We all know what a grind daily chores such as house cleaning or yard and pet care can be — and that’s even more true for older adults, for whom physical limitations, living alone, or simply the wish to enjoy retirement may make such tasks less appealing or even impossible. Even seniors who’ve long prided themselves on getting it all done may just want a break after many years of keeping up with everyday tasks.
If you’re an older adult caring for a partner or slowing down physically yourself, it can be invaluable to hire household help. There are options available for every budget. Some seniors choose to hire help only occasionally, such as a monthly or quarterly cleaning service with the senior doing lighter cleaning in between. Or they might use weekly doggy daycare for socialization and exercise in order to tackle other tasks uninterrupted. Older adults we spoke to who’ve chosen to add these supports to their life overwhelmingly say the cost is more than worth it.
From freeing up time for family to saving storage space and stress, 11 older adults share why they’ve found value in hiring help with house, yard, pet and personal care.
Avoid procrastination and get the job done right
“Help [with house cleaning] freed me from a tedious and time-consuming activity that I usually put off whenever I could and would then need a complete overhaul, which was worse than if I’d done it in a timely fashion.” — Candyce G., 79, Austin
Find senior care
Compensate for physical limitations
“I was injured in a head-on collision a year ago. I was so badly injured that I couldn’t even bend and lift enough to pull the dishes out of the dishwasher or put them away. I needed help with so many activities of daily living and household chores. Hiring help was a godsend.” — Robyn R., 66, Albany, New York
“Due to health limitations (that eventually will be resolved), I found it difficult to keep up with house cleaning. I live in a small, 700 square foot apartment, but even so, I started dividing it up into small areas and doing one area each day. Around once a month, I have someone come in and clean. That way, my cleaning is less strenuous.” — Eileen B., 66, Pottstown, Pennsylvania
“While we do some lawn and household tasks, we have physical limitations that keep us from doing everything. Kneeling is a problem and so are ladders.” — Susan M., 79, Temecula, California
Join Care for free
Skip asking younger relatives who already stretched too thin
“I am turning 70 next month, and I find that I just can’t keep up with as much work as I used to do around the house. We have a couple who [comes to] clean a couple of hours one day a week, and occasionally, I hire a crew for deep cleaning that does the baseboards, scrubs grout, brushes curtains — all stuff I find harder because of back problems I developed this year. We also have a large yard and hire a weekly crew that is not just mow and blow, and we take the dog for a bath every couple of weeks. The benefits are multiple: I get less angry with my husband for being messy. I don’t feel guilty asking our daughters and sons-in-laws for favors unless absolutely necessary. They have us plus both have another set of parents who need more help than we do.” — Nancy T., 69, Sacramento, California
Save on cost and storage space for tools
“We really don’t have a viable or convenient place to house a lawn mower, but we do have a fairly big property that requires regular mowing and landscape cleanup. Not having to maintain and store the equipment is a big plus. Since I’m the only person in our household currently capable of yard work, I still do some of the outside chores myself but I leave the routine mowing and weed-whacking to the lawn crew. With everything else I have on my plate, it’s well worth the expense to delegate.” — Judy C., Gastonia, North Carolina
“I have neither interest nor skill for yard work, not to mention the complicated tools. I can hire a service to care for it, and I think it would cost me as much to buy all the machinery, not to mention my time and comfort. Well worth it. I also send my dog to daycare once a week. I get a quiet house to do tasks that she normally interrupts, and she gets needed socializing.” — Camille T., 64, Ruskin, Florida
Find housekeeping
Enjoy retirement and avoid butting heads with your partner
“My husband doesn’t help with gardening so therefore we have a gardener. We both enjoy having someone else clean our house and will never stop that! Hiring help keeps us from fighting about chores. Instead we have fun together traveling and spending time with family.” — Lynn M., 77, Chico, California
Free up time to focus on family and health
“I have a personal assistant at work, a weekly cleaner at home (these are permanent) and short-term after-school housekeeper/cook for my teenage children (and me!) for a particularly busy period. They each allow me to concentrate on my family, my work and my health without having to worry about the domestic and administrative load. What household help delivers is flexibility and space. I would be overwhelmed without it.” — Jane N., 61, Sydney, Australia
Ease the challenge of caregiving
“We had a house cleaner in conjunction with caregivers when my partner was sick and then in hospice care. I could barely keep up with the caregiving of my partner, let alone even attempt to keep the house clean. I [struggled] as the primary caregiver, even with paid help, and caregivers were necessary, even though it was hard to come by reliable folks. I was in my mid- to late 60s when my partner was ill and in hospice, and I’m fortunate enough to be in excellent health, but caregiving is just exhausting.” — Owen J., 70, Sacramento, California
Lighten the load for solo seniors
“I have someone I’ve known for many years who cleans my apartment once a month. Having this support makes it easy for me to do smaller household tasks in between their visits. I spent many years of my life doing all the major housekeeping; it’s a relief to not have that responsibility anymore. I’m single, and especially appreciate having someone do things to help me take care of my home. I also have a landscaper take care of my small garden. I’ve done it myself in the past but it takes a lot of time and effort. I live in a property with high visibility so it’s important for me and for the neighborhood to have my garden well kept.” — Gina S., 73, Washington, DC
