Where do you want to grow old?

I have visited and studied Mexico, Costa Rica, and lived in Panama for few years, as well as traveled to Colombia. In all countries you can live on $2000 or more easily unless you want to go high dollar for everything. Colombia rates as the best and least expensive for living and medical care. There is much information on the web about costs of living, medical care, and visas, and the only reason i am still in the US is due to Medicare and two dogs. If you are not familiar with Expat Exchange and International Living, both are sources of information. I have studied relocation since 2004, and I wish I had left then and got ahead of the crowd! Hope this helps.

Thank you, Chuck, for your interesting post.

Many of us are concerned about home health care and seek ideas on how to find the appropriate place along with reasonable cost.
Please share the results of your research, or a summary of your findings.

Some countries are beginning to offer home care, independent living and assisted living, and I suggest a google search for the type of care and the country you may be considering. Most expats all say to visit the countries for week or so, but there is much information on the internet, found in such sites as Expat Exchange and International Living. I am only familiar with Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. I always look for a stable government, weather, and cost of living. This does vary depending on one's lifestyle, whether you own or rent a property (everyone say's rent first), and how tied you maybe to kids and grand-kids. In Mexico, both San Miguel Allende and Chapala have independent living properties, and some for assisted living. As we baby boomers age, more places outside the US are starting to recognize the investment opportunities as well, and the costs are at least one half of the US and often better facilities. Panama is building one that I wanted to invest in but the stock got bought up before I could talk to the developer. I believe, after 20 + years of reading and traveling, that better places can be found, but you have to have a sense of adventure, as well as fed up with US politics, taxes, crime, and constant useless Congress.

Most physicians speak English ( many are US trained), insurance is a crap shoot with many variations dependent on age, pre existing, etc. Hospitals often expect payment before discharge, there are public and private health facilities. Costa Rica you must join Casa, the national health system, and the monthly cost is a % of the funds you used to qualify for resident visa, but it has a good reputation.

For such important matters, research, referrals, and visiting, are considerations, and there really is a lot information, that can be verified, unlike the misinformation we hear from Russia and internally too.

I believe that anyone who's SSA benefits equal or exceed $2000 a month can find a home elsewhere with much less BS than we find here. Europe is more expensive than Latin America, and Australia and New Zealand are attracting younger families, especially those with technical backgrounds.

We love to party too. Have an open invitation from Merry - maybe in the fall? Just booked two more trips for 2024 - Willie Nelson in Moorhead in May; Willie again with Bob Dylan in Somerset, WI in September (Can you tell I'm a fan? We last saw him with Charlie Daniels in one of his last performances). Also spending a week near Giants Ridge in July with our grandsons. Looking at Moose Lake, MN area with friends, a trip out West to Washington and Oregon...
Of course it all depends on how many eye surgeries and other events we get to face this summer as we age...
And booking some time in the Smoky Mountains & visiting family in Nashville on the way home this Spring.
Sue

Which nations have a lower cost for assisted or independent living?

I live in Minnesota in a Senior Cooperative. I love it here and hope I can stay as long as possible. We have 52 seniors living in the building with an exercise room, a library, and many activities. I love living with people my own age. We all have different health issues and it is very comforting to live somewhere where people do not mind hearing about the latest health deterioration due to aging.

It will be interesting to know what you learn from others here. In my experience, Latin American countries that have lower costs also have few facilities like these because families live in multi-generational households, and family are the primary caretakers. We also observed this in Yugoslavia and Germany (not the low cost - just the multiple generations) - grandparents on the ground floor, married child and family upstairs, sometimes even a third flat in the home with young adult children or other relatives.
We also have a number of acquaintances who have moved to Costa Rica or Mexico in their younger senior years, but return to the US as their health fails and they need more help with appointments, daily activities, etc.
Sue

I believe only Mexico has established this type of elderly care, while Panama recently started to build one.

Living abroad and seeking better and cheaper opportunities for elderly care is not for everyone for sure. But as we have witnessed the increasing cost in the US (my father paid in excess of $6000 per month for such mediocre care in the Denver area, he passed in 2004,,,and that what got me looking)

Each has to do their own research but these less costly facilities do exist. And yes, the inter generational does exist in many Latin American families, but in greater extent than the US.