Seniors Housing & Healthcare Trends

NEW YORK: There is a rebellion against the rising pressure to downsize, with many seniors refusing to let go of the family.

The anti-downsizers are a small but stubborn cohort of seniors who are bucking social and family pressure to sell the family home and move into an apartment or villa, often in a different neighbourhood.

Real estate agents say pressure had grown with the rise in housing choice in recent years, noting an explosion in downsizers in the past nine months in line with the housing boom.

The agents say while downsizing is a positive move for many, or perhaps even most people, they are concerned some reluctant seniors are bowing to pressure against their will.

But not the anti-downsizers.

Seniors like Brenda Di Costa say nothing — including her five adult children and 12 grandchildren — will tear her away from her house.

As much as she loves her family, she has no interest in moving to the upmarket inner-city or western suburbs to be near them, saying her beloved Morley home holds all the memories she hold dear.

“I hope I’m here for another 20 years,” she says.

Aged 77, she does a quick mental calculation and then laughs.

“Maybe not 20 years.”

But one thing is certain, she will not downsize in a hurry.

The self-proclaimed independent woman said she hated apartments so much she did not even like to visit friends who live in them.

“Apartments make me feel like I’m going into an office,” she said.

“I don’t want to sit looking at four walls all day. I like the space at my house.”

She said she and her wide network of friends often discussed the pressure to downsize, which usually came from children.

It was an emotional subject for her peers because her generation was taught the family home was the Great Australian Dream, and few wanted to give up on it just because they were old.

“I was brought up to believe your house is everything, you put everything into your house,” she said. “I have raised children in this house — 12 grandchildren were born while I was in this house.

“Nothing makes me happier than to sit on the patio and watch the grandkids play cricket and sometimes smash the windows. I love it.”

Her son, Frank Di Costa, a sales executive with Xceed Real Estate, said he had noticed a massive increase in downsizers since late last year.

He said the trend had been jump-started by the rising demand for real estate, and skyrocketing property prices.

He said adult children were usually the ones driving the decision to unlock equity in the family home now that WA had emerged from the long-running property downturn.

Though Mr Di Costa hoped his mother would downsize to a smaller more manageable home closer to himself and his siblings, he respected her right to remain in the home.

He said most children selling their parents’ home were similarly well-meaning, eager to ensure this generation of elders — who were largely without superannuation — could enjoy their final years in comfort. But chief executive of the Council of the Ageing WA, Christine Allen, said while it was usually well-meaning, it was sometimes driven by children wanting an early inheritance.

She stressed the importance of supporting those who wanted to stay in their homes, given the social and familial pressure to downsize.

She said a recent example of undue pressure included a woman in her 80s who visited the COTA office seeking information on how to demolish her home and build three townhouses — a move staff believed was driven by her children.

Mrs Allen said regardless of whether the reason was well-intentioned or driven by self-interest, putting older parents under heavy pressure to move could be categorically classified as “elder abuse.”

“Nobody should be making decisions on behalf of seniors without their consent,” she said.

“We know that the highest proportion of elder abuse is financial and it’s perpetrated by children.

“Sometimes elder abuse is unintentional. Children, wanting to act in the best interest of their parents, might be making decisions for their parents without consulting them.

“They need to be more aware that seniors — unless they have lost capacity — have the right to make their own choices.

“They may be choices that we don’t agree with, and they may even be harmful — but it’s their choice, and it has to be respected.”

Despite concerns about undue pressure, Ms Allen said downsizing worked for most people, allowing the residents a comfortable, lock-up-and-leave lifestyle.

She said modern homes were often easier to live in because they supported technology such as Alexa, allowing conveniences such as voice-controlled light switches.

New homes were often better equipped for wheelchairs and walking aids, and enjoyed a more ambient temperature than draughty, old homes.

Planning Minister Rita Saffioti said it was a key policy of the State Government to introduce greater housing choice, so people could age in their own neighbourhoods.

She said it was driven largely by demand, with the local need for smaller homes shown by the massive proportion of apartment sales at Claremont Oval to local seniors.

She conceded it was not for everyone — her own mother lives on 10ha — and stressed the importance of individual choice. The Property Council of Australia confirmed the demand for downsizing options, saying statistics showed up to 40 per cent of survey respondents wanted a smaller home, provided they could find the right property and location.

The council is calling for a last homeowners’ grant to provide seniors the funds to move to a smaller place.

Silver Chain executive director Renae Lavell said the group was about supporting those who chose to remain living in their current home.

As the royal commission survey of 10,000 Australians showed, 80 per cent want to stay living in their current home.

Elizabeth Woodgate, 73, and husband Peter are among the recipients of Silver Chain services — including pill checks, showering services and physiotherapy — which helps them to remain in their Wannanup home of more than 30 years.

Mrs Woodgate said she and her husband had designed their home so they did not feel crowded in by neighbours, claiming they could not cope living in close quarters with other people.

She said eight weeks in a nursing home had been an eye-opener for her.

While she met some lovely people and embraced a healthy diet, which aided her recovery, she said many residents longed to return to their own homes.

“It has an impact on you when you are not in your own place,” she said. “I think some people may lose heart.”