The Next Steps Journal
Thoughtful articles for families who are preparing, planning, or moving through a parent’s home transition at their own pace.
October 22, 2026
Maybe you've started noticing a few things. Mom isn't as comfortable on the stairs. Dad has stopped driving at night. The yard is getting away from them, or you're starting to wonder how much longer the house is going to work well for the w
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September 23, 2026
You're standing in Mom's kitchen looking at countertops that were new sometime in the nineties, carpet that's seen better decades and a bathroom that hasn't been touched since before you had kids of your own. And you're wondering: Do we hav
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September 23, 2026
You walk into your parents' house, and every room has a story. The china cabinet that's held the same Thanksgiving dishes for forty years. Closets you haven't opened since you were a kid. A garage that hasn't parked a car since sometime in
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September 23, 2026
Somebody in the family says it first, usually a little tentatively: “What if we just sold it as-is?” Sometimes people say it almost apologetically, as though selling a home in its current condition means they're giving up or not doing enoug
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September 18, 2026
You may be at the point where you're asking, "Would Mom or Dad be better off staying here, or would it make more sense to move?" That's not always an easy question to answer. Sometimes the house still works well, and a few changes or a litt
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September 18, 2026
You know the conversation is coming. You're just not sure how to start it without sounding like you've already made up your mind. And maybe that's the most important place to start: don't make up your mind for them. Downsizing may eventuall
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