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Be a planetizen.

MOXIE COSMOS SAYS…

I confess: I am a www.planetizen.com addict. I find the online “digest” for professional planners, designers and developers irresistible, and I could spend hours reading about ideas for a future I will not live to see.

On February 18, I encountered Will Doig’s feature on “How to solve the boomer retirement crisis.” It advises attracting older people

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Mother's Last Home - Photos

After Remodel for Mom

MOXIE COSMOS SAYS…

THIS IS MY MOTHER’S LAST HOME – OUR HOME

Floor Plan Before CAPS Remodel

Here is how we remodeled a 1938 house to provide a second master suite, and below it are photos of the structural changes discussed in my recent posts about how we remodeled a house to accommodate an 80-year-old with

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PART IV My 80-year-old Stay-at-Home Mom

We moved into a 1938 house that had not been updated for decades, and to accommodate our needs we had to do some remodeling. Most urgently, we needed a larger bathroom for Mom’s suite and a whole new bathroom for what would be our master suite.

We chose a remodeler who qualified as a Certified Aging-In-Place

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Part III My 80-year-old Stay-at-Home Mom

Mom with Bob and Me 1947

Mom with Bob and Me 1947

Mother and Dad were in the habit of sitting outside their house on pleasant evenings. This began at their suburban home in St. Louis, where they had a flagstone patio and could expect neighbors from the two other houses on the block to join them, at least on weekends.

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PART II MY 80-YEAR-OLD STAY-AT-HOME MOM

Mom and Dad 1937

Mom and Dad 1937

Luckily, my husband was all for having my mother live under our roof, difficult as she could be. She loved men and he enjoyed letting her be charming. Luckily, too, we had understanding friends. One is not only a dog-lover, so one more dog under the table was not a problem,

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My 80-year-old Stay-at-Home Mom, Part I

Mom at 19

Mom at 19

MOXIE COSMOS SAYS . . .

My artist friend Trudy is still uncertain about moving to an Assisted Living facility. Her concerns center on having space for a studio and her dog. Also, the fact that she is under 70 years old means she will be younger and abler than most of her

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Do you dread Assisted Living?

MOXIE COSMOS SAYS . . .

My friend Trudy, an astonishingly productive artist, is now resigned to the fate of going into a retirement “home” to get the help she needs to deal with Parkinson’s Disease.  She has had in-home caregivers part time up until now, but needs less responsibility and more security.

The problem is, she’s

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Co-housing could be the answer.

MOXIE COSMOS SAYS . . .

In the Sunbelt, adult communities like Sophie George’s Bridgewater Village, with its golf courses, swimming pools, and shuffle board courts, drew millions of Snowbelt couples into “active retirement.”  This resulted in parents geographically isolated from their children.  When they are lonely, phone calls, e-mails, texts and Webcam can make up

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