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To move near family or stay put
Aging Well | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (275)Comment receiving replies
Oh my goodness, reading these posts is certainly eye opening. I am going to respond to the couple that is thinking of moving to Phoenix, Arizona and Mayo Clinic. First of all we are a couple without children but have taken care of plenty when we were younger. Those that have responded regarding child care are "right on", the fact that your son and future daughter-in-law are asking you to move closer to be their "nanny's" to me if very telling. If you are to do that you need to have frank discussions and set some boundaries otherwise you might be in for a very rude awakening on both of your parts. Everyone means well but when reality hits it becomes a whole other story. What will happen when you can no longer either physically or mentally fulfill their wishes and you will be needing the care? Might they be too busy with work and now children to be able to help you out?
Next moving to Mayo sounds great, but - - - do you even know if you will be able to establish care at Mayo? While Mayo is "top notch" medical care it is not easy to become a Mayo Patient. Take it from someone who's husband is one. Some of the departments are "closed" to outside patients as they are so overwhelmed with the patients that they have. Also what type of insurance do you have? Mayo will except conventional Medicare but not the HMO Medicare advantage plans. So check this out before you make any decisions.
Next someone mentioned Arizona heat, it is real and it is HOT! You are pretty much indoors from May until late September if you are in the Phoenix area, we live just south of Phoenix and we know. The other thing is the dust, dust, and more dust so if you have any breathing issues Arizona is not the place to be. We are struggling with contemplating a move just because of the dust. Right now we are able to travel for part of the summer to cooler climates where we can at least be outside but when we come home to a dirty dusty house it is disgusting.
So what I say it do your research and think things thru, don't do anything in haste and the best to you in your decisions.
Replies to "Oh my goodness, reading these posts is certainly eye opening. I am going to respond to..."
@healthconscious THANKS! I spoke to family residents of Scottsdale who seem to think the heat is manageable by doing errands in am and using indoor gyms. They are not concerned about floods of rains in monsoon season, fires because they “live in desert”, water issues, dust, etc. As I wd be new to area and have four seasons it seems a lot more than I might readily adjust to. I do not have good geriatric care but the med system is beyond broken and to send me 60 miles one way is not something I can do. ER trips were nightmares. Urgent care much like ER. Exposes to more illness for which I cant be treated due to drug reactions. Been told to go to ER if bleeding badly, having heart attack or broken bones. Otherwise just use regular meds. It is not safe for nany of my friends who give up kn meds. Beg meds from others, go to a dr who doesnt have time nor know them, or at 90 drive on ice to unknown places. It is sad. Few choices but lots of money helps
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@healthconscious And one other danger, although it is generally remote....not many people contract it, but it is a known disease, and it's called 'desert lung', or mycosis. More specifically, it's coccidia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidioidomycosis. I wouldn't have bothered to mention it, but my own father developed a cough 20 years ago and it persisted. He went to the Mayo Clinic at his sister's urging (she and her husband were very well connected, if you know what I mean). They found it was coccidia, he being a snowbird from Canada who spent winters in Bullhead City. It required a full year of treatment. That was, as I said, 20 years ago, when my dad was 75. Did the treatment Mayo provided work? Yes, he ended himself with MAID this past February (long story, and we supported his way of ending himself due to deteriorations). He had lived well another 20 years, but would have succumbed to pneumonia or some other secondary infection in due time had he not been both diagnosed properly and treated.