Living alone in an older property

My DM lived alone in an older property 1930s so not ancient. She had a few falls and a 4 bedroom detached house with a large garden was getting too much . Plus she needed to drive for groceries, gp etc.
so 11 years ago at aged 80 , we persuaded her to move to a two bed ground floor flat. It’s a 3 minute walk to a busy high street with shops , a pharmacy , post office , dentist and doctor all walking distance. Plus a good bus service .
It was very hard for her to leave the family home and get rid of stuff . But 6 years ago she stopped driving and was so glad that she had amenities close by. Plus having a newish flat , with no worry of leaking roofs or damp. She’s now 90 and very frail and happy to be on one level .
If the OP doesn’t want to move , I’d suggest asking friends for recommendations of plumbers etc or contact AgeUK .

Make sure all radiators are turned on and bled….this fixed the same pressure dropping problem in our sealed system! Saved thousands on unnecessary investigations.

A great post from Madeleine. thank you. I and friends and relatives are trying to persuade OH to move. We have no neighbours friends or relatives in the area. I am worried what will happen if I can not drive. I refuse to drive in snow and ice We even have to get in the car and drive 1/2 mile to empty bins. I always say we could be dead a week and no one would know.
We are having a visit from Occupational Therapist next week. Hope that will lend some weight to moving.
I am sure that the same TV programmes can be seen anywhere in England. and are just as soporific.
All suggestions gratefully received on leaving a 400year old, inconvenient house. Now I will make those lists of pros and cons.

Do you have a local Facebook page? The sort of place where people moan about parking and report wandering cats?

They can be invaluable for getting recommendations for workmen, particularly if you are clear that you want them based on work done, not 'my cousin Brian can do that for you'.

When you've found one you like the sound of, ask him/her to message you and send photos or a link to their website if they have one (most do). Finally, if the job is going to be expensive, post again to say that you are considering employing Mr/Ms X - can anyone message you about any experiences of their work.

For me it's the worry of paying for any big jobs that arise, such as the roof. My daughter has just moved into a newer house than mine but it still has problems so moving's not the answer. Having to have a new boiler used up most of my savings and I don't know what I'll do if something else major happens.

If you love your home and want yo stay,must get some quotes girl that which needs doing,m you are not committing to anything.

Thats funny 4allwenow . Interested to know why you have to be in league with the devil to be a plaster . I used to know a builder who said plastering was such hard work that if you were still doing it after age 50 you were superman .