Moving can be an adventure at any age. By the age of 26, I had lived in Arizona, California, Georgia, Oregon, Virginia, and even Japan. As a senior, leaving long-time friends, loved places, and well-known services can be a jolt. I know, because I’ve done it twice in the last eight years. As an older adult, relocating has a different flavor. Many of you are native Oregonians, but my Oregon Trail has been a bit more convoluted. In 2015, I left my California home of 25 years to be near family in Corvallis, after losing my spouse, a former Marine, in 2009. In 2018, I remarried, and moved yet again in 2019, after my new husband became ill. His doctor recommended that we move near my son and his family for caregiving assistance. They happened to be in Tualatin, which I now consider home.
At my first stop, Corvallis, I rented while I looked for what I thought would be my forever home, located new medical care, set up internet, electricity, gas, and other needed services. I set out on a plan to make new friends and began to build a solid, happy existence in my new surroundings. Suddenly, through a twist of fate, I was being asked to repeat the whole process.
Once again, I got a realtor and a moving company, and prepared for the change. There were few homes for sale near my son’s house. It was a challenge to find a single story close by, but we succeeded. Soon, I was ready to venture out to find my niche in a new town. One of my first attempts at becoming a part of the community was to visit the Juanita Pohl Center. I’d never been to a senior center before and didn’t know what to expect. I found a group called, “Getting to Know You.” We met once a week to chat and get acquainted. This was a successful endeavor, and I even ended up at a New Year’s Eve party at the home of Shelby, a lovely woman from the group.
Joining the Tualatin Elks was another fruitful experience. As part of the beautification committee, many hours were spent pulling weeds, pruning trees, and spiffing up the outdoors in general. I made more new friends and felt connected in the process.
The Next Door app provided recommendations for all sorts of services. (Just use the search bar.) Using this resource, I also met another newcomer to the area. We chatted online, finally met in person, and together we started the Tualatin Walkie Talkies. This ended up providing me with a core group of delightful friends.
I’ve recently learned that there are resources to assist seniors with their moves. I hadn’t realized that Seniors Real Estate Specialists are available who are trained to meet the unique needs of senior home-buyers and sellers. Senior Move Managers can help with downsizing and putting a move plan into place. Senior Placement Professionals can help with figuring out what a next “home” might look like from the many living options available. It’s helpful to know that there are professionals to turn to if needed.
I found that Tualatin welcomed me with open arms. Each of you who take a moment to greet and welcome newcomers are helping them fall in love with Tualatin, just as I did.
When Susan Noack invited me to cowrite this column with her, she explained that the purpose was to “provide seniors with resources to navigate in a senior world.” I’m delighted to help with this task and encourage you to email me if you have topic suggestions. We’re all in this together!
Happy New Year and welcome to 2024. The Aging in Place Column has been in this publication since September 2015. Thank you to Michael Antonelli and Tualatin Life for encouraging and supporting the Aging Task Force to share with our senior community information and resources to enhance the lives of our older population. I am pleased to announce a change in the column, beginning this month. Please welcome Bev Forsman as our new co-columnist (we will share every other month) and enjoy her perspective on senior living and aging in place.
Thank you to all our faithful readers over these many years and we look forward to more in the future, Susan
