What's with the STD reputation in The Villages?
 

We told several friends about the villages and we were buying a home and two said you heard they have the highest std numbers of any retirement community.

Is this fact or fiction.

We're very concerned what are the facts about this?

If you aren't sleeping around, it doesn't matter. :angel:

They don't call is the friendliest city for nothing. :loco:

STD. Silly traffic detentions?
 

Well, if you are exposed you could catch a STD. So you know what to do about that!!

And...I am guessing that it is yet another rumor.

Part of this Urban Legend came from the book Leisureville. And the culprit is MR. MIDNIGHT!

Actually it is a rumor started by the..........

Check one;
WCTU. FBI. YMCA. VOA. LAPD. MSNBC. Fox. TLC. CBS. TTN. BBC.
Please feel free to add your own.

Personally I think rumors like that are much better than those that say we are all death adjacent.

Here is the FACT on the story.... some locals do not like the villages because they do not like change.They want to keep things like it was yrs ago...so a Doc told a story about a high count on it...truth is there is STD all over the USA...I am a single person who lives her for the past 6 yrs and has not been around nor heard of a problem like the old story has been pasted around. If you sleep around I am sure you may catch something just like if you were anywhere else... The Villages is a very nice place to live. No need to worry!

If it were true then perhaps it would be due to the fact that many, (excuse the word) seniors, only used condoms back when it meant stopping pregnancy. Since that isn't much of a concern with this population then perhaps they don't use any protection? Just a thought.

If it is true, then perhaps it is because the people in TV recognize a medical problem and seek treatment for it rather than hope it goes away!

Another rumor from that nut that wrote Leisureville.:swear:

When we first visited here in 2008, we took the trolley tour. Someone on the bus asked the guide about a recent newspaper article that apparently mentioned the high incidence of STD's in the Villages. Despite the fact that I thought the question to be rude and uncalled for, the guide never missed a beat. She said "Well, we ARE an active adult community!" If you live in the Villages, you can probably avoid STD's, but you won't be able to avoid the humor !

It is simply not true. Below is a link that references board of health statistics for the area.

Data, doctors dispel reports of rising infections | Ocala.com

agree with above^^^^^
 

I asked our Realtor years ago and he said it was not true and to check the board of health to confirm it. You see every case of STD's has to notify the Board of Health. The fact is there stats don't uphold the rumor.

A gynecologist, Colleen McQuade M.D., was quoted in newspapers in 2006 as having seen rising numbers of older patients with STD's due possibly to lack of awareness when reactivating their sex lives, etc.

It got blown out of proportion by talk shows and others who are either envious of people who are happy due to all that TV offers, or they hate the developer and this gives them some more ammunition.

The bottom line is, if we went out onto the streets looking for sex with strangers in our former neighborhoods where we lived before this, we'd be sure to find people with STD's.

If you're looking for sex with strangers, you can probably find that here, just as you can where you are. That, however, is not the goal of anybody we've met here. If you open the phone book of TV, you'll see that most people are couples.

We did a brief visit to TV in Feb 06 and liked what we saw so much we booked a rental for July 06.

Well, in May 06 while sitting in the Seattle airport, lo and behold, CNN was broadcasting its story about STDs in The Villages, including an interview with the female GYN. Made us do a double take.

We have heard this tale retold by jealous non Villages friends many times over...and it gets tiresome. Much ado about nothing.

Last year I spent a month in TV. At a family gathering I happened to mention this to the grandmother of my son's wife who resides in a retirement community in North San Diego County, California. She went nuts, telling me she had heard TV had the highest STD rate...... I responded that much of what she had heard had been blown all out of proportion but she just would not listen. She had that "Don't confuse me with the facts. I have already made up my mind." mentality. It is just too juicy a "fact" for rumor mongers who are no doubt more than a little bored with their own lives.

I don't think the Post-T-Vac has the right "protection"...... :pray:

I think the urban legend came about due to so many single ladies living in the Villages (one "bad apple"....). I have had a few folks toss the STD thing in my face and I respond "oh and you haven't heard of all the unique golf carts?"

STDs cover a large spectrum but nowadays everybody only thinks AIDS.....

IMHO just sayin....

OH My.

:pray:

Total BS, that's all I have to say about that!!!!!!!!:bowdown:

I have done significant reseach on my own here in the Villages. There seems to be a large percentage of seniors (especially prevelant in those who frequent the Town Squares) with AIDS - HEARING AIDS that is. :jester:

That was cute. As I was reading it.....I thought "Oh My Gosh" until I got to the HEARING AIDS part. Funny.

But truthfully now, friends of ours who rented most recently found some very strange things in the laundry room and just around the house (no snooping necessary) to make them suspect that what they read in LEISUREVILLE to be somewhat truthful. The owners had been the last inhabitants; thus they told me it couldn't have been "other rentors".

Since in the winter the town squares are so crowded and in the off season there is not the greatest perfomers, what percentage would you say, of full time inhabitants, really really go to the town squares every single night to listen or dance to the music? 50% or less?

Last question: What percentage of introverts are happy living in TV....vs. say the extroverts. This was also brought up by our friends to us. Thanks.

I think there are more people who like to gather in social groups by far than there are hermits or those who enjoy being alone.

I have to ask. What was found in the laundry room and just around the house?

Then why are we ALL taught at our collective Mothers' knees not to spread rumors???

You'll have to ask them, but they were a bit shocked and are not prudes by any means.

I knew you'd ask that.

Not all introverts are hermits. Some are artistic types, authors, etc. and deep thinkers. Our friends are not into dancing the night away, but into other interesting endeavors. Everyone I know has read the book "Leisureville" and taken it with a grain of salt. It takes all kinds to make the world.....however, just curious as to the percentage of let's call them homebody domestic types compared to the very extrovert out on the town every night types.

This couple was concerned, not knowing who their neighbors might turn out to be. Otherwise, they, like us, thought the general ambience was lovely.......TV presents itself very well to the outsider. The STD thing is no secret; it was published in the Orlando Sentinal.....not just the book "Leisureville".

However, that aside, they loved the place.

This is an interesting link.
 

Sex, Lies, and The Villages

Doubt if it is even 50% of the Villages population who go to the Squares on a regular basis. When I have been there it seems that some of the people on the Squares come from surrounding communities and/or are visitors of relatives who own property in the Villages.

We usually only go to the Squares in the evenings when we have relatives visiting whom we need to keep entertained.

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction
 

I agree that there are more important things to concern oneself with, however, it is no secret. Article below is from last year. 7!% is fairly high.
The earlier Orlando Sentinel newspaper article (which I have not found yet) related more to TV itself....as did the book "Leisureville"...however, we know people in Arizona upscale retirement communities who say the same thing about the folks there being heavy drinkers and even swingers. We're talking Arizona. Below is article re the STD's .....

Seniors' sex lives are up — and so are STD cases around the country
May 16, 2011|By Marni Jameson, Orlando Sentinel
Across the nation, and especially in communities that attract a lot of older Americans, the free-love generation is continuing to enjoy an active — if not always healthy — sex life.

At a stage in life when many would expect sexually transmitted diseases to be waning, aging baby boomers are once again busting stereotypes, setting records and breaking rules.

In the five years from 2005 to 2009, the number of reported cases of syphilis and chlamydia among those 55 and older increased 43 percent, according to an Orlando Sentinel analysis of data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the Sunbelt where retirees have formed large communities, the rise was even more dramatic.

For instance, in Arizona's Maricopa and Pima counties — home to large retirement communities just outside Phoenix — the percent of reported cases of syphilis and chlamydia increased twice as fast as the national average from 2005 to 2009. Reported cases were up 87 percent among those 55 and older in those counties.

In Central Florida, where The Villages and other retirement communities sprawl across several counties, reported cases of syphilis and chlamydia increased 71 percent among those 55 and older in that same period. And South Florida saw a 60 percent rise in those two sexually transmitted infections among the same age group, according to the Florida Department of Health.

In Riverside County, Calif., home to retirement mecca Palm Springs, reported cases were up 50 percent over the five-year span, according to data from that county's health department.

The reported cases of syphilis and chlamydia among older adults outpaced the nation's average, according to the analysis. Among all age groups nationwide, reported cases of syphilis increased 60 percent between 2005 and 2009, while in the 55 to 64 age group it increased 70 percent. Meanwhile, the incidences of chlamydia rose 27 percent among all ages, and double that among those age 55 to 64.

As a result of the national trend among seniors, Medicare is considering providing coverage for STD screenings for seniors. In March, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid office announced that it was looking into adding STD exams to the national health-insurance program, which already pays for HIV screenings. Medicare also is weighing the benefits of paying for behavioral counseling for sexually active seniors.

Why now?

The factors driving the rise of STDs in the older set include Americans living longer, healthier lives and a new class of medications, which include Viagra, making more sex possible. Many older adults didn't get the safe-sex messages that younger generations received, say experts, so their condom use is lower. In addition, more seniors are living in group retirement communities where there's more socializing.

"These seniors may lose a spouse, then get lonely," said Dr. Jason Salagubang, a geriatrician on staff at Florida Hospital Apopka. "They're living in retirement communities with others in the same boat, and sparks fly."

Joanne Williams, director of Baltimore County Department of Aging, gets that and takes a proactive approach to STD education at the 20 senior centers she oversees.

"The discussion certainly happens here," Williams said. She applies a portion of the funds her agency receives from the state for health education promoting safer senior sex and getting tested.
Julia Gill, director of the Division of Disease Control for the Florida Department of Health, said the heavy marketing for sex-enhancing pharmaceuticals aimed at seniors is also pushing the trend.

Besides Viagra, other medications such as hormone replacements are helping seniors remain sexually active longer. Progesterone and estrogen creams help make sex more comfortable for women, while testosterone-replacement drugs boost libido in men and women.

Finally, a more open sexual attitude has contributed to the rising infection rate.

"The flower children who were in their 20s back in the 1960s are now in their 70s," said Salagubang. "They're the make-love-not-war generation, and old habits die hard."

Anna Fowlkes is of that generation. Five years ago, the 64-year-old widow, mother and grandmother from Baltimore, tested positive for HIV. She picked it up from a man she dated whom she'd known since her childhood. "We grew up together. We'd started going to church together. I never thought to ask," Fowlkes said.

Today, Fowlkes reaches out to other seniors by speaking to groups about her expereince and showing a brief video she produced called "Senior Dating: Older, Wiser, Safer."

More prone to STDs

Just because seniors are older and wiser doesn't mean they're not susceptible to the same diseases as everyone else, Salagubang said. In fact, they're more susceptible.

As always, real numbers are available
 

For 2010 Sumter county had reported for all ages (for a population of 98,946)

1 case of infectious syphilis
169 cases of chlamydia
64 cases of gonorrhea

Sumter county had the 64th highest rate of STD's in the state out of 67 or only three counties were lower than Sumter.

For the years 2000 - 2010 there were either 0,1, or a maximum of 2 cases of chlamydia in persons age 55 and over in Sumter county. And the total reported cases of combined syphilis, GC, and chlamydia in Sumter country for each year has only once been 4 (2001) , once 3 (2005), twice 2, three times one, and three times zero.

You cannot break down the data to determine if the reported cases are Villagers so this is as close as I can get it. Also obviously some Villagers live in other counties. It is interesting that as the population of the Villages grew, there were not more cases being reported, and most of the newer population would be in Sumter county.

This data does not include HIV/AIDS
Florida STD Trends

That's about what we figured.

GOOD TO KNOW. Thanks for sharing.....appreciate the research.

Orlando Sentinal article mentioned that THE VILLAGES sprawled through several counties.....so that would be Sumter, Lake and Marion Counties plus other close by retirement communities in central Florida. As another poster mentioned, I would think a lot of the visitors to the squares do not even live there in TV. NUFF SAID.

Thanks for the input, I thought it was BS, especially after meeting many residents in our visits.

No problem Jimbo2012, however, after reading yours and other posts, I decided to do some research of my own, besides the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, which I've been reading since Caylee Anthony went missing.

I will NOT print the links here, however, just by typing into a search engine, "Are there swingers in The Villages Florida?" I came up with pages and pages of "sites" looking for spouse swapping...the first site claimed that 10,262 of the Villages swingers were within 100 miles.. There were pages and pages of this......plus other sites with similar requests. GO FIGURE.

I realize it's difficult to erase old postings and websites once on the internet but couldn't the Morse Family who owns TV sue these websites for false representation????

Again, it makes one stop, pause and think. Sometimes there is some truth to rumors.

defamation on the internet is hard to prove, it would makes sense that they hire a web person to make new websites that have better rankings than the junk.

I'm a web designer I know it works, no not interested in working.

We strive to be NUMBER ONE in everything. However, thank goodness maybe this ridiculous claim has been disproven once and for all.

Lies, Damn lies, and Statistics
 

If the number of cases of chlamydia in the age 55 and over age group were 2 in one year and 4 in the next, then that's a 100% increase. So what does a 71% increase mean? Don't pay any attention to percentages. Statistics can be manipulated to "prove" just about anything.

Try googling "are there swingers in (whatever your home town is )". You'll probably get a similar number of sites as you did when you entered "The Villages". Porn sites, etc. are programmed to pick up on the word "swingers" and will give you responses no matter where you live.

Sex sells newspapers! And magazines, and books, and TV shows, and movies, and on and on. Truth is usually not involved.

Good Point
 

I can't believe TV is any worse than the same concentrations of populations in other major Cities. IMHO But I could be wrong.

And yes it sure gets old when you say you live or are moving to the Villages and you hear- Did you know! :oops: You can fill in the words before they finish.:shrug:

Talk about beating a dead horse. STD'S

If it was dead horse folks wouldn't keep bringing it up that don't even live here.

I think management needs to do some type of PR program to counter this crap.

It can effect your property values.

Jimbo.

You don't need to worry about the property values being affected by this rumor. "Management" doesn't need to advertise on television anymore to sell houses and if you have driven down here, there are NO billboards...along the road. The developers are selling as many homes as their huge and well trained crews can build every month. I have LIVED here for four years and have watched the price of homes and believe me, they have remained quite normal and mostly unaffected by the economic crisis affecting real estate everywhere else.

What is so interesting to me is that this place is blowing and going and is on Forbes list as ...let me think now..is it the fastest growing town in the country, definitely the largest retirement community in the world ...and when we go home to a funeral, people don't know where it is in Florida and have never heard of it.

The fun for me is to see people arrive here and see their absolute amazement. When you tell them that all of this is available to them for an amenity fee of about $140 a month and homes sell from 70K to a million and a half and everyone pays the same amenity fee...and everyone belongs to all of the country clubs with free golf for life....and....well on and on. They cannot...BELIEVE it!

So don't fixate on a rumor that is inaccurate. What is the truth, if you look around is that there are a hell of a lot of old people living here absolutely having a ball.

That causes other people not living here to be jealous.

Not to worry Jimbo. Deep breaths.

Come join us in Lower Paradise.

Stop by and see us next trip down. We have a cold one waiting for you and the missus.
Gracie. The know it all.:mornincoffee:

Jimbo, that STD myth is so old it has cobwebs. Much ado about nothing. And it hasn't affected property values, not a bit.

Old news!!!!

In a way you've answered your own question when you said "highest std numbers." We are also the largest retirement community in the U.S. and possibly in the world, so likely we DO have the "highest std numbers."

Anyone can make statistics 'work' in any way to make a point. As pointed out earlier, when the number of cases increases from 2 to 4, that is a 100% increase!

The author of Leisureville, in focusing on Mr. Midnight and Wendy and completely ignoring the Civil War Roundtable, the Foreign Film Club, so many art groups, the volunteers at Cornerstone Hospice, and on and on, makes his prejudice against and even envy about TV obvious. Same with the Orlando Sentinel. Why give credence to not just negativity but outright distortion?