Does “Age in Place” + “This Old House” = Affordable Plan?

Most of my family likes the PBS television show “This Old House.” (Not me: I prefer “International House Hunters.”)  I have a good friend– we’ll call her Louise —  who is getting ready to celebrate her 90th birthday and has the ability to turn a good phrase.  For years she has been saying her plan was to stay in her home, a lovely “old house” built in the 1920s, until “whatever happens next.”  (She also refers to my writings here for Elder Law Prof as my “blobs.”) 

Recently, however, Louise admitted to considering a new plan.  One thing after another in “this old house” was going wrong.  First it was her land-line phone that would intermittently crackle and pop, eventually making all calls impossible. Next it was seemingly random problems with loss of electricity to one side of the house or the other.  Finally, when everything in the kitchen lost power, she got serious. Soon there was a big trench behind the house, as the electricians tried to locate the problem. 

Eventually they found about a 4 foot length of burned wiring in the ground, inside of the buried conduit leading to the house (!).  They explained the wiring in and to Louise’s house was just “too old.” Fortunately, my friend could afford the massive repairs (not cheap), but that still meant living with her daughter 45 minutes away, and commuting to meet with the workers during the weeks without any power.  And as she asked, “what’s next?”  Her house is about 3 years older than Louise.

Louise’s story plus a recent article from the Patriot News got me thinking.  In Harrisburg, PA, the mayor was proposing a way to help a 92 year-old-woman get help to deal with sewer line repairs from the street to her house that cost $10,000.  Helping one person — the proposal was for $2,000 — was just the tip of the iceberg (so to speak — I’m running out of metaphors).  The article explained:

But with the city’s aging and neglected infrastructure, the sewer lines connecting private homes to the public sewer mains could become a big problem for homeowners, city councilmembers said Monday night. If a lateral sewer line breaks in Harrisburg, even if it’s under the public street, the homeowner is responsible to repair or replace it, according to city ordinance. The repairs typically cost thousands of dollars….

 

The elderly woman’s line cracked after UGI performed work on the block that involved digging, [city councilman] Baltimore said. He said he feared more problems could arise as UGI performs upgrades and ‘turns dirt’ throughout the city near the fragile underground lines that are buried 10 to 17 feet below surface.

As we support people in their understandable desires to “age at home,” it is important to be realistic about what that means, not just in terms of health and social care, but infrastructure.  “Aging in place” may not be affordable, depending on “the place.”

Louise, thank you for suggesting this topic — “this blob’s for you.”