Vermont: Nice place to live, but don't grow old

Vermont Business MagazineVermont is the 15th-worst state to grow old, according to a new Caring.com report which examined a variety of financial, healthcare and quality of life categories. Utah is the best state to grow old. The study ranked all 50 states in 13 financial, healthcare and quality of life categories focused on senior care. Iowa, South Carolina, Washington, Nebraska, Arizona and California follow the Beehive State at the top of the list.

Utah earned the #1 designation with solid scores across the board. It’s the only state to crack the top 15 in quality of life/healthcare (#7) and cost (#14). Many states exhibit an inverse relationship between quality and price. For example, Washington is tops for quality but #38 for cost. And while Alabama has the cheapest elder care, it lags in quality (#44).

Vermont fared much better in quality of life/healthcare (#21) than cost (#43).

The analysis found the worst states to grow old are Wyoming, North Dakota, New York, Indiana and West Virginia. New York is a notable example of a state that fares poorly in both quality (#34) and cost (tied for #46).

“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.

Sources:

-- 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)

State-By-State Results

State Overall Rank Quality of Life Rank Cost Rank
Utah 1 7 14
Iowa 2 8 17
South Carolina 3 22 6
Washington 4 1 38
Nebraska 5 14 20
Arizona 6 11 23
California 7 3 36
Idaho 8 15 23
Colorado 9 8 32
Oregon 10 3 39
Minnesota 11 6 35
Montana 12 10 30
Wisconsin 13 12 13
Hawaii 14 5 46
South Dakota 15 16 27
Alaska 16 2 50
Texas 17 37 5
Nevada 18 23 25
Arkansas 19 36 9
Georgia 20 41 3
Maryland 21 20 31
New Hampshire 22 13 48
Florida 23 33 16
Kansas 24 31 18
Virginia 25 28 19
Missouri 26 40 7
North Carolina 27 39 8
Alabama 28 44 1
Connecticut 29 17 41
Tennessee 30 42 11
Delaware 31 19 37
Louisiana 32 46 2
Michigan 33 27 28
Illinois 34 35 22
New Mexico 35 29 26
Vermont 36 21 43
Oklahoma 37 47 4
Massachusetts 38 18 49
Pennsylvania 39 31 29
Maine 40 24 44
Rhode Island 41 25 42
Kentucky 42 45 12
Ohio 43 43 15
Mississippi 44 49 9
New Jersey 45 26 40
Wyoming 46 38 32
North Dakota 47 30 45
New York 48 34 46
Indiana 49 48 29
West Virginia 50 50 13

About Caring.com

With more than three million visitors per month, Caring.com is a leading senior care resource for family caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses and other loved ones. A Bankrate company headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., Caring.com provides helpful caregiving content, online support groups and a comprehensive Senior Care Directory for the United States, with nearly 150,000 consumer ratings and reviews and a toll-free senior living referral line at(800) 325-8591. Connect with Caring.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn and/or YouTube.

Source:San Mateo, Calif. –August 16, 2017–Caring.com