Aging in the country – to move or not to move – that is the question.
“Gonna move up to the country, and paint my mailbox blue.”
Taj Mahal’s hit of 1968 spoke to many young people who were tired of city smog, noise, and crowds of people, and were looking for a place in the country to grow their own veggies, build their homes, have chickens and maybe some farm animals. Communes, homesteading, and freedom called.
So if you were born in the 1940s or ’50s and followed this path, you may be wondering now if you will have to ‘move back to the city, and paint your cellphone blue’ (so you can find it when you need to call a cab, because you cannot drive anymore).
As someone who only partly fits this model, having moved out to the country in the ’80s and not having done the farming thing, I was curious to see if there is (or is likely to be) a return exodus.
A couple I know (let’s call them Daylia and Dave) who are, respectively, 79 and 84 years old, are now living on a lovely cul-de-sac close to amenities in Comox. No, they were not “back to the landers,” but they did have one-third of an acre on a slope – a property Dave speaks of with a faraway look of nostalgia – about a 10-minute drive from Comox. In 2011, Dave had a stroke and they made the decision to move. The property seemed overwhelming to them at that time. Their present location is lovely and private, but they have moved three times since the 2011 move to find this little oasis on a city lot.
A woman in her 70s told me recently of her move with her husband to an apartment in town close to the ocean. They had a lovely well-maintained country home and gardens. When I asked why they moved, she said, “Well my husband is 80.” And as an afterthought, she added, “We could not continue to maintain our country property.”
A country couple on acreage, John and Jennifer, bit the bullet at 71 and 70 years of age and moved into Comox, leaving a lovely acreage, huge orchard and vegetable garden. “The main reason,” says John, “is that we did not want our kids to have to move us when we are too old to do it ourselves. There was just too much work with the orchard, garden and woodcutting. From here, we can join the other seniors, when we are no longer able to drive, and take our scooters to the mall.”
Apprehension about losing one’s licence is in the mix, but the main reason seniors seem to be moving is they will not be able to maintain the country estate, and their age, physical limitations and perhaps the stellar job they have done of that maintenance over the years, militates against continuing, and encourages a move. And by moving before serious medical problems develop, they are hoping to save their kids some difficult times.
Next month… those who don’t plan to move back to the city.
Jennifer Pass is the co-ordinator of Comox Valley Elders Take Action.
