The Best and Worst States to Grow Old

Study Examining Senior Care Cost and Quality Reveals Best and Worst States to Age in

News Release from Caring.com

SAN MATEO, CA; May 9, 2016 -- South Dakota is the best state to grow old, according to a new Caring.com report which examined a variety of financial, healthcare and quality of life categories. Neighboring Iowa and Minnesota ranked second and third, respectively. Click here for more information.

The study found there's generally an inverse relationship between the cost and quality of senior care. South Dakota and Iowa are perfect examples of a sweet spot: they offer excellent care at below-average prices. Among the 15 states with the cheapest senior care, just two rank in the top half for quality (South Carolina and Kansas).

The worst state to grow old is West Virginia, which was dragged down by a last-place showing in the healthcare and quality of life categories. New Jersey and New York join the Mountaineer State in the bottom three. These heavily populated neighbors are hampered by very high costs and below-average quality scores.

"The main takeaway from this research is that the traditional retirement destinations don't always offer the best mix of cost and quality," said Dayna Steele, Caring.com's Chief Caring Expert and the author of Surviving Alzheimer's with Friends, Facebook and a Really Big Glass of Wine. "This is why it's so important for people to do their homework while they're still relatively young and healthy in order to set themselves up for retirement years that are truly golden."

Florida came in 31st overall (mostly due to below-average healthcare quality) and Arizona tied for 17th.

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Hawaii #7

In addition to being one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations, beautiful Hawaii boasts a great mix of quality of life, health care and support for people 55 and over.

The state scored the highest marks in the nation on support for family caregivers, and among the highest for quality of long-term care and supports for seniors.

But with senior care costs here among the highest in the nation (home health aides cost around $56,000 per year on average, while a year in an assisted living community runs about $48,000), not everyone can afford to spend their later years in the Aloha State….