Medical access is on the short list of criteria in determining where we will end up in retirement, and it will probably mean we stay here. Besides, DH has no plans to retire, hates change and doesn’t want the hassle of moving. One must be able to drive or take public transit in the DC area to get anywhere. We’re five miles from the local hospital where I was taken when I had my cardiac arrest; it’s 20 minutes from my house in non-rush hour traffic. So while DC has lots of colleges (and Georgetown and GW med schools), and the kinds of cultural/social/religious experiences that we value, there is still the stress and expense of living in a metro area. I could see us going somewhere for part of the summer or winter, but keeping home base here.
I expect most of our friends will leave the area as they start to retire. North Carolina (esp. Asheville and Research Triangle) is a popular destination. So is Charlottesville. Our neighbors just moved near Harrisonburg, VA (location of JMU) and love it.
I am expecting a big transition as my docs retire. My previous cardiologist left her practice and ultimately relocated, and it took a year (and firing three docs) to find another cardiologist who didn’t blow me off and understood the complexity of my medical situation. CML oncologists also are hard to come by – I travel to Baltimore for that.
Then again, if I get to 70, I will have lived out every prediction imaginable, and that would be enough.
And speaking of prudence vs. passion, we are doing our retirement traveling now. We’re going to Ukraine, the Baltics and Sweden (via train, car, plane, bus and overnight ferry) where medical facilities are few and far between. I carry a two-page document with all my meds, history and doctor contacts. It has come in handy MANY times, and it’s one less thing for S2 or DH to worry about if something happens to me. S2 has kindly offered to get it translated into Ukrainian for me so if anything happens, the docs have some clue. It only costs $5 in Kyiv.
Both DH’s mom and mine were completely bedridden by their mid-60s – we are acutely aware of enjoying NOW while we can.