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When Choosing Retirement Locations Consider Access to Health Care
Spectrum Staff
Warmer
climates and quality golf courses might be on the top of many seniors’ wish
lists when choosing a location to enjoy their retirement. But many
of the top 10 states where seniors choose to live do not have an
adequate number of state-of-the-art health care facilities within
a “treatable distance” — a factor that could prove
fatal in the event of a medical emergency.
According to a study in a recent issue of The Journal of the American Osteopathic
Association, when deciding where to live after retirement, baby boomers need
to take into consideration access to medical care for the treatment of cardiac
arrest and stroke, including the location of tertiary level hospitals, certified
primary stroke centers and Level I trauma centers.
Seniors could very well find themselves requiring such services since heart disease
is the leading cause of death in the United States, and strokes are the third-leading
cause of death.
“It is recommended that seniors live within a ‘treatable distance’ — no
more than 25 miles or 30 minutes by ground — from a tertiary level hospital
and a Level I trauma center,” said Augustine L. Perrotta, D.O., an osteopathic
physician from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and co-author of the study.
“Following cardiac arrest, there is no chance of survival after 30 minutes
if advanced cardiac life support has not been instituted. Chances of surviving
a cardiac arrest drop by 10 percent every minute after two minutes if cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) has not been instituted. Treatment for stroke due to a blood
clot with a ‘clot buster’ should be given within three hours,” he
said.
When comparing the top 10 states people spend their retirement to his home state
of Michigan, Dr. Perrotta found the most popular destinations offer the least
access to facilities. For example, Arizona is expected to see the most growth — 3.6
percent — in its population of seniors 65 years and older.
Of the 10 states with the greatest increase in senior population, Arizona ranked
last in the number of stroke centers serving its senior population and ranked
ninth in number of Level I trauma centers.
Nevada ranked second in population growth but 10th in the number of certified
primary stroke centers and seventh in its number of Level 1 trauma centers. Michigan
ranks third in both categories.
Dr. Perrotta said the study findings demonstrate the need for physicians to emphasize
to their older patients the importance of choosing a place to retire that has
access to state-of-the-art health care facilities. He also recommends public
policy intervention to ensure that aging adults have full access to these life-saving
opportunities.
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