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2. Cancer isn’t necessarily terminal. If my loved ones have a cancer diagnosis that is survivable if handled by a knowledable and sophisticated health system, then I know my preference.
I have prostate cancer which may or may not require treatment eventually. I'm certainly not ready to check out. My urologist is taking a wait and see approach, and I'm being scheduled for a genetic test which will indicate whether or not the biopsy was correct in indicating the cancer is not aggressive. He said there's new research every day, so the longer we wait for making a decision for further treatment like radiation or chemo, the better -- and that may never be necessary. Most males by the time they're 70 will have some suspect cells in their prostate.
I also have had atrial fibrillation for 17 years. Having quality specialized medical care close enough to drive to in an hour or two is important to me - but it doesn't have to be next door.
Not really an odd view. otterhere is just expressing an opinion shared by some of us. There have been heated discussions on the Retirement subforum where some would not dream of living outside of a large metropolitan city with a world class medical facility. Living in an actual rural area (e.g., not 35 miles from Nashville) is considered akin to suicide. I can see their point if one has significant pre-existing conditions or a family history of a difficult to treat condition. Otherwise I think they are unnecessarily limiting their relocation choices.
Possibly.
My mother has a myelodysplastic syndrome, basically "pre-leukemia" in her case. I'm not fully up on all her treatments - with that said, she had been going to a local infusion center for treatment, but they are now becoming chronically overbooked to the point where it's easier for her to leave work at lunch and drive to Knoxville for treatment. She was dissatisfied with the local doctors, and is now seeing a specialist in Knoxville. If her prognosis worsens, she may be going to more out of area treatments.
A local professor was diagnosed with some form of brain cancer last spring. He is a fairly public figure and popular in the city. While he's always positive and complimentary of the treatment he's received, he's now going to some specialists at Duke. He can't drive at the moment, and obviously going back and forth to Duke is going to be burdensome on his wife, who is still working and presumably has to work that in to their schedules.
There is no burn unit in this area. I've known a few people who were sent to Knoxville for that. Someone on the local forum mentioned a Lyme disease specialist last week. I doubt we have that.
We can treat probably 80%-90% of locally originating medical problems in this area. More exotic stuff gets referred elsewhere, and that's hours away - not an hour up the road to Nashville. If you do need out of area treatment, the appointment and roundtrip transit is going to be an all day ordeal.
If you're talking truly rural, then yeah, I think you have a problem if anything happens. I used to drive between Bean Station, TN and Middlesboro, KY, on my way back to Indianapolis. You go into Grainger County right after Bean Station. Grainger has no hospital to my knowledge. It's about forty-five minutes to any small community hospital from most points in the county. For anything really bad, you're going to be sent to Kingsport or Knoxville for level 1 trauma. That's over an hour away.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Serious Conversation
Possibly.
... drive to Knoxville for treatment. She was dissatisfied with the local doctors, and is now seeing a specialist in Knoxville. ...
A local professor was diagnosed with some form of brain cancer last spring.... he's now going to some specialists at Duke. ...
There is no burn unit in this area. I've known a few people who were sent to Knoxville for that. ...More exotic stuff gets referred elsewhere, and that's hours away - not an hour up the road to Nashville. If you do need out of area treatment, the appointment and roundtrip transit is going to be an all day ordeal.
If you're talking truly rural, then yeah, I think you have a problem if anything happens. I used to drive between Bean Station, TN and Middlesboro, KY, on my way back to Indianapolis. ...It's about forty-five minutes to any small community hospital from most points in the county. For anything really bad, you're going to be sent to Kingsport or Knoxville for level 1 trauma. That's over an hour away.
Go west young man... places get VERY far apart
Many places I have lived and worked (hazardously) were 4+ hours to an emergency room.
Airports / medical specialist 8+ hrs
so...
1) we brush up on Rural Trauma care
2) buy a membership to lifeflight (and hope you never need it)
Granted... if you are elderly, and have insurance (that excluded millions in USA) AND you want to prolong your existence using medical means ... then move next door to your favorite Hospital (and don't make any enemies there)
Otherwise...
keep the backhoe handy
Island living in Canada was a real experience in "I hope you don't get hurt". One of the kids got a hole punched in his head and that stressed us out for a few days.
I havent read all the posts yet - but i don't THINK that i've answered here yet lol. (I've answered in other threads as to where i was moving...)
I'm moving from SW NJ (Salem Co.) to coastal Washington Co., Maine. My house is for sale at this time.
I've wanted to move to Maine for over 30 yrs. My family traveled there since i was a child. We also had a cottage at the Jersey shore. BUT - you can't touch anything even NEAR the Jersey shore nowadays unless you are wealthy, and i'm not. I want to live near the salt water - i was born on it. (Not literally )
I can buy a house and land in Washington Co. Maine with salt-water frontage for under $150K, taxes under $2K a year. We are retired now, and our taxes on a small rancher with 1.1 AC in NJ are $4K (low for NJ). Auto insurance is also outrageous here. We love the fresh air, bold, rocky coast, mountains, outdoor activities, COLD air, open spaces, safety, fresh seafood, lack of people (even tho where we live now has only about 1,200 people), and quiet pace in Maine. I cannot stand the heat and humidity in NJ in the Summer, it makes me sick (literally).
When i get my place by "the sea," (even if it's a marsh, inlet, cove, bay, etc.) I will be at peace.
Is the Washington County Maine salt-water frontage for under $150k on the ocean? Or is it only on a marsh, inlet, cove, bay, etc.
Three that i have saved that i can remember off-hand i guess are not "ocean," but are Passamaquoddy Bay, Flat Bay, and Lubec Narrows. Close enough for me!
I took her post to mean that there were ambulances in HER town that could get to her in 6-8 minutes....
Could be wrong.
Yes, I believe you're wrong. S/he specifically said that the transport time was 6-8 minutes. The only logical reading of that term is that the patient is being transported to the hospital. Moreover, the poster went on to add that s/he was "surprised" that the trip to the hospital only took a few minutes.
Yeah, I'd be surprised too if paramedics showed up at my house in a NASCAR or Indy race car and sped at 170mph in order to get me to a hospital 17 miles away in 6 minutes, lol.
I turned down a position in the Los Angeles area to accept one in the Cleveland area. I purchased a home in Lakewood at a very reasonable price at a fraction of the cost of renting a small place in Orange County.
I liked the area as I could walk to nearly everything that I needed in Lakewood.
Another Lakewood transplant! This is a very good place to live. I second all you say.
Oh and BTW. I also completely agree with your assessment of the Cleveland Clinic. I lived in Cleveland Heights when I first landed in the Cleveland area in 2014 so naturally I went to the CC. Worst place ever. I got much better medical care in a much smaller facility in Portland. That's why I'm now shopping around here in Lakewood for doctors not associated with the CC and boy that ain't easy.
Regarding reasons for relocation, I tend to believe that money is a big reason for many people's decision to relocate in retirement. I think I just might GOOGLE that and see if I can come up with some STATS.
Here's a couple of links that might be helpful regarding relocation. They may have been posted before though since this question has been asked so often.
Another Lakewood transplant! This is a very good place to live. I second all you say.
Oh and BTW. I also completely agree with your assessment of the Cleveland Clinic. I lived in Cleveland Heights when I first landed in the Cleveland area in 2014 so naturally I went to the CC. Worst place ever. I got much better medical care in a much smaller facility in Portland. That's why I'm now shopping around here in Lakewood for doctors not associated with the CC and boy that ain't easy.
Regarding reasons for relocation, I tend to believe that money is a big reason for many people's decision to relocate in retirement. I think I just might GOOGLE that and see if I can come up with some STATS.
If you contact University Hospital, they should be able to direct you to one of their hospitals.
BTW, is Lakewood Hospital still open??
Money is a major issue that encourages retirees to relocate. In our case, we had no connections to the Chicagoland area. We could not imagine navigating the Chicago area with all of its congestion. Besides, we did not want to deal with the climate. The climate in Chicago is a lot colder than Lakewood.
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... then move next door to your favorite Hospital (and don't make any enemies there)
)
