We talk a lot about aging place here on the Blog, and for good reason: it’s the stated preference of nine out of ten seniors. As Rajiv Nagaich has often stated, living in a nursing home might be 100 percent safe, but the odds are you’ll be 500 percent miserable – and who wants that? 

Well, thanks to a delightful article we just encountered on CNN, it turns out that the desire to age in place is not a uniquely American goal. Reporter Issy Ronald who wrote the CNN piece describes three Austrian nuns, each well into their 80s, who have defied their church leadership, left the nursing home where they had been required to live, and moved back into their aging, decaying convent building.  

Faced with the need to make the old convent and Catholic school habitable once again, the three sisters have received an outpouring of support from the local community. Local officials from the diocese are not amused. 

We think this has “Hollywood screenplay” written all over it. More than that, it’s a charming testimony to the human spirit. Take a look and see if you don’t agree. 

Local Church Displeased as Aging Nuns Flee to Familiar Surroundings 

Ronald’s opening line falls neatly in the department of Things You Don’t Hear Every Day: “Three octogenarian nuns have defied their diocese, run away from their nursing home and returned to their former convent in Salzburg, Austria, which they are now occupying.” 

It all happened on September 4. Three nuns—Sister Regina, 86; Sister Rita, 81; and Sister Bernadette, 88—defied the orders of their local church to return to Schloss Goldenstein, the convent and girls’ school in the Alps where they had spent most of their lives.  

ORF (a CNN affiliate) reported that the sisters arrived at their former residence and found that it no longer had electricity or running water, so supporters brought them water and emergency generators. ORF added that the sisters’ former students have stepped in to help—offering care and a daily routine for the sisters—while a family doctor is nearby to offer any medical care that may be needed.  

Instagram Brings Worldwide Fame to the Defiant Sisters 

The story has kicked up quite the storm on social media. Ronald writes, “Since returning to the convent, the nuns have become active on Instagram, amassing more than 10,000 followers in little over a week. On their account, they document their daily routine of praying, eating and attending mass together as well as their now-frequent interviews with journalists from all around the world.”  

(Editor’s note: at our last check, the sisters now have 49,000 followers!) 

The nuns have been documenting the upkeep and repairs of their home, too. “They also show themselves slowly navigating the monastery’s stairs, in the absence of a stairlift, which they say was removed, and cleaning up the semi-derelict building. In one video, 88-year-old Sister Bernadette can be seen plunging a blocked sink,” Ronald writes. 

Nuns Say They Were Forced Into Nursing Care Against Their Will 

The defiant exodus from the nursing home is the latest in a long-running dispute between the nuns and their superior, Provost Markus Grasl. Ronald tells us that the feud started at the end of 2023 when the nuns say they were “removed from the monastery against their will.” 

But the conflict only escalated when the nuns made allegations against Grasl and the Archdiocese to the Austrian press.  

Grasl was mystified when the nuns left their nursing home. He claimed that the situation was “completely incomprehensible” to him, and that the women had been involved in “intensive discussions” about their future.  

Church Officials Can’t Understand Why Nuns Prefer the Familiar  

Grasl has made further comments about the precarious position the nuns have put themselves in. “The rooms in the monastery are no longer usable and in no way meet the requirements for orderly care,” he says. “It is clear than an independent life in the Goldenstein Monastery is no longer possible, particularly due to the precarious health situation of the sisters.”  

He added later in a statement on September 6 that he fears the nuns “are overestimating themselves and that a medical emergency may occur.”  

Ronald notes here that when Reichersberg Abbey was contacted for comment—responsible for the monastery since 2022—they directed CNN to Grasl’s statements.  

Original Agreement Had Allowed Nuns to Age in Place 

According to ORF, the nuns are holding fast to a pre-existing agreement made with the abbey. When Reichersberg Abbey assumed responsibility for Schloss Goldenstein, they originally agreed that they would allow the nuns to remain there “for the duration of their retirement as long as their health allowed.” 

While the long-term future of the nuns at the monastery is still uncertain, ORF reports that they now have electricity and hot water in their rooms and remain “firmly opposed” to returning to the nursing home.  

A spokesperson for Reichersberg Abbey told ORF that the nuns returning to the nursing home was “unavoidable.”  

But to that, Sister Bernadette had this to say to the BBC: “Before I die in that old people’s home, I would rather go to a meadow and enter eternity that way.” We say a loud “Amen to that, Sister Bernadette!” 

Rajiv’s Comment: A Perfect Illustration of a Universal Truth 

We asked Rajiv Nagaich about this story, and his reaction was predictable. 

“I love this story!” he says with a chuckle. “I love the fact that one of the nuns told reporters she would rather die in a meadow than in a nursing home!  What a great illustration this is that the desire to avoid institutional care is virtually universal. I can’t wait to see how this tale plays out.” 

But, Rajiv adds, there’s a darker side to this story in the fact that the leaders of the local diocese can’t understand why these nuns want to go home. “In my view,” Rajiv says, “the church leaders are just like doctors and adult kids who feel they have to warehouse mom or dad to keep them 100 percent safe. One person said the determination of the nuns was ‘incomprehensible.’ But that’s bloody crazy! Why be 100 percent safe and 500 percent miserable?” 

We’ll keep an eye out for further developments on this tale of the defiant nuns. 

Rajiv Nagaich – Your Retirement Planning Coach and Guide 

The long-awaited book by Rajiv Nagaich, called Your Retirement: Dream or Disaster, has been released and is now available to the public. Retirement: Dream or Disaster joins Rajiv’s ground-breaking DVD series and workbook, Master Your Future, as a powerful planning tool in your retirement toolbox. As a friend of AgingOptions, we know you’ll want to get your copy and spread the word.  

You’ve heard Rajiv say it repeatedly: 70 percent of retirement plans will fail. If you know someone whose retirement turned into a nightmare when they were forced into a nursing home, went broke paying for care, or became a burden to their families – and you want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you – then this book is must-read. 

Through stories, examples, and personal insights, Rajiv takes us along on his journey of expanding awareness about a problem that few are willing to talk about, yet it’s one that results in millions of Americans sleepwalking their way into their worst nightmares about aging. Rajiv lays bare the shortcomings of traditional retirement planning advice, exposes the biases many professionals have about what is best for older adults, and much more. 

Rajiv then offers a solution: LifePlanning, his groundbreaking approach to retirement planning. Rajiv explains the essential planning steps and, most importantly, how to develop the framework for these elements to work in concert toward your most deeply held retirement goals.  

Your retirement can be the exciting and fulfilling life you’ve always wanted it to be. Start by reading and sharing Rajiv’s important message. And remember, Age On, everyone! 

(originally reported at www.cnn.com)