Do you know what I dread the most about the time when I (may) have to leave my Independent Living apartment and move down to the Memory Care or Assisted Living building? Aside from the fact that I'd be losing either my mental or physical agility? That's a universal dread here in the land of continuum care living. But the fact that I'd have to get dressed in the mornings on someone else's time schedule is not and I will hate that. (Here I go again, borrowing trouble from the future.) I've never been one to start out my day by popping out of bed and getting into a shower, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as my mom used to say. She was not a morning person either.
Not surprising I got my love of bathrobe living from my mom. It made Christmas shopping easy for my dad because he caught on to her favorite gift to get year after year. Can you believe it, my mom's all-time favorite bathrobe is still in existence? It's a long, chenille robe with a peacock on the back, circa late 1940's (photo above). It now resides on a mannequin in my youngest niece's bedroom. When I gave it to her eight years ago she promised not to fry bacon in it, but I'm pretty sure my mother did that too many times to count. Just because she liked living in robes doesn't mean she lounged around in them. I'm the same way. I like to be comfortable when I do housework. And if I need to defend myself even farther, when I was younger I used to break out into pressure hives from my clothing so I had to change out of what ever I was wearing a couple of times a day. After months of experimenting we ruled out laundry products and fabric content. Even today, I'll get out of my day clothes as early as I can in the evenings and stay in my robe as late as I can in the mornings. Neither of which is allowed in the MC or AL buildings.
Still on topic, back when I had a dog I once took him to the veterinary because he had a bright purple nose. I was really worried. The diagnosis was “it’s a fungus” and the cure, he said, “was worse than the disease.” What a quack he turned out to be! The next week our dog groomer picked all the crusty, purple stuff off the dog’s nose and showed it to me and a light bulb went off in my head. It was exactly that same color as my new, purple chenille bathrobe. Turned out the cure for the “fungus” was a good vacuuming. I just googled how to prevent chenille from shedding and I got an answer that was labeled "AI Overview." It said: "Vacuum your chenille item regularly to prevent future shedding." Artificial Intelligence really is better than my own, self-made intelligence. I was vacuuming the floors in the entire house when I could have been just vacuuming my bathrobe.
That winter I was so sick brightly colored dust bunnies around the house that I’d taken to wearing my chenille bathrobe inside out hoping that would contain the little fuzz balls from jumping ship. I'd washed that robe a zillion times and it still created those pretty purple dust bunnies. I'd even find them on my keyboard! But I wouldn't dare wear my bathrobes inside out now that I'm old because it could be used against me in a sanity hearing, if my nieces caught me doing it. “Yes, sir, Mr. Judge. My aunt can’t even dress herself without getting her garments on wrong side out.” The older I get the more I want to write notes about why I do this or that and leave them all over house and in the pockets of the things I wear. My nieces would find pocket notes, I think, because I'm pretty sure they were aware that after my mom died we found ten and twenty dollar bills hidden in the pockets of her out-of-season clothing.
There is no clever transition from writing about bathrobes to property taxes. So I'll just jump in here by announcing a new topic. For the last four months our tenacious Residents Council here at the continuum care complex has been trying to get to the bottom of why our property taxes went up 19% this past year and also why we even have to pay property taxes at all, given the fact that we're a non-profit and we don't even own our apartments. Some other states don't tax non-profit care facilities and some counties here in Michigan don't either. It's a topic of conversation you're likely to hear discussed around here on a weekly basis and there's even a bill stuck in the State Senate that addresses this very issue. The Residents Council has been over to our State Capital prepared to testify and they've paraded a bunch of speakers past us for meet-and grills---I mean meet-and-greets. Our tax assessor and city mayor, our state representative, a non-profit lobbyist and our CEO have all been been brave enough to stand in front of a bunch of angry, elderly people to talk about taxes.
Anyway: If you are looking into CCCs as a living option be sure to ask them about property taxes. We were all caught off guard by how much that adds to our yearly expenses. This past year it was $3,000 to $6,000 depending on the size of our apartments. Our sister campus is in another city and they pay half that amount. Our meet-and-greets have been well attended with over-flowing crowds and a common complaint is that our Benevolent Fund, that is contractually obligated to take care of us even if we run out of money, might not be able to handle us all if the tax rates keeping going up. (I'm not the only one who borrows trouble from the future.) They have nine million dollars in the Benevolent Trust Fund but supposedly they can only spend the interest. No one can beat me at the game of borrowing trouble from the future. Already, if you run out of money while living here you are subject to sharing a room but I worry that if there too many of us who runs out of money the CCC could revert back to their humble beginnings a 100 years ago and turn a few buildings into a poor farm for the elderly where we'd sleep in bunk rooms lined up a dozen to a room and we'd have to work in the community garden, kitchen or laundry if we'd want to eat. On the bright side, even that would be better than what I used to worry about before moving here and that was I'd end up living in a refrigerate box under a bridge. ©
Until Next Wednesday!
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| This is my mom wearing the robe pictured above the Christmas my dad gave it to her. That's me with my eyes shut. I didn't take good photos even as a kid. My mom made the matching drapes and slipper covers on the couch. I just bought a clothe laptop case with the same pattern and colors. What goes around comes around. |
What a perfect topic for October. Like you, I am not an early bird. I used to be but now I have to make myself pop out of bed at 9am. Put on a summer robe or a winter robe, get my cup of joe and then read, read, write and read. I'm ready to start my day at 11:30!
ReplyDeleteI try to start getting ready for my day around 10:00 but it's not a fast and furious rule. My favorite part of the day is the few hours before 10:00 when I drink coffee and roam around in cyberspace.
DeleteChenille--I just loved it for bathrobes and bedspreads. And I'm a big fan of comfy clothes around the house. Heck, I've started wearing more comfortable clothes everywhere. It's tee shirts and shorts in the summertime and sweats in the winter. Jeans and cotton knit tops make my list, too. Life is good. Especially while we are able to decide how we're going to live. Right after my husband had his stroke, long before we knew that he'd make a good recovery, I started looking into assisted care options. I was very concerned about how he would handle the loss of independence. Jean, I think many of us share your concern for losing our right to choose how we live. It's scary. Taxes--they can be scary, too. I don't understand how they can charge you residents for taxes if you don't actually own your units. We moved to a littler home to reduce taxes. Now I hear that all of us will be gouged with higher property insurance rates due to all the horrible storm losses. It is a comfort to know that we're all in the same boat (I guess).
ReplyDeleteSome of (all?) the counties where they don't charge property taxes on independent living apartments have city income taxes. On the other side of our fight to exempt us from paying property taxes are the cities who don't want to give up that income. I will never in a hundred years understand why we pay property taxes on apartments we don't own and can't sell.
DeleteWow, that is some bathrobe! I've certainly never had one that spectacular. I always opt for a fleece robe for the warmth. Your mom would love the way leggings and other athleisure clothing are the norm now for everyone. She'd be so comfy, yet fully dressed.
ReplyDeleteShe would have. In her eighties she went all farmer on us. Bib overall and pigtails and flannel shirts. She was tiny by then looked pretty cute.
DeleteI'm with you in feeling the need to leave evidence as to why I do what I do. For instance, I sort husband's and my pills out into weekly plastic containers that have separate compartments for the days of the week. The current week's plastic containers (his and mine) are kept in a large, sun-shielding plastic glass on the breakfast table. As I am right-handed, I put the week's plastic containers vertically into the "glass" with "Sunday" on bottom and "Saturday" on top. I am too lazy to flip those containers each morning when I dole out our pills but just empty the first compartment at the top to minimize stray sun exposure. We use our pills in the Saturday-Friday-Thursday-et cetera order. If our kids see that, we'll be headed for the nearest home for the bewildered.
ReplyDeleteThat's the kind of thing that makes perfect sense when you explain it but would have your kids scratching their heads if they just saw it. I never even though about sun exposure effecting medication! But you are right.
DeleteI do a lot of puttering in the morning in my housecoat. My neighbor came to the door unannounced one morning <10. I debated: get dressed first? don't answer the door? I decided to answer the door in my housecoat. The neighbor actually took a step backward. That will teach him.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why being seen is a bathrobe is still some what a no-no because they cover up so much more than some of the clothing worn today. I've recently started letting my cleaning lady clean while I'm in my robe. She comes at 9:00 and I hang out in my den drinking coffee. Better than rushing through a shower and worrying about not getting done in time.
DeleteIt sounds like the company that owns your complex should be paying the property taxes. Of course, then they would up your rent to cover their expense so it would probably come out to the same amount per year that you end up paying now.
ReplyDeleteI wear comfy clothes all of the time.
The whole thing is crazy. If they separate the property taxes from the fees we can get part of that back at income tax time using a renter's something or rather. So it benefit us not to have them rolled into your monthly fees.
DeleteYour posts are a joy to read. As a youngish widow ( lost my husband almost two years ago when I was 57), you give me hope that life still holds joy in the ordinary bits, and puzzles to solve
ReplyDeleteThat really does not seem right on the taxes. My second half are due 10/15. They've gone up 6,% each Year and the last two years. My husband had always been the one to pay the bill so I didn't notice previous increases, but this has been the trend as house values inflate.
Thank you for the kind words. Widowhood is a process, that's for sure.
DeleteThe CCC has hired a firm that is doing an in depth study of what we're being taxed on and will challenge the tax bills for us if they feel we're being taxed too high compared to other like businesses. The city assessor had the balls to say if we end up getting a non-profit status that it will keep other places like this from being built. The city will just not zone for low tax generating building. That's the reason there is a housing storage of affordable houses, they restrict the size of the houses built to the ones with more square footage so they can tax higher.
What joy to wake up to the purple dog nose aka fuzzy bathrobe story! I would think they would have disclosed the property tax issue in the financial breakdown up front but agree that if the nonprofit paid it then it would be factored into higher rents.
ReplyDeleteThey did mention them up front but told us it would amount to $100 a month but it's closer to $400 for me and more for others. That 19% increase in one year is what took us all by surprise.
DeleteI still remember my favorite chenille robe from the 80s and would buy it again today if I could find one as nice. I was border line angry all the time when my mother was in skilled nursing. After she broke her hip, they set her up for PT at 7 am. When they complained that she wasn't making enough progress, I explained that she would do much better at noon. They offered PT to people outside the complex, and "saved" prime appointment times for the outsiders. Infuriating.
ReplyDeleteMy city has not assessed properties or increased property taxes since 2012. The party is over, though, because there is a new administration in town, and they are preparing to increase us by 45%! Here is hoping it will never pass.
Nina
The story about your mom is what's hard to take with health facilities. I get why they have to set everything to the work schedules of the healthcare aids, nurses and PTs, STs and OTs but it's just sad that the patient's are expected to change life-long habits and be happy about it.
Delete45% increase? Gosh, I will quit complaining about our 19% The past administration didn't do you any favorite letting things go that long. A town does need working capital to run things but.....
Currently sitting my bathrobe at 10:49 am. I do get dressed before lunch, but it is a struggle. If I have nothing on my calendar, I am a robe person!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, those property taxes. Unbelievable!! I never heard of such a thing. There needs to be statewide legislation to stop this. Ridiculous!
There is a bill in your state senate to rule on this issue but it's stuck and not expected to go anywhere anytime soon. The non-profit lobbyist says the cities and towns are pushing back big time because they'd have to find ways to make up for that money coming in...and it's hard to get city income taxes approved by the voters. It seems weird that a CCC in a township just a few miles away isn't taxed but we are.
DeleteGlad I'm only bathrobe person!
I'm with you and your mom! I am a robe person. Now if only I could find a thin enough (yet still cozy) one to take travelling with me, as I only travel with carry-on luggage. Yeah, dreaming the impossible dream...Thanks for another great post, Jean!
ReplyDeleteDeb
That's probably why so many resorts and better hotels have the 'loaner' terry cloth robes. I have a light weight terry cloth bathing suit robe that I use to travel. it's shorter than my preferred robe style but it's better than nothing.
DeleteI don't own a bathrobe, can't even remember as a child if my mom dressed me in one. It's likely. I just don't recall it. As a young adult and even now, I've wrapped myself in big button down shirts and now tee shirts. There was once a fire in the carport, my car was in danger. Jumping out of bed, I had no time to find and grab a shirt, so I grabbed the sheet off the bed, wrapped my naked body in it, flew out of the unit, drove the car out of the carport, parked it across the street, ran back to my unit (barefoot) wrapped in that sheet. No one seemed to notice.
ReplyDeleteI bet someone noticed but had the good graces not to mention it. If there was ever a good reason to be wrapped in a bed sheet you had one. Fun story! Thanks for sharing it.
DeleteSounds like a perfect Excuse to go Streaking to me Shirley. *Winks*
DeleteThank you for this. I am wondering if you or any of the residents there have a Long Term Care insurance policy. My husband and I have had them since my Mother was ill and have paid a lot of money into them. I wonder if those in CCC feel they are worth it. Jackie
ReplyDeleteYou have to meet a certain income/assets standard to quality to live in a CCC and if you have Long Term Care insurance you'll qualify with flying colors. CCCs would love it if we all had LTI. We have people here with it and it gives them much more flexibility as couples...say one needs assisted living and the other can stay in independent living. They can better afford to either hire extra help for the one who needs it without moving to another building or if they do have to move to another building they don't have to worry about paying the fees for two places. At least two people I know are in the latter situation. Another woman whose husband recently died in the memory care building died in the last month his long-term insurance ran out....I think it was at a two year mark but don't quote me on that.
DeleteThank you so much for this reply. You and I were in touch a few years ago when I blogged about my dog. My husband and I live in Georgia and our son lives in Michigan. I really enjoy your blog but am not one to comment often. Thanks again. Jackie
DeleteI loved the dog blogs! I miss having a dog every day.
DeleteLove that chenille peacock robe! I have one with appliqued stars and moons that's gotta be 30 years old and I wouldn't part with it. It washes and dries beautifully, and I don't wear it that often, so it is in great shape. It's my comfort garment when I'm freezing or sick or just need comfort.
ReplyDeleteWe just got my mom moved into AL (she's 92 and was living independently but needs more help) and one of her complaints was having to get dressed to go down for breakfast. But she is adapting and I think it's been good for her to be around more people. She also has the option of eating in her apartment, of course, but she likes a hot meal that she doesn't have to cook. :-)
I had no idea they taxed you in that CCC! That's kinda crazy. It seems like every munipality and state is looking for ways to provide services and pass the cost to someone else. I don't get it. But I hope you get some relief. That's a hefty add on to your monthly costs.
Lots of people living alone and going into assisted living thrive with the increase of activity and people around. But dressing for breakfast would be a bummer. Here in both AL and MC they will serve you breakfast in your room so you can get dressed afterward which gives you a little leeway.
DeleteI have never been one to wear a robe, do wear my soft pink robe with the hood when I go with Sam to wait for the transport during the cold winter mornings and afternoons.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know what a transport is. I'm assuming it's a bus?
DeleteI live in Portland, OR and I there are only 2 CCC's here (that identify themselves as such), and one has a buy in of nearly a million dollars! That puzzles me and makes me think there must be others that call themselves something else.
ReplyDeleteI totally enjoy hearing about your life in a CCC, and find it appealing, but I still enjoy gardening too much to move someplace where I can't. I truly hope I conk out before I become too frail to interact with plants (planting, pruning - and yes, I talk to them while I'm out there.)
Our sister campus has an outdoor garden for residents and an indoor greenhouse. It's not unusual to find gardening perks/opportunities in these kinds of places. We voted on having raised flower beds on my campus but it got voted down because hardly anyone was interested. Here, we have four women who volunteer to take care of the perennials around our entrance and piazza and a man does all the flower arrangements volunteerly using the CCC budget.
DeleteOur highest buy-in cost here is $345,000 for 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths and lake views. The lake views come at a hefty cost for the same size units on the other size of the building. Par of our buy in cost goes into a health care bank account of sorts. I can't imagine the Cadillac healthcare plan they must have in a place with a million dollar buy in!
For that kind of money you could buy yourself a lot of home healthcare.
You certainly could! For a million bucks, t's a pretty deluxe place....far more luxurious than most of us would care about.
DeleteWe have one in town with its own golf course. The people who live there are all much too rich for my blood. I toured it once and all I could think about is that it looked like Stepfordville for old people.
DeleteLoved this Post Jean. Mom used to wear those "Housecoats" in her latter Years, I didn't like them, it was counter to her usual flair for having Style. But, in her Younger Years she worse Silk Kimonos on the Regular, those I J'Adored. She also had long Gossamer Robes that went over her Pajamas, The Daughter fondly remembers Nanna's long Gossamer Sexy Robes. In contrast, I truly am an Old Hippie and wear Tie Dye T-Shirts and loud print Sweat Pants, so NOT Sexy. *LOL* I would prefer to Sleep Nude but having 3 Generations and the Extra Bathroom in the House in our Room, they've all asked me to please NOT. *Bwahahahah* I'd be in serious trouble in a CCC I'm sure, they'd whisk me off to the advanced care buildings immediately... or... an Asylum. *Winks* I had a Chenille Peacock Bedspread, and another Chenille Bedspread with big Hippie looking Flowers on it... I think The Young Prince now has them. Chenille is very Retro so the Youngsters who like Vintage still Buy it up. I've seen your Bath Robes in Chenille Selling for over $100 in Vintage Shops!!! As for Taxes, you're right, as a Non-Profit they should have the same Status of not being assessed Taxes at all, let alone the hefty amount they're gouging you for, which is more, almost double, for what I pay for a Mini Farm Annually!!! Of coarse Agricultural in Arizona is lowest Tax Rate you can be assessed and why I chose it as a Forever option. My Historic Home was Grandfathered and it's Taxes were only just over $300 Annually! I miss that low a Tax Base. *Le Sigh* Many States have absurd Taxation structuring and why they're losing Populations that can't afford the high Taxes. Even in some States that have cheap Housing, their Taxes are ridiculously high for owning a Cheap Property, so I can't even Imagine what an Expensive Property there would be assessed?! My Friend Bess Sold all her Paid Off Properties, expensive Brownstones, in Chicago coz it was costing her Ten Grand Annually EACH. She bought Investment Properties in a Retirement Community here, paid Cash for them all, and had low Taxation and better Retirement Income from having done that. I hope you all prevail and get a refund!!!
ReplyDeleteYour mom probably switched to house coat from silk kimonos in her elder years because of the cost factor. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
DeleteMost of us are now paying more in property taxes than we paid for bigger houses. We're opening the firm the CCC hired to check into how the city evaluated the place finds a major 'wrong' in the way they set the numbers.
It's funny. My mother's chenille robe was one of the last of her possessions I let go of. It was plain yellow, and a good bit of the chenille had worn off, but I still wore it from time to time after getting out of the shower in winter. One day, I just thought: "It's time." And I tossed it. Otherwise, I don't have a robe. When I get up, I get dressed -- but I'm always getting ready to head out after coffee, either for work, roaming the countryside, or running errands like grocery shopping.
ReplyDeleteI remember chenille bedspreads, too. My grandmother had them, and their poofiness attracted me. One of them had a vase of flowers: so pretty. I was surprised to see they're still selling them. This one, at the Vermont Country Store, is a lot like Grandma's.
I laughed and laughed at your purple nosed dog. Given the way my mother's robe shed, I'm sure any animal in her house would have had a yellow nose!
Unless memory is playing a trick on me the chenille robes and bedspreads aren't as luxurious as they used to be. I'm not surprised in the least that they are selling them again. Mid-century anything is hot right now and chenille was iconic back then.
DeleteWow! So sad about your property taxes. Are they billed directly to you just like a condo would be? I live in Florida and there are ways to reduce your property tax bill such as claiming homestead exemption, super senior exemption, blind exemption, widow's/widower's exemption, disability exemption, and veterans' exemption. Year to year increases are also capped. Many of these exemptions were passed expressly to keep seniors from being forced from their homes. I hope so much you can resolve your issues to your advantage by using the Michigan laws. By the way, I have enjoyed your blog thru the years. Alicia in Florida
ReplyDeleteI'd feel more confident if we were billed directly for property taxes but the bill gets sent to the CCC and they divide it up and line-item bill the residents for a share of it. We used to think the CCC is taking advantage of us and billing up for the public areas and empty lots as well as our apartments. But the Resident Council has seen their math and claim that's not the case. We can and I did get a rent's rebate on my income taxes but it wasn't as much as I used to be able to claim on my homestead exemption back when I owned a house.
DeleteNever here of some of the exemptions you mentioned. Thanks for that. I bring them up to the Council to look into for us.
I am amazed that your CCRC is charging you a share of the property tax. No more property tax was a selling point of the one we now live in. It might cost the place more because more people will run out of money.
ReplyDeleteLast year the CCC merged with another CCC from out of state and that state doesn't charge any of their CCC's property tax and they didn't know how to pass on the costs to us. They chose to line-item taxes on our monthly fees instead of rolling into them as a monthly fee increase. A lot of us---me included----might not have bought into the place if we had known they were going to merge with an out of state very LARGE chain of CCCs. We're having to educate them on the ins and out of property taxes. If we hadn't pushed back they wouldn't do anything to try to lower them or eliminate them.
Delete