Where to Retire near San Diego, California

For decades, the area around San Diego has appealed to generations of senior citizens who were looking for a pleasant place to retire with a mild climate and a wide variety of activities.  Thousands of men who were stationed in San Diego during their years in the Navy or Marine Corps chose San Diego as the one place where they wanted to live when they retired from the military.  Many other people fell in love with the city during a vacation stay.  Today, the city of San Diego and its nearby suburban communities continue to attract retirees from around the United States.  Here are some of the things you should know if you are considering moving to this part of the country.

Advantages of a San Diego Retirement

Many people believe that San Diego has the best climate in the continental United States.  It almost never freezes or snows and gets only about 12 inches of rain a year.  While you will still need to occasionally use your furnace at night in the winter, and you will want to have air-conditioning in the summer unless you live very near the ocean, you are still likely to find that your utility bills will be moderate to low compared with the bills in many other parts of the nation.  The typical temperatures in January range from a nighttime low of 47 to a daytime high of 65; in July, the average temperature range is a low of 63 and a high of 75.  Of course, when I lived in San Diego, I can remember a few occasions when the low winter temperatures in the inland areas dropped into the low 30's, and a number of occasions when the high summer temperatures would reach into the low 90's.

The mild weather is especially appealing to people who enjoy outdoor sports.  Whether you look forward to hiking, fishing, bicycling, swimming, golfing, tennis or participating in similar activities, you will find plenty of opportunities to spend time outdoors in Southern California.  There is no reason to give up winter sports, either.  During the colder months, you are only about a two hour drive to the ski resorts around Big Bear.  You can literally be walking on the beach in the morning and snow skiing that afternoon.

New residents will also find a large number of other senior citizens who are living in the area.  According to some estimates, there are over 100,000 members of senior citizen's organizations in San Diego.  In addition, the city is surrounded by a number of suburbs that are very popular with retirees, including El Cajon, Alpine, Lakeside, Oceanside, Murrieta and Temecula.

There are also a wide variety of ways to stay busy in the San Diego area, including a large selection of churches, museums, amusement parks that you and your grandchildren will enjoy, a world-class zoo, senior centers, sports teams, colleges, and all the restaurants, shops, malls, theaters and other amenities you would expect to find in a large city.  In addition, there are miles of public beaches that are, in most cases, easy to access.

Another advantage for retirees is that there is no California state income tax on Social Security and there are no sales taxes on food and drugs.  Property taxes range from 1% to 1.75% of the full value of the property.


Disadvantages of a San Diego Retirement

While San Diego may seem like an idyllic place to retire, the biggest disadvantage is the cost, especially if you wish to live near the ocean.  Home prices are estimated to be at least 40% above the national average, which makes it hard for retirees who wish to re-locate there from other parts of the country, especially if they expect to live in a home similar to what they owned in the Midwest.

Many people solve this problem in several ways.  They may decide to rent an apartment or home near the beach; they could decide to downsize to a much smaller home than the type they have previously owned; or, they might move to one of the inland suburban communities.  If they choose to live inland, there are a number of small towns and lovely retirement communities that are quite appealing.  However, if you live inland you will have to expect greater extremes in the weather ... slightly colder winters and hotter summers.  Many retirees feel that the trade-off is worth it, especially since they will still be living within an hour's drive of downtown San Diego and miles of gorgeous beaches.


Popular Locations to Retire Near San Diego

There are dozens of appealing retirement communities in the San Diego area, including elegant single-family homes, oceanside condominiums, and inland planned communities.  Here are a few neighborhoods that are particularly popular.  You will find dozens more by checking out the links in the resource section of this article.

Ocean Hills Country Club
High Country Villas
Chateau Lake San Marcos
Costa Serena in Oceanside
The Springs of Escondido or El Cajon
Pacific Regent in La Jolla
Waterford Terrace in La Mesa
Oceana in Oceanside
Chateau at Harveston in Temecula
Four Seasons at Murrieta

There are also dozens of assisted living communities and several appealing mobile home parks.  In addition there are a number of combination communities that offer both independent living apartments as well as assisted living and skilled nursing, all in the same community.  These are often referred to as Continuing Care Retirement Communities.  These facilities are perfect for couples in which one person is healthy and the other needs assistance.  With so many choices, there is sure to be an appropriate place to live, regardless of your health or financial situation.

In most cases, you will want to meet with a San Diego County Realtor to discuss your price range, whether or not you wish to live in an age restricted over-55 community or one that is open to all age groups, and the amenities that are important to you.  There are numerous communities that may work for you, so you do not want to zero in on one too soon until you have explored all your options.

You can also get more information about the places mentioned above, as well as dozens of other locations, by checking out the websites below.

Finally, you may be interested in purchasing the helpful Amazon book, "Where to Retire," which will help you find general information about popular retirement destinations around the United States.

Sources (use the links below to find more information about the communities mentioned above, as well as dozens more):

http://www.retirensdc.com/
http://www.seniorhomes.com/c/ca/san-diego/retirement-communities/
http://www.55places.com/california/area/san-diego
http://www.holidaytouch.com/Our-Communities/the-chateau-at-harveston
http://www.55places.com/california/city/murrieta


Amazon book: "Where to Retire - America's Best and Most Affordable Places" 

If you wish to get more information on places to retire in the United States and Overseas, or you are interested in information on financial planning, health concerns or family relationships as you age, use the tabs at the top of this page.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

(Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com)

Resources for Dealing with Dementia and Alzheimers

As I mentioned recently, I am adding an extra post each week that will be primarily designed to provide my readers with links to resources that they will find helpful.  This is in addition to my normal weekly post.

This week's resource post will deal with dementia and Alzheimer's.  There is a contributor named Merrci with the online magazine Squidoo, who specializes in writing about these topics and I have found her articles to be very helpful and informative.  Not only does she provide useful information, but she has also included ads for some helpful books that she believes will enlighten people even more.  I am the official "Retired and Loving It" contributor on Squidoo, and I have discovered that the articles that are written by both of us appeal to similar groups of readers.

Here's a link to Merrci's most recent article:

http://www.squidoo.com/will-alzheimers-or-dementia-affect-your-family

Since my mother is suffering from advanced dementia, I know how difficult the situation can be for many families.  I am fortunate that my mother and father are currently living with my sister.  I'm not sure how long this arrangement will last.  Eventually, however, it is possible that my mother will need to be moved to a memory care facility.

Whether you are a Baby Boomer who is worried about your own declining memory, or you have aging parents who have been diagnosed with dementia, the information Merrci provides about assisted living, getting financial assistance to pay for it, etc., will be very helpful as you decide on the best way to handle this emotional situation.

Here are links to three Amazon books that you may also find helpful in dealing with this dreadful disease in your family.  Just click on the titles below to be taken directly to their Amazon page.

"A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease: 300 Tips For Making Life Easier"
"Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was a Cure"
"Talking to Alzheimer's: Simple Ways to Connect When You Visit with a Family Member or Friend"


If you are a Baby Boomer or retiree who is looking for additional retirement or heath information, use the tabs at the top of this page to find links to hundreds of useful articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

(Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com)

Should You Get Knee Surgery?

Although knee problems can occur at any age, the older we get, the more likely we are to develop stiff, painful knees.  Sometimes this is a result of arthritis and sometimes the pain is a result of an injury.  In either case, we often wonder if the only way we will find relief is to get knee surgery, which is one of the more common medical procedures for people over the age of 60.  Recently, however, researchers have begun to question how effective this surgery actually is at providing lasting relief.

Fake Knee Surgery May Work as Well as The Real Thing

According to a report in the December, 2013 New England Journal of Medicine, researchers discovered that people who had fake arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus did as well as those who had the actual surgery.  In this study, which was conducted in Finland, researchers studied 146 patients between the ages of 35 and 65 who had degenerative wear and tear of the meniscus.  The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that serves as a shock absorber between the shinbone and the thighbone.  None of the patients in this study appeared to have arthritis, which indicated that their pain was due solely to an issue with their meniscus.

Half of the patients were given an actual arthroscopic meniscectomy in which a surgeon smoothed out the rough edges of the cartilage.  The other half had a fake surgery in which the doctors made an incision but did not do anything.

After a year, both groups were checked.  There was virtually no difference in the knee pain reported by the two groups!  Two-thirds of the people in both groups said they were happy with the surgery and they would do it again.

This research is significant because approximately 700,000 arthroscopic partial meniscectomies are performed in the United States every year.

How to Postpone Knee Surgery

Some orthopedic doctors are beginning to believe that many people who suffer from knee pain might do just as well if they simply underwent physical therapy to strengthen the muscles that support the knee in order to avoid or postpone surgery.  There is also some evidence that many people could be helped by a change in the type of exercise they do.  For example, experts recommend that patients switch from jogging to swimming or biking as a way to stay in shape, since these low-impact exercises put less stress on the joints.

Patients may also benefit from taking anti-inflammatory medication or getting injections of hyaluronic acid before resorting to surgery.

What to Expect from Knee Replacement Surgery

As a last resort, some patients may eventually need to have knee replacement surgery, but only after they have tried the other options, first.  When nothing else seems to help, knee replacement may be the only alternative left, especially when there is advanced osteoarthritis and the meniscus is completely worn away.

Knee replacement surgery is usually undertaken only when people have reached the point when they can no longer perform even the most common tasks, such as walking a short distance.  In these circumstances, most people experience great relief after the surgery, since they have typically been living with tremendous pain and discomfort.

If you are considering knee replacement surgery, expect to stay in the hospital for three to five days, followed by a stay in a rehabilitation facility for another seven to ten days, and then spending an additional six weeks of physical therapy before your muscle strength is restored.  After surgery and recuperation, you should be able to engage in most normal activities, with the exception of running and jumping.

While this was not mentioned in any of the literature I read on knee replacement surgery, some of the people I have known who had the surgery have also found it difficult to kneel or squat afterwards.  In addition, patients need to know that the replacement parts will not last forever.  They may need to be replaced in fifteen to twenty years.  This is another reason why you will want to wait as long as possible before getting the surgery.  If you have the surgery in your 50's or 60's, you may have to repeat it in your 70's or 80's.  As the materials that are used continue to improve, it is possible that, in the future, new joints may last longer.

The bottom line appears to be that you should avoid getting knee surgery as long as you can by changing your activities, doing strengthening exercises, taking anti-inflammatory medications and getting shots.  Only when these options no longer work for you, should you seriously consider knee replacement surgery.

As always, you will want to discuss your options with your doctor and you may even wish to get a second opinion before deciding on any knee surgery.

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/26/health/knee-surgery-study/index.html

http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/knee-replacement-surgery

If you are interested in reading about other medical concerns as we age, click on the medical issues tab at the top of this page to find links to articles on a variety of topics.  In addition, you may want to check out the other tabs to find articles about where to retire here and abroad, family relationships, financial planning and more.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com

Help with Your 2013 Income Tax Returns

It's the time of year, again, that most of us dread ... time to file your tax returns.  As the "Retired and Loving It" contributor for the Squidoo online magazine, my bonus blog post this week provides my readers with two links that may be useful in getting your 2013 taxes completed inexpensively and, possibly, for free.

The first link is from AARP - The American Association of Retired People.  This organization operates a foundation that provides FREE tax assistance to people with low to moderate incomes, especially those who are over the age of 60.  You do NOT have to be retired to benefit from this service.  They have 5000 different locations across the United States.  In order to find the one that is closest to you, you can use this link to the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Locator.

If you do not feel that you will qualify to use the AARP free tax service, you may still be able to save money by doing your taxes yourself.  In that case, you may want to read my article, "How to File Your Own Taxes and Save Money."

In this article, you will get an overview of the different types of software available, including a direct link to the tax software page on Amazon, as well as links to some of the specific tax software programs you can buy from Amazon.  The Squidoo article also includes a list of the documents that you may need to have on hand before you see a tax preparer or use the software you select.  This article will save you time and money by helping you get everything organized before you start.

I also wanted to mention that members of my family have used a variety of tax software products, including the software from both TurboTax and H&R Block.  In general, they thought the TurboTax software was easier to use.  On the other hand, H&R Block seems to have an excellent back-up system if you need to call them to get your questions answered.  Whichever company you choose to use, you can use the links in the Squidoo article to browse through the various choices and pick the one that sounds right for you.  There are choices available for your PC or Mac, including software you can either have delivered to your home or download immediately.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit for 2005 tax form:  en.wikipedia.org/commons