Not being able to afford to stay in your house through your golden years is a sad reality for many people in Connecticut.

Rising property taxes are making it tough, and that is why some are turning to reverse mortgages.

They sound great, you get cash and you get to stay in your house. But are they for everyone?

Leonard Ely, 83, enjoys spending time at home with his daughter, Nancy, and his dog. His wife passed away in February and staying in his house is important, but by no means easy.

But Ely found a way to stay home, he took out a reverse mortgage through Anston Mortgage Company and tapped into his home equity. He now receives almost $1,000 each month and did not give up the home's title.

Guilford Savings Bank sees clients taking out reverse mortgages to cover taxes and for other reasons.

"They want to go on a trip and do something they've never done before and so they have all this equity that's built up into their home," Guilford Bank's Janet Sandella said. "It's a wonderful way for them to be able to use that equity to fulfill a dream that they've had that they were never able to fulfill before."

A homeowner has to be at least 62 years old to qualify for a reverse mortgage. How much money you can get depends on your age, your home's value, interest rates and the area-lending limit set by HUD.

And if the house has gone up in value when it finally comes time to sell and repay the bank, the homeowner only has to pay back the reverse mortgage loan balance.