we like Maine & wondered can us elderly get along there ok? (Belfast: new home)

[newyorknewyork]

We're a elderly couple from ny but once we came to maine a long time ago & liked it alot. i'm almost 73 & my husband is 78. our question is if we could manage the cold & snow in maine ok or is it a place for the younger kind?

[Dragondog]

It depends on where you live- if you live in a larger town, that has services for the elderely I do not see a problem. Or if you live in an 'age restricted' setting that would even better. Maine has many retirees of all ages- and has an older population percentage wise to begin with.

[Acadianlion]

My parents are in their early 90's and still live independently in their big farm house outside of Belfast. We worry about them constantly, but Dad's feet are firmly rooted into the ground: he intends to die in his own house. This is unfortunate as Mother is partially blind, and desperately needs the community of other adults besides my father. Dad still drives but much less now, and so outings are getting rarer and rarer. They live more than one mile from the center of town.

The point that I am making here is that if you are thinking of moving to Maine, make a clear decision about what kind of environment you want and need to be in. Maine is gaining more and more retirement homes for seniors and my strongest advice to you is to chose one, in an area of the state that you like best.

If living in a retirement community is not your cup of tea, then living in one of the small cities might work well, depending upon how many services...medical, social, etc...that you may need.

My observation is that Maine is a very hostile place for people to live if they have infirmities associated with age, as public transportation is sparce, and distances between places quite large. My parents have available to them very good health care and other services, but are semi-stranded only one mile from the center of a modern, small city.

My wife and I are planning to build a new home next year. We are going to be moving to a more rural area of the state when we do this, and her feeling is that this new home will be ours for at most twenty years. After that, we will be looking for a retirement home that will provide in a central location, the kinds of services that seniors increasingly need as they get older.

I hope that this helps you. We live in the greater Bar Harbor area, and there are several new senior housing places near here and residents have all levels of assistance. We see the buses and transport vans bringing seniors to the symphony during the season, and we think that in general, Maine can be a wonderful place to enjoy one's senior years.

[Acadianlion]

Oh, yes. And about snow and cold. Maine clears the roads after snowstorms about the best of any state that I have ever seen. We have a "bare road" policy, which requires crews to have road pavements bare within 24 hours of the end of a storm.

The only issue with cold is the cost of heat, and that is only an issue if the house is old, poorly insulated and very large. Other than that, wearing a coat and layering beyond will take care of being out in the cold.

[skyesmom40]

Hello
My parents are just entering their early retirement years, and I must agree with Acadianlion..I would call Maine a 3 season state for elder persons, even in very robust health. My mother has asthma, and the winter is an especially difficult season for her. It is nice that retirement communities are becoming much more available. I live 14 miles (25 minute drive) away, and its like being in a different world. While I would not want to dampen your enthusiasm about relocating, I would suggest you consider that we are indeed a *rural state, and services that you may need or want will vary in availablility significantly by area.