Senior News Line: Where will you live?

Is this the year you’ll choose to stop driving? Are you prepared for that?

Here are some thoughts, after reading a recent report by the Urban Land Institute, about what we might tend to want as a group. They have us broken down into age groups: Leading-Edge Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1955, and the Silent Generation, ages 67 to 80 years old.

We Leading-Edge Boomers don’t especially want to move to a seniors-only residence where we’re surrounded by other seniors. We’ve been active, and we want to stay active. We’ll tend to do more ordering online or having items delivered by UPS and FedEx. Boomers tend to live in the suburbs and want to stay in our own homes. If we do move, it will probably be to a place where cars aren’t as necessary but goods and services will be nearby.

The Silent Generation will consider warmer climates and co-housing “village” areas where services are brought to us. There will be those who prefer the hubbub of downtowns with a mix of young and old, but with culture, libraries, walk-friendly streets and stores in easy reach.

Both groups might choose from college towns (to live near children and take advantage of on-campus activities), manufactured housing, co-housing and group living (multigenerational), and “affinity” retirement communities (bringing people together based on shared interests).

At some point, however, driving will become an issue. Where do you want to be when that happens?

Before driving becomes a question in anyone’s mind, consider taking a seniors’ driving class, and maybe a refresher every year. Get a head start on knowing the physical changes that happen to all of us that can impact driver safety.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send email to [email protected]

© 2012 King Features Synd. Inc.