While parents take care of their children for the early parts of their lives, later on in life, it’s usually the children who end up taking care of their parents.
Aging family members often means having to make some difficult choices.
Sometimes the best option is to place your struggling parents in a senior facility, but a lot of people also want to keep them as close as possible and take care of them themselves.
Thankfully, there’s a way to get the best of both worlds.
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What if your family members live too far away? A senior home seems like the only option, and moving next door isn’t always viable, let alone financially feasible.
Completely moving into your own home is a step too far for many as well, since everyone wants their privacy and personal space.
This is where the “Granny Pod” comes in.
For the reasons above, the concept of ‘Granny Pods’, or small homes that can be constructed in a backyard, has become incredibly popular lately.
It’s the perfect solution.
Granny Pods is a nickname that is given to these compact buildings, a more accurate term is a MEDCottage.
These are a little bit bigger than your average tiny home.
They’re still compact in size, making them perfect for placement in a large backyard. The company that constructs and sells these, calls it a perfect solution for children who want to take care of their elderly parents.
“The MEDCottage is a mobile, modular medical dwelling designed to be temporarily placed on a caregiver’s property for rehabilitation and extended care. Simply stated, it’s a state-of-the-art hospital room with remote monitoring available so caregivers and family members have peace of mind knowing they are providing the best possible care. Close proximity is so important when keeping family engaged in our life. This solution provides a beautiful dwelling close to the people we love,” their website states.
With these granny pods, you can have your parents close by in case they need something, but both can still live in a separate space with some privacy if needed.
As mentioned above, they’re comparable to tiny homes, but there are definitely some noticeable differences too. For starters, they’re a bit bigger.
On average, one of these MEDCottages measures 12 by 14 feet.
This makes it roomier and doesn’t give anyone a cramped feeling. For elderly people, a regular tiny home would probably be difficult and cumbersome.
One model of the cottages comes with a living area, a full bathroom as well as a separate bedroom – pretty much everything you need. The classic variants cost between $85,000 and $125,000 everything included.
You can also rent one for about 750 dollars a month.
For people with a smaller budget or without a backyard, the company also comes with a few other, smaller options.
The MEDCottage is seen as the luxury variant of their senior living buildings, and the Virginia-based company also sells other products.
The Living ROO, for example, is a tiny home that can repurpose part of a garage into elderly living accommodation.
For RV flatbeds, there is also something they call ‘The Mother Ship’.
Both of these are less costly and can also be rented on a monthly basis, making them ideal for short stays.
No matter which one you choose, children know that these facilities were custom-built for the elderly and are fitted for senior care.
The concept of tiny homes has increased in popularity all over the world
A New Zealand company also sells ‘granny pods’ similar to these.
“Easy construction and convenience are the hallmarks of Podlife. You can entrust us not only to build a granny flat big enough for a comfortable life for the aged relative or parent but also one that’s perfectly sized to fit into your yard,” the company writes on their website.
PodPlay focuses on compact buildings in your backyard, with prices starting more affordably at $16,000, although they’re noticeably smaller than the cottages.
You can also see in the pictures that they’ve opted for a much more sleek and modern design, in contrast to MEDCottages which feature an older, more familiar style.
In any case, these tiny homes for the elderly prove to be a great solution for some families and it’s expected that the market for tiny houses hasn’t reached its peak yet.
Take a tour in the video below!
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