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Original poster

When should elderly parents downsize?

258 replies

Hogwartsian · 03/02/2026 20:45

My parents are in their early eighties and still healthy and fit. They have a large 5 bed house with a large garden. They are still managing to maintain it, for now. I'm just wondering if there's a point when they should prepare for the day they can't manage it all anymore, and downsize to something more suitable?

Is anyone else in this situation? Or when did your parents downsize?

OP posts:
Happyher · 03/02/2026 20:53

I’m 67 and thinking of moving to a bungalow when my son moves out hopefully this year. Moving feels perfectly managable at the moment. I’ll have quite a bit of declutterring to do. I don’t think I would want to leave it much longer as it’s such an upheaval and the older you get the harder things get. I want to enjoy planning the decor and styling new home exactly how I want it.

I think if your parents were to move now they would never settle in a new home and would need a lot of help (from you?) to downsize from a 5 bed. It might be easier to adapt their current home

RedRec · 03/02/2026 20:51

Totally up to them to decide.

GoldDuster · 03/02/2026 20:51

When they're ready.

OSTMusTisNT · 03/02/2026 20:50

In an ideal world, in their 70's as 80's tends to be the decade when life gets a bit more difficult.

Ultimately though, it's whenever they choose to or, from personal experience with elderly family members, when poorer health eventually forces them.

martha4clark · 03/02/2026 20:49

Could they live downstairs if they had to? It’s probably too late now to move house don’t you think?

Henriettafromdablox · 03/02/2026 20:49

When they decide they want to.

My parents downsized significantly in their 60s but that was nothing to do with their health - they’re as fit as fiddles - they just wanted to release some of the equity in their house to spend on holidays!

herbalteabag · 03/02/2026 20:47

My mum is the same age. She once talked about it but now I think she'll never actually do it.

Hankunamatata · 03/02/2026 20:46

When they want to. Mine are heading towards 90 and still in our original family home, its in a better state than mine

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