(NETWORK IN) No one said growing old was easy. For some there are high costs, and health issues that get in the way of quality living. It isn’t any easier growing old in the 2nd worst state to grow old in.
In a study by Caring.com. Indiana was 49th out of 50, overall, just above West Virginia. Utah is the best state. The study used a variety of financial, healthcare, and quality of life categories.
Caring.com Vice President, Tim Sullivan, said there are several reasons why Indiana’s ranking is so low:
Limited options for senior care services
Limited support for family caregivers
Self-reported wellbeing of seniors
Indiana had some of the lowest rankings in these situations in the nation.
Not to worry, Indiana did perform well in other areas. In fact, Indiana was among the top 20 states for quality of assisted living and in-home care services. The Hoosier state has the 21st lowest cost of senior living.
Just because Indiana is low ranking now doesn’t mean it can’t improve. Sullivan said there are several things Hoosiers can do to make Indiana a better place to grow old and retire.
“Indiana needs to listen to the people that live here. It’s about listening to the ideas of what the problems are and how to address them. Indiana needs to think hard about what support and programs are available to family caregivers,” he said.
“As you head into your 50s and 60s start thinking about how you’re going to live after you retire,” Sullivan said. “Now this doesn’t mean that if you’re in a low ranking state you should up and move to one of the top five. It just means that you can’t take that stage of life for granted.”
Questions to ask yourself:
What are my needs going to be?
Are there services to meet those needs?
Are those services any good?
Can I afford them?
