Originally Posted by coffeebean (Post 2140464)

Agree to a point. I truly believe they will stop driving their cart when they feel they are not safe to do so. It is not like driving a car so there is that.

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC (Post 2140476)

I would sure hope so but has to be a very hard decision to make to get you to stop driving but if someone is legally blind has no business driving how can they be safe driver?

Sure not looking forward to having to make that decision myself

Originally Posted by Laker14 (Post 2140526)

Joel, I suppose you may reach someone who hasn't already made a decision, but really, your audience here is nearly 100% made up of people who have already made theirs.
Will you share with us your agenda? You have been a member here since 2020, and nearly all of your posts are critical of TV, because there is no free public transportation.
What is your story? Do you think you'd be happy here if only there were free public transportation?

Originally Posted by Inexes@aol.com (Post 2140239)

There is no Utopia...... and aging is inevitable. The OP is correct that there are many things to consider when looking for a place to retire. One thing I noticed that was left out was the availability of good medical care. And, being an RN, I feel that is the most important consideration when thinking about retirement. I spent 20 years in St Pete, Fl before "retiring" to TV and 20 years in TV working in the field. Yes, I was one who found retirement boring. Working in the Home Health field was a real eye-opener into the needs of aging families. And also a great way of finding out pretty quickly, the quality of available medical care. Unfortunately we found ourselves in the position of having to relocate to be closer to family so as not to be a burden on our daughter, who was having to make more frequent trips to TV to help out. And that has been a real eye-opener. First off, to find everything that the OP mentioned, I believe one would have to retire to a large metropolitan area. We relocated to NC, another popular retirement area, and it has been most frustrating. Driving is a major issue as we are reliant on our daughter now for transportation. My spouse could no longer drive, I could, but chose not to after relocating at age 85. We are only 45 minutes from Charlotte, NC.
I stay in touch with TV through this forum and Neighborhood.com. As I listen to the complaints about everything around TV I cannot help but think how lucky we were and how much we have lost by relocating. Sometimes I even consider coming back.
Let me list my reason for this, according to my priorities:
#1: medical care: you have hundreds of doctors, all available specialists and about the best in Cardiac and Orthopedic physicians available anywhere; you have 3 hospitals in Ocala, TVRH, Leesburg Hospital and Waterman all within a short drive. You have UF Shands, top notch, within a short drive, the hospitals in Orlando, Lee Moffitt Cancer Research facility in Tampa, Mayo in Jacksonville. I have 2 hospitals, neither of which have a very good reputation. It takes at least 6 months to get an appointment with a physician. Another 6-10 weeks to get a CT Scan or MRI. And none with the available state of the art equipment that was available around TV. You have the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Ocala Regional, an exceptional facility, several free-standing Emergency rooms that are outstanding. We have none.
#2: Transitional care facilities: you have many Assisted Living and Memory Care facilities and they are quite good compared to the few here in NC.
#3: you have at least 5 of the top Medicare Home Health Agencies in the country available there. We have a couple and I can tell you the differences in services provided by the ones in Fl, compared to the ones here, is remarkable.
#4: you have many agencies that provide private pay services. There are a few here and that rates are about quadruple to what they charge in Florida.
#5: Activities: you know there is nothing you could want to do that you cannot find available in TV, usually within a golf cart ride away. And the movie theatres here are closing also. As are the restaurants and all for the same reasons as in Florida. No help available. And this is an area where there are many young, able bodied people who still apparently, don't want to work.
#6: Transportation: there is none here, other than taxi service either. At least, in TV you have a large community of neighbors, friends, etc who are willing to assist each other in times of need. And, of course, taxi service. I see the notices of many who are willing to provide assistance to those in need of this service and many other services that people post a need. And there is always an over-whelming positive response to those. Not much of that here.
So, my advice... those complainers need to try relocating, sit back and ponder what you left behind.....
IMHO....... UTOPIA.

Originally Posted by NotGolfer (Post 2140590)

WOW! Doesn't live here yet thinks he has all the wisdom of what it's like. I think most people weigh out the advantages---I know we did. In comparing here with there---I'll take here. There, change has happened as well. What once seemed great (small town with it's advantages) has grown and with it more traffic (people drive crazy there too). LIFE changes no matter where one is. Our kids have their own lives and their kids have grown and the same thing with them. I doubt we'd see anyone of them more often due to their circumstances etc. Where we came from there was no public transportation neither. Oh---and the weather----snow and ice for months on end which also requires shoveling etc. Restaurants there are experiencing the same as here. I belong to social media sites where one could insert TV with their names and it would be all the same. Maybe the OP has an idea where a true Utopia would be so we could re-locate there.

Originally Posted by joelfmi (Post 2140695)

Gray hair is a glorious crown won and earned from life experience and a righteous life. That is why no matter where you settle down you must do you due diligence. Speech is silver, silence can be golden to some people.

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe (Post 2140399)

Well, YMMV. My 92 (93 in Nov) mother lives alone, 600 miles from nearest family in a state that is strict with DL renewals. She just got hers renewed last month for another 4 years. So, Your Mileage May Vary. There are no absolutes. There does not have to be a time that comes when they both cannot drive.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 2140730)

He didn't say "when the time comes for you to turn 92 or 93 years old." He said when the time comes when you can no longer drive. Eventually - everyone gets to that point. But not everyone is willing to admit it. And not everyone has the mental capacity to recognize when it's happening to themselves.

My aunt insisted she was an excellent driver. She continued insisting this after she smashed into a light pole - because she claimed the curb crumbled while she was taking a turn (it didn't, it was still 100% intact after the crash). She insisted this again when she failed the vision test. She insisted all was well even when people who COULD see fine, tried to drive her car but couldn't see out the windshield because it was coated in a thick layer of nicotine from 20 years of driving as a chain-smoker and NEVER cleaning the windshield.

The only surprise with my aunt, is that she never killed anyone with her horrible driving. She had her license taken from her when she was around 80. She drove anyway.

Originally Posted by JSR22 (Post 2140199)

I am 100% certain that retiring in TV was the correct choice for my husband and I. He has 13 Championship golf courses to play and terrific practice facilities. We have made many friends that we socialize with and go to restaurants. I am very active in a number of clubs and have made a lot of good friends. We do not have children so no worry about them helping us. We have experienced no issues with health care. We still drive so no transportation issues. When we stop driving, we will use Uber. If owning our hoe becomes difficult there are large amount of Independent and Assisted Living Facilities.Life is Great here!

Originally Posted by Djean1981 (Post 2140360)

Ba humbug! There is no perfect place. Once you can't drive there will be transportation issues anywhere - except maybe Europe. As far as family goes, I know people that moved closer to their family when they got older and they still didn't see their family more than a couple times a year. Unless you move in with family or on the same street, if they work, it may not matter much. At least here, there are tons of activities. There are transportation services with Sumner county if you schedule in advance, Uber, etc.

Originally Posted by joelfmi (Post 2140361)

Try using your wisdom which is more precious than peals instead of attacking the obvious