INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana is one of the worst states to grow old, according to a new report released by caring.com, but it's not THE worst.
Indiana came in as the second worst state to grow old in, based on financial well-being, healthcare and quality of life.
“We want to use this research as a starting point for really important conversations between family members,” said Caring.com vice president Tim Sullivan. “Too many people avoid thinking about senior care until it hits a crisis point. There are good options in every state, but it can take some time to sort out the best approach, so ideally you’ll get the dialogue going early to help maximize your options.”
The study incorporated statistics on senior living community reviews, nursing home costs, in-home care prices, elderly well-being assessments and more. Contrary to many “best states to retire” rankings which cater to active seniors and pursuits such as hiking, golfing and traveling, this analysis centered on America’s rapidly growing elderly population and the medical and financial supports it requires in order to thrive.
So where is the best place to grow old? Apparently Utah.
Utah earned the No. 1 designation with solid scores across the board. It’s the only state to crack the top 15 in quality of life/healthcare (No. 7) and cost (No. 14). Many states exhibit an inverse relationship between quality and price. For example, Washington is tops for quality but No. 38 for cost. And while Alabama has the cheapest elder care, it lags in quality (No. 44).
The website used the following sources to compile their results:
- Nearly 150,000 consumer reviews of senior care facilities and in-home care providers (Caring.com)
- 2017 Long-Term Services & Supports State Scorecard (AARP, The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation)
- 2016 Cost of Care Survey (Genworth)
- 2015 and Q1 2016 State of American Well-Being (Gallup-Healthways)
- 2015 American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau)
