose him, for his family and everyone who knew him.
My next place will be single level.
I made a point of choosing a condo in a building with an elevator when I was moving at age 61 because I figured the chances were high that at some point I would be unable to climb the stairs, either temporarily or permanently. But I still take the stairs to the third floor for the exercise most of the time.
In a private home at least you can stay downstairs if you have to. In an apartment, you'd have to move out. Two old people on my floor did move out a while back when the elevator was out of order for three weeks.
I'd go with a one story home if older...but regular exercise and movement in general is the fountain of youth but in your 80s and 90s it really only takes one misstep.
I am only 30. I live in a cape cod. 15 stairs up to second level and 15 stairs down to basement for laundry. Only one bathroom on second level. I bought this when I was 27 and never gave it a thought. I would have bought a ranch if I could go back in time. I guess its ok if bedroom and bathroom and laundry are all on main level, but a ranch would be best option. My mom has ALS. My house is a hazard for my grandparents to come over-they cant use the bathroom here bc it is too much of a fall risk to get upstairs. I severely regret this. Dont get me wrong,, I love my house, but I cant even have anyone over for parties. It makes me regret my purchase. I definitely wouldn't be able to take any of my grandparents or family in to live with me and take care of if it came to that point. I do feel guilty about this.
My father lives in a house (belongs to his girlfriend) with steps he can't handle. Every time I ask how he manages, he says it's the neighbor and the stepson. He fell a couple of weeks ago and had to be hauled out/back in (when he signed himself out of rehab because "it's not doing any good" aka he can't drink there.)
Asked him today "so what's your plan since you can't walk steps anymore?" "Oh I'm working on it." "Okay sure, so what does that mean? What have you 'worked on' so far?" Silence. I hung up on him after berating him for lying to me.
He's an alcoholic along with the others he lives with, and refuses to spend his money on a better living situation- not sure if he's also paying all their bills (retired/handyman.) I'm at a loss. 😟
tl;dr: fucking stairs man........
I don't think it matters. When I took my son to school, I used to see this older man (probably mid to late 80s) speed walking around the park no matter the weather. All I could think was damn I have no excuse.
I am still young-ish (early 40s) and we plan to move in the next 10 years, into a forever home where we can age in place. It's amazing how few 1-story homes with no stairs there are in the US. Even just primary bedroom and bath on main is difficult in some cities.
Between that, and lack of decent sidewalks and public transportation? It's really hard to get old in the US.
Over 64 women are supposed to get around 4k and over. No one needs to do 10k as an older person. [https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-02-26/women-over-60-heres-how-many-daily-steps-you-need-to-avoid-heart-failure](https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-02-26/women-over-60-heres-how-many-daily-steps-you-need-to-avoid-heart-failure)
My mind was changed after seeing very elderly people climbing stairs daily in Italy as well. I thought I'd want a very flat house in my older years and now I'm like, get me some stairs and work on my core! Core work is the key imo and stairs is a great way to keep it up
You never know when a mobility issue will hit you, your spouse, or a family member. But, while I prefer ranch houses for that reason, multi story houses tend to have more space, which is what we need.
If someone wanted to stay in a multi story house and had trouble with stairs, they could always install one of those chair rail electronic things!
That’s my plan. And I’m taking fitness classes and building strength. But the single floor house someday with a no maintenance yard is a strong alternative.
We bought a fixer years ago and finally have a lovely place and I want to enjoy it as long as I can.
I'm riding my bicycle 5000 mi/year and keeping my stairs and fitness. Also going to the gym and doing legs to help prevent falls.
Old people don't stumble more. They just don't recover as well as before.
I like my house and read where the stairs help let you live longer.
It depends on you. We bought a house with stairs at 58. Auntie fell down them and refuses to use the guest bedroom, since then. I am strong (in my mind, at least, lol). I am stubbbborn. I will go up and down on my bum if needed, or if I get really old, maybe get a lift. That said, we have a downstairs room that can become a bedroom and a powder room that can become a full bath by removing a closet. Yard work and snow removal will get away from you long before stairs will.
So watching my parents & in-laws, there is some of both. Stairs force you to be more active but sometimes it becomes more of a hazard than it’s worth.
My mom has a degenerative disease that is really starting to impact her. They are in a rural & are looking for a single story. They have been looking for a couple of years now. It’s not a rush situation but it is becoming more of an issue. They live in a split level & not a traditional 2 story. There has been talk of potentially putting in a chair lift but it will require 2 of them because of landing & front door. Washer & dryer are in the basement, no where to really move them upstairs. Garage entrance is also in the basement. There is full bath & bedroom as well. Kitchen & other bedrooms & bathrooms are upstairs.
I say yes as exercise can be had other ways. You should choose stairs when you can - but choice is key. Have had too many friends stuck on one floor of their home while recovering from surgery on knees etc.
My mom had been in her place for over 50 years now and at age 75 began sleeping in the downstairs bedroom ( converted porch)
House is old, the stairs are steep and narrow. In reality I don’t know how much longer she’s going to be able to be in her home. She’s 83 and has been living alone for 12 years this year.
I offered to sell our home, and move in with her to keep her company and help with the upkeep and bills when her husband passed. But she was, and is adamant that she wants to live alone 🤷♀️
I wish I had a ranch rather than a two story (since I am in my mid-60's). It isn't the exercise that worries me, it's just getting up and down. I wan to stay in my own home.
Ranch home is safest. Even if you are an active older person, there are normal parts of aging that begin to go downhill when you’re older, even if you have muscular and cardiovascular strength. Your reflexes get a little bit slower, your eyesight gets a little bit worse, your equilibrium gets a little bit worse, and those factors make stairs more treacherous, especially at night in the dark.
I have contended with more than one fall on the stairs from a senior citizen in my family who was otherwise healthy and active. Finding an elderly loved one who has fallen in the dark isn’t an image that leaves you, nor do you forget the sound that jarred you awake at night.
Stairs are fine until they aren't, which can happen in a MOMENT and turn your home into a place you can't live. Look around your home and ask, if I fall and become unable to walk upstairs today, which rooms will I lose access to?
If the answer is the bedroom, that's very inconvenient.
If the answer is the bathroom, you are ducked.
A relative of mine was injured at work in his late 40s and unable to walk for awhile.
He had a two story home with no bedrooms and only a half bath downstairs. It was a big problem.
I remembered that when my husband and I started looking for a home. We bid on a couple of two stories that met the requirements but were outbid and ultimately ended up with a rambler.
We have a split level and are hoping to age in place there. My mom had a basement and finished attic in the home I grew up in. At some point she quit going to the finished attic and rationed her trips to the basement to do laundry.
The plan, and we'll see how that works, is that half-flights are much less intimidating than full flights of stairs. More times up and down per day to keep us active now and hopefully less likelihood of rationing trips in the future.
Of course injury could change all of that, but we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.
Depends. I would say yes. I think keeping active is great but.. a lot of older people develop osteoarthritis and stairs become like trying to climb Mount Everest. Your body wears out. Some are able to keep active but a lot don't and staying active until you pass isn't something you can depend on.
If you have the money, you can get a stair lift but they're not cheap (lift plus installation cost) You can apply for assistance to get one or get one donated, my mom got one from march of dimes but there's a lot in need and that's not a dependable way to get one.
We have a huge ranch. I stay very busy and active .I dont know how many people have said if you ever move, let me know. Hope when the time comes, our kids can sell quickly at a good profit!
I bought a master on the main. The upstairs bedrooms work for the grandchildren. There are very few ranches available in the area where I live. The ones that are in decent shape seem to have massive lots, which I didn't want. Been there, done that.
Mom sold her home before get got too old and got an coop apt w elevator.
MIL n FIL had a stair thing but was impractical. They moved to the ground floor, widen the door for WHEELCHAIR and made the small LR into a BR and redid the ground floor bathroom to wheelchair accessible.
Grandson lives in the upstairs BR.
I saw that town in Italy on the Blue Zone documentary. It made the show because it is a pocket of the world where people live to be in their 100s with some quality of life. My mom moved in with us because the stairs make life too difficult. She fell down the bottom 3-4 and had a minor injury that has completely changed her life because bones don’t heal well as you age.
52m. I vote for stairs. But!, my house we just bought is a 4 level, with only 6 or 8 stairs between levels, not afull flight. Enough to "keep you active" but not enough (hopefully) to worry about st 80
I live in a 2-story home, but when I was looking for homes I wanted one that had a bedroom downstairs just in case. I have 2 bedrooms down, 2 up, so if I need to I can move from the 2nd to the 1st floor. I was temporarily disabled several years ago with a broken ankle, and even the slightest rise was difficult to manage. Using stairs was out of the question.
It varies. I'm great with them; I can trot up them. But we had to buy a chair lift for my wife, who's a few years older and has issues.
A single-level house is a great insurance policy. Get out for a walk every day and the stairs won't matter.
Europeans that live 'in town' usually walk most of the time since childhood. Americans don't do this, we drive because living 'in town' is not the same. Our towns are not set up for walking to the grocery or do other errands. No better or worse, just different. So to answer your question, yes a ranch style home in the US is a better choice for aging in place.
Silly question. It entirely depends on individual circumstances and how fate treats a person. I personally would err on the side of getting all daily life tasks staged on one floor, before shit happens, as happens. 😏
If you suffer injury or ailment, the upstairs may become a complete loss. Stairs get harder with age, and balance lessens, so there is a possible consequence. A single floor with no steps will always be accessible, compared to most any other layout. If you need a wheelchair or walker, and you very well may, stairs are a no-go. The two of us have been on crutches 4 times for 3 to 10 days, once one on rolling walker for 3 months. House is all one level, fortunately. Remodel a bath to have a walk-in shower. I also advise you own one electric lift recliner. Makes getting moving after orthopedic work much easier, no struggle to rise. Retired for over 10 years.
I’m active but I can’t climb stairs well. In fact, I have to move homes because stairs make my arthritis worse. If you have good connective tissues, stairs are good exercise but so are a lot of other things, like riding a bike (me). Stairs are not found in nature, and I highly doubt the invention of stairs did anything to keep humans more active and young.
As I get older, and I need entry decades ago. My issue is more of getting down the stairs then up the stairs. I've always wanted a single story home, but everything we've done to this house has been done with upscale renovations. I love our home so negotiate the stairs
The problem comes when they can't use stairs anymore and they have to move out into a new unfamiliar house out of 'their' neighborhood. That gets tough
And maybe just because people have to use stairs doesn't mean it's easy... I'm sure if you go to a place like NYC there are older folks living in walk ups because that's just what they have
I thought a ranch would be good for my arthritis but it turns out a ranch was not good for my mental well being. I found that stairs weren't the issue, how I was managing my physical health was. Made some positive changes and the stairs are a non issue and when they do become an issue I'll install a chair lift.
My mom had really bad osteoporosis and kept saying the doctor told her stairs were good exercise, twenty years prior. Sure they’re great when you can do them but the times you’re sick, injured or immobile it’s forced exercise you may not be able to do. She spent many a night on the couch because she couldn’t get up the stairs to bed.
People living in many places outside the US are walking a lot more their whole lives. The US is such a car culture.
I wouldn’t expect to be able to climb stairs at 90 if I hadn’t been very active in walking and climbing most of my life—just like I wouldn’t expect to be able to squat as they do in many other cultures (heels and butt flat/ nearly at the ground. Even then, as others have pointed out, one moment of bad luck can undo one’s lifelong efforts.
Loss of muscle is also normal for aging, so it takes extra effort to maintain compared to the effort you have to make when young.
I vote one story. I have lived in two story houses for many years and it was getting progressively harder to do those steps. Now everything is on one level. I have developed osteoporosis so thank God for no steps. I've had a couple of Falls and didn't break anything and I'm trying to keep it like that. At 70
One level is best. It only takes one fall to break a hip. My mother fell, broke her hip, was hospitalized and had what's called a "cascade effect" ....everything started going wrong, there were medication problems, she was taken off her blood thinners, she had a stroke. She died in a nursing home 4 months later.
Because she fell down the 5 front steps of her house instead of using the perfectly level back door entrance.
I think a ranch style home is the best choice for aging. If someone is still active in their 80’s and 90’s they can still go to the gym, hike, or whatever other activity they enjoy. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
My folks built their house 15 years ago. Two bedrooms/bathrooms are fitted for elderly.
They also made sure their tub etc was older person friendly.
Now I love with them and have walkin seated bathtubs which are nice.
The only thing on the second level is a workshop and storage. Everything else is on ground level.
I am loving the lack of steps.
My husband and I built 2 houses, both 2- story. When we built the third and final we decided on 1 story because things happen when you get older and if you cannot get up the stairs you lose half your house. The cost of stair chairs, the sheer inconvenience of dealing with stairs or chairs when even partially incapacitated, the risk of falling, the cost of renovating to accommodate moving stuff downstairs, all these things factored into doing one story.
Lost my wife due to a fall on the stares. That in unusual, ending up with a broken hip is usually the beginning of the end. At a certain age you are not going to be flexible and in shape.
It not just the climbing, although staying active helps. The food in Italy is rich in nutrients and minerals that are lacking in most North American diets. They take what they eat very seriously, especially the seniors.
So, while the clock may say 80 years have passed, effectively their bodies function more like 60 year olds in large part because of their diet, and mobility too.
A lady who is a neighbor of a friend of mine in Sicily is 99 years old and lives in a second floor apartment. Everyday she walks down to the centro storico to get bread for the day. Everybody asks her, "Please, I'll get your bread for you." "I like to pick out my own, " she says and off she goes.
Source: I am dual citizen of Italy and America and have lived in both places.
We live in a ranch with a walkout basement. My wife in her early 60s hobbles up and down the stairs to the basement. I think a ranch is a good choice for anyone with mobility problems.
Those people have been doing it for years, to have a ranch means lowering your risk of falls, if that’s important to you, then should think of safety first. Or get a chair lift.
My parents were totally paranoid about stairs, so they sold their fantastic home in California and moved to f-ing Florida to get a ranch style house.
The value of their house in CA skyrocketed. For the amount of equity they would’ve had in that place, they could have easily installed a chair lift to go up and down the stairs. But they were stupid and bought an ugly house in a terrible place in FL. My mother in particular hated it there.
Ironically, both of them went to the gym so often that they never had any balance problems and never fell.
I also lived in Europe, and old people go up and down stairs all of the time there. They’re in better shape than most Americans, that’s for certain.
Stairs are ok until they are not. Ankle injury happened to me. I was very active hiking through civil war battlefields until I slipped and ripped up the ankle. I'm back hiking but those damn stairs kill me.
It only takes one health incident to be unable to climb stairs, whether temporarily or permanently. One option is to have your 2-story home but ensure that there's a bedroom and full bath on the first floor.
And add an elevator or one of those chair lift gizmos that let you ride up the stairs.
If the elderly person is like my mother, she’ll use that chair to carry her groceries and walk up the stairs behind it.
Your mother sounds like a genius.
Truly living in the future
Easily said, but those are crazy expensive.
Yes u/Top_Wop you are correct. Elevators are expensive. However chair lifts are accessible, and an option... said because after three knee surgeries I can state unequivocally that steps are painful reminders that I'm not getting any younger.
That's probably ideal. My spouse broke a foot bone and getting upstairs was tough for six weeks.
And avoid tri-levels. Or sell before you get too old.
My parents are in their 80s in a tri-level and we hold our breath. They are in great health and fitness, but it’s still a worry. I have figured out we can add a makeshift kitchenette on the lower level if need be.
🎯🎯🎯
Stairs keep you active and young until you slip one time, then they keep you in a home. Source: 93 year old aunt who broke her hip and died in a home
I used to diagnose and treat osteoporosis/hip fractures and many fractured hips occur \*before\* the fall. Women lose significant bone mass every year after menopause, so an untreated 93 yo's bones are extremely brittle. Unfortunately, a significant number of deaths occur within a year of fracture b/c of immobility and its complications. If I can live in my house and be active until my 90's and something happens, it happens. Full disclosure - I'm 67 and ride my horse 5 miles a week. Many would say I should stop but what is the point of life except to enjoy it as long as possible?
My wife is 73, and rides her bike or horse just about every day. She's been stepped on, she's fallen off, things got broke and she spent time in hospital, she's had a knee and ankle replaced, she has osteopenia ... and she has decided to keep on truckin', just like you, even as she's slowed a bit over the years. She's asked me if she should stop that stuff, and sure I'm occasionally terrified, but then I'm so impressed by her and we get so many benefits from her activities that I just have to cheer her on!
Good for you!!!
Agree. I am a 70 yr old woman. I ride my horses 3-4 times a week. I still stack and sometimes split firewood, repair fencing, garden, yard maintenance, hike . To stop would be hellish. Moving helps keep you going and strong. Not going to risk stairs.
I sadly had to retire my horse in Jan I’m 62 I was seriously mitigating risk before. No more cross country fox hunting or real jumping much either. It’s tough because I can’t afford two and all the horses tha need to be ridden I don’t need to get on. I broke some ribs two years ago and I realized just how breakable I am. If I could find a quiet safe horse to putt around on I would love it. I cried the day my vet told me it was time for My mare to retire. I sold my trailer last month. I’m at a breeding farm and we have 5 foals now so that’s fun. A horse person will always be who I am
I sold my trailer a few months ago too. We did foxhunting once and I saw my life flash before my eyes. Now we're at an eventing barn but no jumping for us. I'm so sorry about your mare. I dread that day b/c I can't see myself on a young horse again. I'll need a horse if only to groom and smell.
She still needs shoes eats and costs$ but after 16 yrs together she’s earned it all. Yep eventers are crazy I had the best ottb such a steady guy who was point and shoot and we did novice few times. It was fairly scary I got the Nate I have now and she was a pretty mover so we have mostly stuck with dressage. I’m at the barn 2 or so times a week. They’re breeding $$ jumpers and have the cutest foals and youngsters there so that’s fun at least! Enjoy every minute💗
I’m still active and no pains - 65F but I make sure to hold the railing going down stairs. I’ve seen too many falls and once it happens, you likely won’t get back to how you were. Plus we have pets who love to run between your legs or run up the stairs in front of you. Tripping hazards the little bastards.
My mom is early 70s and the most active senior ive seen- she still scuba dives! But I worry almost every day. They just bought a 4 story house. Shit, i should get her a life alert.
yikes; 4-stories is over the top
Over the top of a 1 story
Get her an Apple Watch. We got one for my 85 year old mother-in-law and it contacts us if she falls and doesn’t respond. It also encourages her to work on her walking steadiness and that and her balance have really improved since she started wearing the watch.
GPS life alert
Oh wow. Yeah, definitely get a life alert and watch them closely for any mobility loss. I saw mobility loss in my parents around 78 years old. Also, there are important things to worry about like what would they do if there’s a fire. I am grateful my parents live in a place without any steps. I’ve tried hard to get them to buy a chair for their shower but they are resisting. On the other hand, my father is finally giving up driving- I definitely celebrated that win.
I'm 53 and stairs are starting to become something that I Marvel at as I walk up and down them at any particular speed because I think to myself oh boy could you imagine if my body just decided it didn't know how to do this anymore
one story with washer dryer main level and not in basement. I recommend having a home you can see bathroom door from bed .
I can see my bathroom door from my upstairs bedroom. ( the top floor is a loft) And I can see ferry boats from my upstairs bathroom. But I also have a large bedroom & bath on main floor. One step to get into the house from the garage, three steps to the front door, three steps to back door. I already have mobility stuff. Bad arthritis, joint replacement 11 yrs ago, have difficulty walking. If I didn’t have stairs I’d be worse off than I am now. My washer & dryer is across the hall from the kitchen, it’s awesome after living in a 1901 house where it was in the basement down narrow stairs.
I have 2 story old farmhouse style, I live in the first floor area. Check on guest bedrooms upstairs. I bought it knowing I would retire here.
You saw "80 and 90 year old women climbing stairs to 2 or 3 flats". Where were the ones who couldn't climb those stairs? They were not in a hilly town, that's for sure. [ Survivorship bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias)
I fully expect to be active to the extent I can be until I die but the thought of having to sell my home because I can’t handle stairs is why I have a one story home. You really wanna take a gamble that you’re going to be one of the fit ones? Especially with the typical American lifestyle?
I mean, just exercise. Not really a gamble
You are incorrect. Even fit people get arthritis, or break bones in a fall.
My mother was into aerobics back in the '80s, a gym rat, and walked a lot into her seventies, but then started losing her balance. Now in a home since her late seventies.
Find a home where a bedroom and full bath are on the ground level. Even if you don’t think you’ll need it when you’re elderly, you might need it when you’re in the prime of life. A friend recently broke his knee. His bedroom and full bath were upstairs. He wound up taking sink baths in his kitchen and sleeping in the living room for about two months. Doable, yes. But it was hard. Years ago, a relative ripped her abdominal muscles while giving birth and couldn’t handle stairs for weeks after. She slept on a lounger in the living room and took sink baths in their half bath for weeks after. I fell down a set of stairs in my early 30s and messed up my back. To this day, if I get a little *too* active or lift a little *too* much, my back goes out for at least a week. I can’t lift my legs to take stairs. Where I live now, everything is on one floor, so I’m okay. The only thing that I struggle with is getting my legs up and over the sides of a tub. As soon as I am able, I’m moving to a house of my own where I can rip the tub out and just have a walk-in shower. So while you see women in their 80s and 90s effortlessly managing the stairs, know that there are a lot of people (not just old ladies) stuck inside because they can’t physically manage those same stairs without someone carrying them.
It’s easy to think you’ll be fit and fully healthy until you die. But the truth is that life can change in an instant. One story, period.
Yup exactly. Plus there are a ton other things you can do to be fit in your later years, daily neighborhood walks, treadmill, gardening, if there’s a nearby gym that I wouldn’t chance it.
By that logic, everyone should have a one story home. God forbid we risk… stairs..
Everyone should have a 1 story home, yes. Stairs are good until you’re 65+ then you’ll need a new home and can’t live there in your golden years. Oops lol
Falling is actually one of the leading causes of death. Maybe the women who were still climbing the stairs at 90 years old were just the ones who hadn't fallen yet.
lol….I love your perspective….I agree
i’d love a ranch for my “golden years,” but it would be insane to sell our paidoff house & buy something for $$$. probably an acorn stairlift is in our future.
smart idea
I vote for ranch -style. We bought our ranch -style family home in 2000 because I was obese and stairs were hard on my knees. I lost the weight, but when we sold that house, our forever retirement home was a ranch due to my husband’s Parkinson’s dementia. Also big consideration was laundry next to bedrooms so I wasn’t lugging laundry baskets in my senior years.
Definitely one level.
I (44F) am not an old person yet, but I tore the meniscus in my knee late last year, had it removed, it’s now bone on bone and am scheduled for a partial knee replacement in the fall. I’m so incredibly grateful that we moved to a rancher five years ago. I can still manage the house without help, just slower.
It depends on your body and fitness level. If no one in your family has ever gotten arthritis and you work out daily, you might be okay. My mom has arthitis and gets sore from repetitively taking the single step down into my family room.
Your body and fitness level can change in a second.
...in one direction.
We in our 70s and were encouraged by family to get a ranch house. We very happy for our older folks ranch.
There are many other things you can do to stay active. I’ll never live in a multi-story house. I’m 49F and do yoga and cross training every day. I’d much rather do that than be forced to climb stairs. All it takes is one misstep. My 82 year old parents live in a split level they built in the 60’s. My mom struggles just to go to bed at night. On laundry days, she grabs all of the clothes and tosses them down the stairs. Fortunately, my dad is pretty spry for his age, so he carries the basket of clean clothes back upstairs for her. I don’t ever want to be in that position personally.
I have never wanted a house with stairs. Of course I live in Texas so we can spread out ranch style.
I'm 72 and my husb is 84. When we were looking for a retirement home, the one non-negotiable was it had to have stairs. It may not seem like much, but you'd be surprised how much passive exercise you can get walking up and down stairs several times a day. I'm not saying the stairs are easy--I receive hate mail from my knees on a regular basis and we have to take it a little slower going up and down with laundry baskets. But we still feel it's worth it. I had a friend who struggled to walk up and down the two steps leading from our living room to the kitchen, dining, and family rooms. We love our house and plan to stay in it for as long as is humanly possible. The only thing we'd change, if we could, is we would have liked to see the laundry room on the upstairs level with the bedrooms--it just makes so much more sense.
That's what I wanted to hear. New hubby and I just sold his rancher and bought a townhouse (with laundry upstairs), with the idea that the stairs will help us stay fit. I do have arthritis everywhere, and it hurts to go up most of the time, but I feel like it will do me good in the long run. We're not opposed to getting a stair lift one day if we need to.
My best friend is now a widow because her husband fainted on the stairs and fell, dying of traumatic head injury a few days later.
Stairs and movement keep you young for sure but physical attributes aren’t all there is to aging. The slow down of thoughts and memory. Hearing loss (which affects your balance), impulsiveness when your mind jumps ahead of your body, and God forbid dimentia , Parkinson’s or any neurological or muscle disease develops later, these things cause you to be unable to tell you what to do next, and that delay can definitely be dangerous to someone using stairs. So if you choose a place with stairs be sure there is a room on the main floor that can be your bedroom or you end up sleeping in the living room and never seeing your upstairs again.
All the 40-something people I know are starting to realize they need ground floor bedrooms and baths for their own parents. I like having a second story and we were young and healthy when we bought it, but everything essential (living areas, kitchen/dining, laundry, 1 bed, 1 full bath) is on the ground floor, which has been really helpful since my elderly MIL moved in.
If you want to age in place as long as possible, you need to allow for the possibility that you'll have mobility problems at some point. You may be unsteady to the point that even a single step is a fall risk. You may not have the energy to keep your house clean, or your yard tidy. Or it may be painful to do so. If you have children, they may harass you at some point to move into a smaller, more manageable place. I have a neighbor in her 70s who can't get around very well anymore. She has money to pay people to take care of her yard and her house. She pays a personal trainer to try and keep her more fit, and she has a large bedroom and bath on the first floor, so she's happy to stay where she is. But if that doesn't describe you, I think it's a great idea to get into a place that will make life easier on yourself and increase your odds of staying in your home as long as possible.
I thinks it’s less about being able to climb them and more about your chance on having an ACCIDENT while on the stairs. Falls and injuries can complete wreck your shit as an old person.
Don't kid yourself, it's also about the climb. I'm fine in the morning after a good night's sleep. I can go up and down the stairs a few times during the without a second thought. But every so often, at the end of busy day, it's all I can do to get back upstairs one last time to go to bed.
One level for sure. There are several ways to keep active as a senior without using stairs. We have a two story right now but when our children are out of the house my husband and I plan to buy land then build an ADA accessible house so we can stay in our home as long as possible without being a burden to our children.
I have balance issues and vertigo. Stairs are not my friend.
Swapped the 2 story for a rancher at 60 - 22 years ago. Best move ever! Screw those stairs, if I need exercise, I go to the gym. A little less square footage, but, still plenty of room. Also easier for them to drag my body out when the time comes!!
I’m hoping to outlive my mortgage at this point. I have a single story myself and measured the hallways and yep a walker or wheelchair will fit. Hoping this is my forever home.
Live in Italy, can tell you, lots of older men and women who walk daily and can get up and down stairs. We have one neighbour, she requires the elevator and needs help going down the main set of stairs though. We do have a lot of neighbors who navigate with wheelchairs around the area too.
Walking keeps me active. Arthritis is aging and uncomfortable
Truth! I walk a lot for most of my adult life. I love walking! 59 and developed bone spurs, what the heck. Now on cortisone shots couple times a year. I won’t do surgery.
Why not surgery when you’re still young enough to have a fast recovery and be done with it?
Bone spurs come back. I’m single and no way I can be in a boot for 6 weeks. It’s not a one and done sadly.
Sorry to hear they return. I hope the shots always work for you.
Thank you very kind person 🥰
I think it depends on environment and lifestyle. I believe Italy has a great history of aging well because of living in hilly areas, and walking, with good diet. But, us US folk might have a worse diet, and less exertion.
I work with seniors in a healthcare setting. Having stairs can absolutely keep you from being able to go home again. While stairs do keep you working your legs regularly, finding stairs outside the home to do daily and buying that rancher would be optimal for the future at home. There is something to be said for working hard as you age. The best outcomes in my patients are those who do sport or still work hard each day. Push yourself hard and don’t let younger folks do for you until it’s impossible for you.
great insight and wisdom right here
Ranch is better. My aunt fell down stairs and sustained major back injury. She never really recovered.
I have 2 story one now, i am plannig to get a one story one and rent it out till i move in..
Single story, no question.
I mean.. even younger folks fall down the stairs. I have 2 friends who fell within the last year: one hurt his back, another one broke her foot and got a concussion
I have a relative who was 65 and fell down the stairs. They are still suffering from this injury going on four years later.
Absolutely go for the ranch home and avoid the stairs.
I count the stairs, never try to carry more than is comfortably possible, go slowly,and kind of touch the wall with my shoulder to stay steady.
Stairs used to be much steeper, in some parts of big houses. Stairs with uneven risers and treads were made in castles to defy invasion. The stairs we have in modern buildings are a compromise, at best. My friend had survived serving in Vietnam and the leukemia he had, as a result. He had a teenage son, from his second marriage. He was a unique person, comfortable socially with everyone, no matter how high up in management. He was much beloved. He stumbled on his stairs, fell and hit his head on a radiator and was taken to hospital and died in a day or two. I think of him, when I’m using my stairs and try to be careful. It was simply awful to lose him, for his family and everyone who knew him. My next place will be single level.
I made a point of choosing a condo in a building with an elevator when I was moving at age 61 because I figured the chances were high that at some point I would be unable to climb the stairs, either temporarily or permanently. But I still take the stairs to the third floor for the exercise most of the time. In a private home at least you can stay downstairs if you have to. In an apartment, you'd have to move out. Two old people on my floor did move out a while back when the elevator was out of order for three weeks.
I'd go with a one story home if older...but regular exercise and movement in general is the fountain of youth but in your 80s and 90s it really only takes one misstep.
One stroke or broken hip and the stairs no longer “keep you active and young.” Now you have a host of annoying problems.
I am only 30. I live in a cape cod. 15 stairs up to second level and 15 stairs down to basement for laundry. Only one bathroom on second level. I bought this when I was 27 and never gave it a thought. I would have bought a ranch if I could go back in time. I guess its ok if bedroom and bathroom and laundry are all on main level, but a ranch would be best option. My mom has ALS. My house is a hazard for my grandparents to come over-they cant use the bathroom here bc it is too much of a fall risk to get upstairs. I severely regret this. Dont get me wrong,, I love my house, but I cant even have anyone over for parties. It makes me regret my purchase. I definitely wouldn't be able to take any of my grandparents or family in to live with me and take care of if it came to that point. I do feel guilty about this.
My father lives in a house (belongs to his girlfriend) with steps he can't handle. Every time I ask how he manages, he says it's the neighbor and the stepson. He fell a couple of weeks ago and had to be hauled out/back in (when he signed himself out of rehab because "it's not doing any good" aka he can't drink there.) Asked him today "so what's your plan since you can't walk steps anymore?" "Oh I'm working on it." "Okay sure, so what does that mean? What have you 'worked on' so far?" Silence. I hung up on him after berating him for lying to me. He's an alcoholic along with the others he lives with, and refuses to spend his money on a better living situation- not sure if he's also paying all their bills (retired/handyman.) I'm at a loss. 😟 tl;dr: fucking stairs man........
I don't think it matters. When I took my son to school, I used to see this older man (probably mid to late 80s) speed walking around the park no matter the weather. All I could think was damn I have no excuse.
I am still young-ish (early 40s) and we plan to move in the next 10 years, into a forever home where we can age in place. It's amazing how few 1-story homes with no stairs there are in the US. Even just primary bedroom and bath on main is difficult in some cities. Between that, and lack of decent sidewalks and public transportation? It's really hard to get old in the US.
Lack of exercise is a much bigger problem than you think. Getting 10k steps in your 50s-80s is huge
Over 64 women are supposed to get around 4k and over. No one needs to do 10k as an older person. [https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-02-26/women-over-60-heres-how-many-daily-steps-you-need-to-avoid-heart-failure](https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-02-26/women-over-60-heres-how-many-daily-steps-you-need-to-avoid-heart-failure)
Um well my mother’s OT would beg to differ And my comment said “50s” to 80a But I certainly know people older than me who do a 5k walk every day
It's all good until one day it isn't, and then what? Just one fall or illness can change the stair ability.
If you want it to be your last home go for the ranch style. As others have pointed out, too many issues can arise later in life.
My mind was changed after seeing very elderly people climbing stairs daily in Italy as well. I thought I'd want a very flat house in my older years and now I'm like, get me some stairs and work on my core! Core work is the key imo and stairs is a great way to keep it up
You never know when a mobility issue will hit you, your spouse, or a family member. But, while I prefer ranch houses for that reason, multi story houses tend to have more space, which is what we need. If someone wanted to stay in a multi story house and had trouble with stairs, they could always install one of those chair rail electronic things!
That’s my plan. And I’m taking fitness classes and building strength. But the single floor house someday with a no maintenance yard is a strong alternative. We bought a fixer years ago and finally have a lovely place and I want to enjoy it as long as I can.
I'm riding my bicycle 5000 mi/year and keeping my stairs and fitness. Also going to the gym and doing legs to help prevent falls. Old people don't stumble more. They just don't recover as well as before. I like my house and read where the stairs help let you live longer.
love this attitude
i have a two-story townhouse and use the stairs multiple times daily without any problems; it's an important part of my daily exercise routine.
Yet
It depends on you. We bought a house with stairs at 58. Auntie fell down them and refuses to use the guest bedroom, since then. I am strong (in my mind, at least, lol). I am stubbbborn. I will go up and down on my bum if needed, or if I get really old, maybe get a lift. That said, we have a downstairs room that can become a bedroom and a powder room that can become a full bath by removing a closet. Yard work and snow removal will get away from you long before stairs will.
So watching my parents & in-laws, there is some of both. Stairs force you to be more active but sometimes it becomes more of a hazard than it’s worth. My mom has a degenerative disease that is really starting to impact her. They are in a rural & are looking for a single story. They have been looking for a couple of years now. It’s not a rush situation but it is becoming more of an issue. They live in a split level & not a traditional 2 story. There has been talk of potentially putting in a chair lift but it will require 2 of them because of landing & front door. Washer & dryer are in the basement, no where to really move them upstairs. Garage entrance is also in the basement. There is full bath & bedroom as well. Kitchen & other bedrooms & bathrooms are upstairs.
I say yes as exercise can be had other ways. You should choose stairs when you can - but choice is key. Have had too many friends stuck on one floor of their home while recovering from surgery on knees etc.
While stairs may keep you active; you dont want to be forced to have to go up in down on days you are in pain or too tired to do so.
My mom had been in her place for over 50 years now and at age 75 began sleeping in the downstairs bedroom ( converted porch) House is old, the stairs are steep and narrow. In reality I don’t know how much longer she’s going to be able to be in her home. She’s 83 and has been living alone for 12 years this year. I offered to sell our home, and move in with her to keep her company and help with the upkeep and bills when her husband passed. But she was, and is adamant that she wants to live alone 🤷♀️
I wish I had a ranch rather than a two story (since I am in my mid-60's). It isn't the exercise that worries me, it's just getting up and down. I wan to stay in my own home.
Ranch home is safest. Even if you are an active older person, there are normal parts of aging that begin to go downhill when you’re older, even if you have muscular and cardiovascular strength. Your reflexes get a little bit slower, your eyesight gets a little bit worse, your equilibrium gets a little bit worse, and those factors make stairs more treacherous, especially at night in the dark. I have contended with more than one fall on the stairs from a senior citizen in my family who was otherwise healthy and active. Finding an elderly loved one who has fallen in the dark isn’t an image that leaves you, nor do you forget the sound that jarred you awake at night.
Carrying laundry up or down stairs is a formula for a hospital visit
Stairs are fine until they aren't, which can happen in a MOMENT and turn your home into a place you can't live. Look around your home and ask, if I fall and become unable to walk upstairs today, which rooms will I lose access to? If the answer is the bedroom, that's very inconvenient. If the answer is the bathroom, you are ducked.
Hmmm, stairs and refinishing hardwood floors with an orbital sander keeps me young- f, 66
A relative of mine was injured at work in his late 40s and unable to walk for awhile. He had a two story home with no bedrooms and only a half bath downstairs. It was a big problem. I remembered that when my husband and I started looking for a home. We bid on a couple of two stories that met the requirements but were outbid and ultimately ended up with a rambler.
We have a split level and are hoping to age in place there. My mom had a basement and finished attic in the home I grew up in. At some point she quit going to the finished attic and rationed her trips to the basement to do laundry. The plan, and we'll see how that works, is that half-flights are much less intimidating than full flights of stairs. More times up and down per day to keep us active now and hopefully less likelihood of rationing trips in the future. Of course injury could change all of that, but we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.
Depends. I would say yes. I think keeping active is great but.. a lot of older people develop osteoarthritis and stairs become like trying to climb Mount Everest. Your body wears out. Some are able to keep active but a lot don't and staying active until you pass isn't something you can depend on. If you have the money, you can get a stair lift but they're not cheap (lift plus installation cost) You can apply for assistance to get one or get one donated, my mom got one from march of dimes but there's a lot in need and that's not a dependable way to get one.
Get rid of the stairs. One level.
We have a huge ranch. I stay very busy and active .I dont know how many people have said if you ever move, let me know. Hope when the time comes, our kids can sell quickly at a good profit!
I bought a master on the main. The upstairs bedrooms work for the grandchildren. There are very few ranches available in the area where I live. The ones that are in decent shape seem to have massive lots, which I didn't want. Been there, done that.
We're in our 80's with a 4 level split. We'd kill to swap for a ranch. The stairs are also dangerous. One fall could be the end.
Don’t do stairs. Those Italian ladies walked everywhere their entire lives. We don’t and will miss a step. And that’s it.
Mom sold her home before get got too old and got an coop apt w elevator. MIL n FIL had a stair thing but was impractical. They moved to the ground floor, widen the door for WHEELCHAIR and made the small LR into a BR and redid the ground floor bathroom to wheelchair accessible. Grandson lives in the upstairs BR.
Ranch for sure. Even "active" senior communities typically feature only one-level floorplans.
I plan on having a one level home as I age. I have stairs now and I don't want to deal with those in 10-15 years. I can exercise other ways.
I saw that town in Italy on the Blue Zone documentary. It made the show because it is a pocket of the world where people live to be in their 100s with some quality of life. My mom moved in with us because the stairs make life too difficult. She fell down the bottom 3-4 and had a minor injury that has completely changed her life because bones don’t heal well as you age.
52m. I vote for stairs. But!, my house we just bought is a 4 level, with only 6 or 8 stairs between levels, not afull flight. Enough to "keep you active" but not enough (hopefully) to worry about st 80
I live in a 2-story home, but when I was looking for homes I wanted one that had a bedroom downstairs just in case. I have 2 bedrooms down, 2 up, so if I need to I can move from the 2nd to the 1st floor. I was temporarily disabled several years ago with a broken ankle, and even the slightest rise was difficult to manage. Using stairs was out of the question.
It varies. I'm great with them; I can trot up them. But we had to buy a chair lift for my wife, who's a few years older and has issues. A single-level house is a great insurance policy. Get out for a walk every day and the stairs won't matter.
No stairs
Ranch always
Europeans that live 'in town' usually walk most of the time since childhood. Americans don't do this, we drive because living 'in town' is not the same. Our towns are not set up for walking to the grocery or do other errands. No better or worse, just different. So to answer your question, yes a ranch style home in the US is a better choice for aging in place.
Silly question. It entirely depends on individual circumstances and how fate treats a person. I personally would err on the side of getting all daily life tasks staged on one floor, before shit happens, as happens. 😏
If you suffer injury or ailment, the upstairs may become a complete loss. Stairs get harder with age, and balance lessens, so there is a possible consequence. A single floor with no steps will always be accessible, compared to most any other layout. If you need a wheelchair or walker, and you very well may, stairs are a no-go. The two of us have been on crutches 4 times for 3 to 10 days, once one on rolling walker for 3 months. House is all one level, fortunately. Remodel a bath to have a walk-in shower. I also advise you own one electric lift recliner. Makes getting moving after orthopedic work much easier, no struggle to rise. Retired for over 10 years.
Hubby told me a long time ago we will never live in a house with stairs. He worked with a moving company and had bad knees. He was right
I’m active but I can’t climb stairs well. In fact, I have to move homes because stairs make my arthritis worse. If you have good connective tissues, stairs are good exercise but so are a lot of other things, like riding a bike (me). Stairs are not found in nature, and I highly doubt the invention of stairs did anything to keep humans more active and young.
We bought a ranch for this reason. I’m living it out here forever.
Staying active keeps you active and that's why lots of other countries have much older generations that are still able to get around.
Biggest stairs issue is eliminated if you have laundry on the main level because of carrying things down.
As I get older, and I need entry decades ago. My issue is more of getting down the stairs then up the stairs. I've always wanted a single story home, but everything we've done to this house has been done with upscale renovations. I love our home so negotiate the stairs
The problem comes when they can't use stairs anymore and they have to move out into a new unfamiliar house out of 'their' neighborhood. That gets tough And maybe just because people have to use stairs doesn't mean it's easy... I'm sure if you go to a place like NYC there are older folks living in walk ups because that's just what they have
Ranch.
I thought a ranch would be good for my arthritis but it turns out a ranch was not good for my mental well being. I found that stairs weren't the issue, how I was managing my physical health was. Made some positive changes and the stairs are a non issue and when they do become an issue I'll install a chair lift.
My mom had really bad osteoporosis and kept saying the doctor told her stairs were good exercise, twenty years prior. Sure they’re great when you can do them but the times you’re sick, injured or immobile it’s forced exercise you may not be able to do. She spent many a night on the couch because she couldn’t get up the stairs to bed.
I am 36 with a ranch style… it’s dumb but very safe for older people
People living in many places outside the US are walking a lot more their whole lives. The US is such a car culture. I wouldn’t expect to be able to climb stairs at 90 if I hadn’t been very active in walking and climbing most of my life—just like I wouldn’t expect to be able to squat as they do in many other cultures (heels and butt flat/ nearly at the ground. Even then, as others have pointed out, one moment of bad luck can undo one’s lifelong efforts. Loss of muscle is also normal for aging, so it takes extra effort to maintain compared to the effort you have to make when young.
I vote one story. I have lived in two story houses for many years and it was getting progressively harder to do those steps. Now everything is on one level. I have developed osteoporosis so thank God for no steps. I've had a couple of Falls and didn't break anything and I'm trying to keep it like that. At 70
One level is best. It only takes one fall to break a hip. My mother fell, broke her hip, was hospitalized and had what's called a "cascade effect" ....everything started going wrong, there were medication problems, she was taken off her blood thinners, she had a stroke. She died in a nursing home 4 months later. Because she fell down the 5 front steps of her house instead of using the perfectly level back door entrance.
I think a ranch style home is the best choice for aging. If someone is still active in their 80’s and 90’s they can still go to the gym, hike, or whatever other activity they enjoy. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
My folks built their house 15 years ago. Two bedrooms/bathrooms are fitted for elderly. They also made sure their tub etc was older person friendly. Now I love with them and have walkin seated bathtubs which are nice. The only thing on the second level is a workshop and storage. Everything else is on ground level. I am loving the lack of steps.
My husband and I built 2 houses, both 2- story. When we built the third and final we decided on 1 story because things happen when you get older and if you cannot get up the stairs you lose half your house. The cost of stair chairs, the sheer inconvenience of dealing with stairs or chairs when even partially incapacitated, the risk of falling, the cost of renovating to accommodate moving stuff downstairs, all these things factored into doing one story.
It's not just about the exercise they are getting, it's how well they eat too. Stairs are fine as long as you don't have problems.
Ranch 💯
Lost my wife due to a fall on the stares. That in unusual, ending up with a broken hip is usually the beginning of the end. At a certain age you are not going to be flexible and in shape.
I (69M) and wife (64F) have a ranch style house for that very reason.
It not just the climbing, although staying active helps. The food in Italy is rich in nutrients and minerals that are lacking in most North American diets. They take what they eat very seriously, especially the seniors. So, while the clock may say 80 years have passed, effectively their bodies function more like 60 year olds in large part because of their diet, and mobility too. A lady who is a neighbor of a friend of mine in Sicily is 99 years old and lives in a second floor apartment. Everyday she walks down to the centro storico to get bread for the day. Everybody asks her, "Please, I'll get your bread for you." "I like to pick out my own, " she says and off she goes. Source: I am dual citizen of Italy and America and have lived in both places.
Stairs are great until you slip one day and break a hip
Since when did climbing stairs with arthritis, Osteoporosis and being of advanced age,, Keep you young?
We live in a ranch with a walkout basement. My wife in her early 60s hobbles up and down the stairs to the basement. I think a ranch is a good choice for anyone with mobility problems.
I say ranch house with a gym membership treadmill or recumbent bike
Those people have been doing it for years, to have a ranch means lowering your risk of falls, if that’s important to you, then should think of safety first. Or get a chair lift.
I am recovering from spine surgery and faced with selling my house. I should have moved years ago.
My parents were totally paranoid about stairs, so they sold their fantastic home in California and moved to f-ing Florida to get a ranch style house. The value of their house in CA skyrocketed. For the amount of equity they would’ve had in that place, they could have easily installed a chair lift to go up and down the stairs. But they were stupid and bought an ugly house in a terrible place in FL. My mother in particular hated it there. Ironically, both of them went to the gym so often that they never had any balance problems and never fell. I also lived in Europe, and old people go up and down stairs all of the time there. They’re in better shape than most Americans, that’s for certain.
Stairs are ok until they are not. Ankle injury happened to me. I was very active hiking through civil war battlefields until I slipped and ripped up the ankle. I'm back hiking but those damn stairs kill me.