The house is going to kill you

The house is going to kill you.

There, I said it again.

When I worked in the retirement community industry, the owner of our company would tell the sales department in no uncertain terms what we needed to tell our customer to motivate her to move: “The house is going to kill you.”

The boss is the boss, and we actually ran ad copy with that contention running across the top.

Here’s what I learned from that exercise: Undeniably true statements don’t necessarily make good ad copy. The campaign flopped, and we just alienated our customers.

The sad part is, as he usually was, John was right. Here’s why that two story tall, single family house that was big enough to raise a family in becomes a death trap as we get older:

Finance drainer: take it from someone who owns one, houses can bleed your pocketbook dry. It’s not just the predictable stuff like the taxes and insurance, it’s those unpredictable maintenance costs that kill you… furnaces, roofs, dry rot, termites, water damage, worn out carpets, paint…. Every year it’s something big. Worrying about money causes stress, and stress causes illness. Does it make sense to keep paying for all that space you need just because you can’t figure out what to do with all of your stuff if you move to a more comfortably sized home?

Hip fracturer: I know “fracturer” isn’t a word, but that’s what the old house will do to us. Between the stairs, the ladders, the icy steps, and countless other hazards, big old houses land people in emergency rooms every single day. In addition to those tripping and slipping hazards, there is also the lack of exercise that comes with stay at home complacency that further weakens us physically. The other well publicized hazard is crashing your car if you’ve held onto your driver’s license too long, a topic I’ve blogged about before.

Social isolator: The world has changed. If your neighborhood hasn’t changed from the one you grew up in, congratulations. For most of us, we don’t have a lot of interaction with our neighbors. As we grow older, we don’t enjoy the companionship of others, we endure and numb ourselves with the companionship of the TV or internet. This is especially true for people who have lost a spouse and now live alone. Human beings aren’t built to live in isolation. There’s a reason the worst punishment you can be given in prison is to be sent to solitary confinement. Social isolation wears us out, depresses us, and brings about death and decline faster than anything else.

These three house-dwelling scenarios are completely preventable if you just have the strength to part with the house, and move to a place that’s predictably affordable, safe, and has great opportunity for social interaction, like a well run retirement community. Sadly, hardly anyone does. Most of us tough it out in the house until that house-induced hip fracture lands us in a nursing home, or something even worse happens.

You’ve dropped the turkey if you stayed in your house too long. Sounds great, but not ready for “that” yet? What’s ready? When you’ve crashed the car? Fell down the stairs? Dropped the Thanksgiving turkey on the floor in front of your whole family?

Preserve your independence. Get out of the house before you’re ready. You’ll be so glad you did, and so will your family.