This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lana Mountford, 74, who lives in Bellingham, Washington. Mountford tried an assisted living facility that cost $7,000 a month, but it was too expensive and not a good fit. She purchased a small two-bedroom house in 2024 and lives independently with a part-time caregiver who charges $35 per hour. This interview is edited for length and clarity.
I was married before I was 20 and divorced in 1986. I’ve been on my own pretty much since then. I don’t have any children and didn’t go to college. I’ve saved for retirement since my 20s and managed my finances, working with financial planners later in my career.
I was a civilian working for the Department of Defense, specifically with the Army, before entering the private sector, moving around Silicon Valley as an IT professional. I retired in 2003 to go back to school and earned my undergraduate degree in music.
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I started having some health issues after that, including a brain tumor, which was non-malignant but had some residual effects. I traveled for a while using money I set aside in a travel fund and was on a world cruise when the pandemic hit. My health issues worsened — I was having trouble breathing, and doctors found blood clots in both lungs — and that’s what got me into assisted living in 2021.
Bellingham is a haven for retirees, so there are a lot of assisted living facilities up here. I found one three blocks from where I was living and told them I was looking for comfortable housing that would allow me to be relatively independent, while acknowledging that there are things that are really hard for me to do. I knew that as time went by, my situation would deteriorate, and I felt it would’ve been nice to be in a place where I could go from independent living to assisted living to memory care in the same facility.
I moved to an assisted living facility
I moved into a small one-bedroom apartment for $4,300 a month. My brother and his wife moved into the house I was living in. Within three months, it had gone up to $4,650. When I first moved in, I had two assigned caretakers who didn’t really do a lot. They would pop in twice a day to see how things were going. They did my laundry, but I didn’t have regular housekeeping. They had cable and WiFi, and you could get meals if you wanted. If there was a problem, you could pull a cord in your room.
A few weeks after I moved in, I had to have a major surgery, and I developed kidney damage.
I knew I needed something bigger than what I had, as I love to cook, so I moved into a two-bedroom apartment for about $5,500 a month. Over time, the facility began withdrawing services from independent residences. I had to do my own laundry and had no caretakers, while housekeeping was 15 minutes a week. I had hired somebody while I was still living there to come in a few times a week to help with laundry and other tasks that were difficult for me.
The monthly rent kept going up
Then the rent quickly went up to $6,850, and I decided to leave. This was about two years ago. I knew my savings would be drained if I had to keep paying that much, when I could live in my own place with a full kitchen. A house on the same street where I lived went on the market, so I put in an offer and bought it. My caretaker helped me pack and load everything.
The house is in a senior living development. Mine is the smallest in the area. It’s 1,350 square feet with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a one-car garage. With guidance from my financial folks, I bought the home in cash for $580,000 after a few rounds of counteroffers. All the houses here were built for older residents, so they have grab bars, and everything is on one level. I don’t have to walk too far to get from one room to another.
I do have house maintenance expenses and property taxes that I factor in. I’m paying $17,000 to replace the roof. My bills are minimal because I don’t drive. My gas bill runs $60 a month, and my monthly electric bill ranges from $35 in winter to $100 in summer. I use Instacart, and my HOA handles all the yard work.
That same caretaker comes three days a week for a total of six hours. I pay her about $200 weekly. I plan to increase the hours as time goes on, which I expect will be a lot less than the amount I paid for assisted living. I’m a textbook introvert, so I didn’t miss the social aspect. I need quiet time, and I have lots of books, arts, and crafts.
My health is getting worse
I have COPD and asthma, as well as high blood pressure that runs in my family. I’ve been dealing with chronic kidney disease, and I’m probably going to have to go on dialysis. Getting around is tricky because of severe osteoarthritis, so I use a roller. I’ve been able to keep the same doctors, which has been relieving.
My biggest fear is falling because I am not a small person. I’m still fiercely independent, and I want to do as much as I can for myself. My caretaker will show me a different way to do some tasks that are easier on my body. Life is full of all these little puzzles, and things that I used to be able to do very easily on my own have suddenly become very tricky. If she’s either not certified to do something or doesn’t feel comfortable, she knows people in town.
I’m also worried about needing to get additional equipment or redo parts of the home if I end up in a wheelchair. I do tend to put things off.
There are some silver linings
I know there isn’t a history of dementia in my family, so I’m not too concerned about that. I don’t think I’ll need overnight care for a while. I feel good knowing my brother is around. He helps with a few things, such as taking out my trash in the morning.
I’ve told people I’m going to die in the house. It’s a very pretty, safe area, right up against protective wetlands. Death is going to be the only thing that gets me out of here.
