Retiring in place (pensions, vacations, spouse, relative)
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DH and I moved to the Kansas City area from NJ for my job when we married in 2003. I was 50; he was 65 and already retired. DS started at Drake in Des Moines and got a job there after graduation. I retired in 2014; there was no question of where. We love this area and had many friends and other connections here. Excellent medical facilities, too. We did buy a (slightly) smaller house.
DH died 2 years ago. DS and DDIL have two WONDERFUL little girls and are hoping to have a third baby. I get up there every couple of months (or they visit me) and that seems to work for all of us. Right now I do all my own lawn and garden maintenance and housecleaning. (Leaves more $$$ for travel and it's good exercise.) My Grand Plan is that when I can't maintain this house anymore I'll move to Des Moines but I hope that doesn't happen for awhile. I'll find a good adult community, Assisted Living or CCRC- whatever works. I do have a concern about their moving but DS is in insurance and there are many jobs in that area, and he and DDIL are very attached to their church.
My widowed Dad and siblings are all in the same area (Lexington, SC or an hour or so away). I wouldn't mind moving there except for those darned anchor grandchildren!
I live in a small town in northeast TN. Picturesque area, it’s an area retirees move to. My girlfriend has serious medical issues. Given what I know now about local healthcare, I wouldn’t live here as a senior. The medical care is just too bad.
I am sure there are other threads on this topic but I wanted to know why you have chosen to retire where you are.
We considered moving several times, always to be closer to my daughter and our grand kids, within the east coast. Then she moved to LA and we considered that as well as my husband finally retired. LA is so different from the New England town we live in and the offer on our house we had put on the market when we visited LA fell through and we returned home kind of happy. There was a message in that.
We live in the suburb and our town is considered pretty, which it is. But nothing exciting goes on here but we have a great library, opportunities to volunteer, and I am active with my hobbies, reading, and writing. We live within 1/2 hour of a major airport and we travel quite a bit. It has great medical care facilities. So I think we are settling in, our house is comfortable, a friendly neighborhood, and moving does not seem to make much sense. We have settle for renting a place near where my daughter lives for the winter.
Did you make conscious decision to stay put? If so why do YOU live where you live after retirement?
Sounds like you live in a New England town pretty similar to the one I have lived in my entire life and we are staying put for the exact same reasons as you are. And easy access to good specialty medical care is near the top of our reason list. And that became very evident this past June when I woke up one morning with some vision loss in my left eye. After being evaluated by an ophthalmologist from the eye clinic at the medical facility I work and he determined I needed to see a neuro ophthalmologist ASAP. There are not many of these specialists in practice across the country, but fortunately for me I could access this type of specialty care through the emergency department at Mass Eye & Ear in Boston which is a little over an hour ride from where we live. I have seen a Mass E&E NO twice since June an have another appointment with him in November, and if he was further away from where I live access to him would be very difficult.
Sure, everything is not perfect where we live, but the things that are most important to us that provides security and happiness we have where we live and see no reason to relocate. And when our winters become too long, cold, and snowy those are very good reasons to hop on a cruise ship that is heading to the Caribbean.
I live in a small town in northeast TN. Picturesque area, it’s an area retirees move to. My girlfriend has serious medical issues. Given what I know now about local healthcare, I wouldn’t live here as a senior. The medical care is just too bad.
Not everyone has serious health issues and many people live long fairly healthy lives without the need to live near a world class health institute. In fact, many people just drop dead in old age without ever seeing a hospital. So you balance the life style and location that makes you happy vs a what if scenario.
Health status can literally turn on a dime, though.
If I'd been asked at age 58 to list my criteria for a retirement location, medical care/facilities would not have been a factor. It wouldn't have even made the list. At that time I fully expected to be healthy and reasonably active until I dropped dead at oh, maybe 100 or so, LOL. I never smoked, never drank, never did drugs, was never overweight, never had any issues except for a few allergies which were managed with avoidance.
In the four-year period between age 60 and 64 I was suddenly hit with a barrage of health problems out of the blue, beginning with cancer at age 60. In the almost one-year period between September 2012 and July 2013 it was so crazy that it was literally a new medical issue cropping up every week or two. A friend of mine commented (tactlessly but truly) that it was like my "body was falling apart."
None of my medical conditions were predictable by any past medical history or lifestyle. As a result I became extremely aware that as we get older, especially, we cannot and should not take good health for granted. People who realize this will have a much stronger sense of "what if" when it comes to the quick easy availability of excellent medical care vis-a-vis where they will live in retirement.
JJ, if you don't mind my asking (and I don't want to be nosey), is this Lincoln NE? My work colleague (who is originally from NE) says that Lincoln is the best college town she's ever been in. I've put it on my list of destinations for the Grand RV Tour!
No problem, yes Lincoln, NE. It is a great college town or small city. As a NU employee, I raised my family here and love Lincoln. I now commute from the Omaha suburbs, because at my age Omaha works best for us. Lincoln has a beautiful campus and its downtown is all within walking distance. The center of town is called the "Haymarket," a restaurant and entertainment district, great to walk around a great college town feel. No palm trees, but fresh air and great people!
Not everyone has serious health issues and many people live long fairly healthy lives without the need to live near a world class health institute. In fact, many people just drop dead in old age without ever seeing a hospital. So you balance the life style and location that makes you happy vs a what if scenario.
I’m not saying I need to be next door to the Cleveland Clinic, but my girlfriend couldn’t get a hip replacement done here. Vanderbilt was the only place in the state willing to do it. It was a routine procedure there, but not doable here. That’s a five hour ride.
We live in the suburb and our town is considered pretty, which it is. But nothing exciting goes on here but we have a great library, opportunities to volunteer, and I am active with my hobbies, reading, and writing. We live within 1/2 hour of a major airport and we travel quite a bit. It has great medical care facilities. So I think we are settling in, our house is comfortable, a friendly neighborhood, and moving does not seem to make much sense. We have settle for renting a place near where my daughter lives for the winter.
My gosh. You live somewhere in a pretty New England town where there is a great library, opportunities to volunteer, within 1/2 hour of a major airport, with great medical care facilities - and you're looking to see if you've made the right decision to stay put? Most people would be asking where you live and when are you going to sell - and what is your address.
We have found that children are not permanent and just as soon as you move to be near them, they get transferred somewhere else. I'd settle for long visits during the winter, just as you have done.
I am sure there are other threads on this topic but I wanted to know why you have chosen to retire where you are.
We considered moving several times, always to be closer to my daughter and our grand kids, within the east coast. Then she moved to LA and we considered that as well as my husband finally retired. LA is so different from the New England town we live in and the offer on our house we had put on the market when we visited LA fell through and we returned home kind of happy. There was a message in that.
We live in the suburb and our town is considered pretty, which it is. But nothing exciting goes on here but we have a great library, opportunities to volunteer, and I am active with my hobbies, reading, and writing. We live within 1/2 hour of a major airport and we travel quite a bit. It has great medical care facilities. So I think we are settling in, our house is comfortable, a friendly neighborhood, and moving does not seem to make much sense. We have settle for renting a place near where my daughter lives for the winter.
Did you make conscious decision to stay put? If so why do YOU live where you live after retirement?
Other than snow and ice it looks like you have no reason to move. You can always visit your daughter and you could even find a long stay motel and spend a month with her. That would problem help confirm your idea of staying put is a good idea.
Health status can literally turn on a dime, though.
If I'd been asked at age 58 to list my criteria for a retirement location, medical care/facilities would not have been a factor. It wouldn't have even made the list. At that time I fully expected to be healthy and reasonably active until I dropped dead at oh, maybe 100 or so, LOL. I never smoked, never drank, never did drugs, was never overweight, never had any issues except for a few allergies which were managed with avoidance.
In the four-year period between age 60 and 64 I was suddenly hit with a barrage of health problems out of the blue, beginning with cancer at age 60. In the almost one-year period between September 2012 and July 2013 it was so crazy that it was literally a new medical issue cropping up every week or two. A friend of mine commented (tactlessly but truly) that it was like my "body was falling apart."
None of my medical conditions were predictable by any past medical history or lifestyle. As a result I became extremely aware that as we get older, especially, we cannot and should not take good health for granted. People who realize this will have a much stronger sense of "what if" when it comes to the quick easy availability of excellent medical care vis-a-vis where they will live in retirement.
I'm just saying that health issues which may or may not happen to most people should be weighed along with everything else when deciding where to live. It doesn't necessarily have to be the most important one to all of us.
Some people that are currently healthy in their 60s don't want to spend the next 10 to 15 years living somewhere they don't want to because of what or what may not happen in the future. Health is only one factor in that.
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