How to choose a flat for a senior?

People put down roots – that is obvious. All the more so the older they are. For most of them, moving "in old age" seems unthinkable. Simply leaving behind a familiar home, the neighbourhood, the neighbours…? Life, however, takes no account of sentiment. Sometimes it forces us to change our habits, whether we like it or not. Some will get through this relatively painlessly; for others it will be much harder. How can you help your parents or grandparents find a suitable flat?

The needs of older people differ considerably from those of young people, e.g. those buying their very first flat. Seniors have the stage of raising children behind them, but they face problems with health and physical fitness. What conditions, then, should their new home meet?

Position in the block

Climbing stairs is quite a challenge for older people. So that a senior does not become a prisoner of their own flat, they should live on a suitably low floor, e.g. the first or second, and best of all the ground floor. In tower blocks the position of the flat in theory does not matter, because a lift is available to residents, after all. The catch is that lifts sometimes break down. In an 11-storey building the fourth floor still seems perfectly manageable, but in a lower one not necessarily. Remember that under the regulations on the technical conditions that buildings and their location should meet, there is no obligation to install a lift in buildings with fewer than 6 storeys. Only where there are 5 floors above the ground floor must the developer install a lift. Climbing the stairs to and from the fourth floor may be too hard for a senior.

Size of the flat

Generally speaking, a flat for a senior should be small. Only one or two people will live in it. A smaller flat will be cheaper to buy and later to maintain, and will be less of a reminder of loneliness. Over time a senior may grow increasingly frail, and then a short distance from the living room to the kitchen and bathroom will make things much easier. Moving to a smaller flat is also a chance to sort through the things accumulated over the years. Many of them are useless, but there is usually no motivation to "deal with" them. There is no better opportunity than a move.

Location in the city

While young people flee the crowded centre for the green outskirts of the city, seniors do not have that luxury. Their flat should be located close to places important to older people: public transport stops, the family doctor's surgery, a pharmacy, a well-stocked shop or marketplace, a post office. Of course you cannot have everything, so a senior will still have to travel to some places, but the library and the seniors' club will still be closer for someone living in the centre than for someone on a suburban estate of detached houses.

Furnishings

What will be in the flat itself is also very important. At the stage of choosing a flat for sale, however, it is not that significant. The fact that the previous owners are leaving the flat fully furnished should not be seen as a mark of quality. A senior may feel out of place surrounded by furniture and décor that once belonged to someone else. It is better to find an empty flat and move in the sofa, sideboard, table and other furniture that the senior was attached to in their previous home.