Skip to main content
FamilyEducation
FamilyEducation
Family Education

FE-Menu

  • Pregnancy
    • <blank>
      • Pregnancy Tracker
      • Trying to Conceive
      • Signs & Symptoms
      • Pregnancy Health
    • <blank>
      • Baby Names
      • High Risk Pregnancies
      • Preparing for Baby
    • <blank>
      • Concerns & Complications
      • Labor & Delivery
      • Postpartum
  • Baby Names
    • <blank>
      • Browse All Baby Names (A-Z)
      • Top Names for Boys
      • Top Names for Girls
      • Baby Name Generator
    • <blank>
      • Baby Name Lists & Ideas
      • First Names By Origin
      • Browse All Last Names (A-Z)
      • Last Names by Origin
  • Babies
    • <blank>
      • Caring For Your Baby
      • Baby's Health
      • Feeding Your Baby
    • <blank>
      • Your Baby and Sleep
      • Baby's Growth & Development
      • Baby Hygiene
    • <blank>
      • Baby Safety
      • Baby Products
    • <blank>
  • Toddlers
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Growth and Development
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Behavior and Discipline
    • <blank>
      • Your Toddler and Sleep
  • Kids
    • <blank>
      • Health
      • Childhood Development
      • Fitness & Nutrition
      • Childhood Safety
    • <blank>
      • Communicating with Your Kids
      • Childhood Behavior and Discipline
      • Fostering Responsibility
      • Instilling Values & Manners
    • <blank>
      • Childcare
      • Neurodiversity in Kids
      • Adopting Children
  • Teens
    • <blank>
      • Teen Health
      • Teen Puberty & Sex
    • <blank>
      • Behavior & Discipline
      • Teen Social Development
    • <blank>
      • Values & Responsibilities
  • Activities
    • <blank>
      • Printables
      • Indoor Activities
      • Learning Activities
      • Arts and Crafts
      • Performing Arts
      • Food Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
    • <blank>
      • Books
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Online
      • Quizzes
      • Games
      • Celebrities
    • <blank>
      • Parties
      • Travel
      • Toys
      • Holidays
      • Gifts
  • Learning
    • <blank>
      • By Grade
      • By Subject
      • College
      • Preschool
    • <blank>
      • Back to School
      • Study Skills
      • Learning Styles
    • <blank>
      • Homeschooling
      • Parental Involvement
      • Your Child's School
  • Family Life
    • <blank>
      • Mom Life
      • Dad Life
      • Family Relationships
      • Having a Healthy Marriage
      • Divorce
    • <blank>
      • Health & Fitness
      • COVID Resources
      • Managing Your Home
      • Moving Your Family
      • Pets
    • <blank>
      • Family Finances
      • Work
      • Families and Food
  • NewslettersNewsletters
    Newsletters

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Family Life
  3. Moving Your Family
  4. Decisions In The Older Years: Thinking About Relocating

Decisions in the Older Years: Thinking About Relocating

It's common to think about relocating your living situation as you age. Learn about the dilemma, the plan, and the outcome of relocating.
  • facebook share icon
  • pin
  • twitter share icon
  • email share icon
  • Print page icon

Decisions in the Older Years: Thinking About Relocating

You are about to meet Betty, a 67-year-old widow living alone in a mid-western city where she has become an integral part of her community over the past 44 years. Her one surviving daughter—the only close relative she has—lives in Hawaii. The purpose of Betty's story is twofold:

  1. It represents a dilemma many women will increasingly be facing.
  2. The methodology she uses to resolve this dilemma is instructive and sound.

Experts tell us that how one copes with a crises—moving out of a home, facing financial reversals, the losing a spouse, or fighting illness—depends upon the meaning we give the circumstances. Resilient people look for and find a positive meaning then go on with their lives. Despairing people feel victimized and suffer from hopelessness and depression in the face of a crisis.

The Dilemma

Betty, an independent, resourceful, productive, and interesting woman, retired two years ago from a career in social services. She continues to use her skills to run a weekly support group for pregnant women confined to bed rest and participate in a school reading program. Recently, she began to contemplate moving to Hawaii to begin a new life near her married daughter and primary-school-age granddaughter. "The whole idea scares the hell out of me," Betty admits.

Still there are plenty of reasons for Betty to seriously consider the move: Her daughter, Toby, wants her to be closer; many of her friends (who have been an integral part of her life) now live six months of the year elsewhere, are deceased, or have moved to be closer to their children; she can no longer use work as an excuse; she misses her family; she wants to be a larger part of Cheryl's (her granddaughter) life; and, the idea of moving with a well-thought-out plan is more appealing to Betty than being forced into a sudden move prompted by a health emergency.

The Plan

"Finally I told Toby I would think about how I could do what she was asking of me," Betty said. "I decided to try it for one month in my own apartment. Of course I chose the shortest month, February. It is also the coldest and nastiest month in the Midwest."

During the course of that month Betty has a specific agenda. She wants to see if she could learn the community, find her way around, and meet people with whom she had the potential to become friends. To accomplish this she planned to make contact with local professional social work organizations, attend religious events, and see where she fit in.

Betty has also found that by being open and discussing her feelings with friends about the prospect of a move, she has been able to gain insight, perspective, and support.

The Outcome

"There is only one person who can make this move a success," Betty says. "That's me. I will only make this move if I have a good feel for my own independence. There is an element of challenge and adventure to it."

Although Betty puts the responsibility for a successful move on herself, the quality of her mother-daughter relationship surely will help. "Toby and I are getting closer and closer and closer all the time," Betty said. "Our relationship is changing all the time and we are both changing all the time. It is easier to talk to her now than when she was 15, 17, or 19. She is diplomatic, understanding, and upfront. I don't know if there is anything she wouldn't ask me. I would ask her anything—not about her husband and their relationship—about her feelings."

What's hot

  • Eye color genetic chart Family LifeWhat Color Will My Baby'…
  • 10 Signs of Divorce Family Life10 Signs Your Marriage is Over
  • woman standing on scale Family LifeWhat's a Normal BMI for…
  • Young girl eating a oatmeal with berries after a workout Family LifeCalorie Intake for Weight…
NewslettersNewsletters
Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.
Family Education
FamilyEducation does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Information on our advertising guidelines can be found here.

FE Footer

  • Newsletter Center
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Editorial Team
  • Expert Panel
  • Cookie Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info (for CA Residents)
sandbox learning logo
Family Education is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational reference sites for parents, teachers, and students. 

factmonster logoinfoplease logoTeacherVision logo

sandbbox logo
©2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company.