According to AARP, Minnesota is the best place in the United States to retire.
Clearly they weren't taking weather and temperatures into consideration.
What they were taking into account though were housing, health care and services for our older residents.
So according to AARP's findings, Minnesota has the most senior housing units per elderly resident in the country: 125 housing units per 1,000 older adults, compared to the national median of 27. The next-highest state is Wisconsin, with 58 units per 1,000 older adults.
These figures surprise us a lot since Florida, along with other southern states, is known for senior housing communities.
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Minnesota was the only state to rank in the top quartile for all five categories AARP measured - affordability, choice of setting and provider, quality of life and care, support for family caregivers and "effective transitions," meaning the ability to move someone from a nursing home back into the community.
Minnesota actually scored first in the nation in choice of setting and provider and quality of life and care.
With all that said, AARP noted that with the good news also comes to less good news. The cost of long-term support in Minnesota was still unaffordable for middle-income families - nursing homes cost over twice the average household income here.
Also, Minnesota ranked next to last - 49th in the country - in the cost to care for somebody privately at home, as a percentage of median household income. Compared with a national average of 84 percent of annual income, the cost in Minnesota was 110 percent.
So retire here, but don't go into the nursing homes or be cared for privately at home if you don't have substantial income, apparently. Aren't those important factors when considering where we retire, the long-term care for when we get even older?
We're not sure we agree, but AARP is fairly reputable, so here are their findings:
AARP named Minnesota the best state in the nation to retire in;
Minnesota ranks first for quality of life and quality of care for our older residents;
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Minnesota ranks first for the level of choices older Minnesotans have to receive long-term care services;
Minnesota ranks third for affordability and access to long-term care services
Minnesota ranks third for the support we provide for family caregivers.
This editorial was originally published in the Detroit Lakes Tribune, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
