Survey: N.D. retirees worry about health and money

Health care issues and financial security are the top challenges facing North Dakotans as they age, according to a new survey released Tuesday by the AARP.

Almost half of the state’s residents age 50 and older who participated in the survey, “Voices of 50+ North Dakota: Dreams and Challenges,” said health care is their top concern.

About 94 percent of the 411 randomly selected North Dakotans contacted for the telephone survey said staying healthy is important to them. But just 34 percent said they have everything they need to make that happen.

The survey, which was conducted in January by the AARP’s Research and Strategic Analysis team, has a margin of error of 5 percent.

About 85 percent of respondents said it’s important they receive Social Security benefits when needed, but only 25 percent said they believe they have everything they need to ensure those benefits will be there.

“It’s important to close those gaps so people can feel confident in older life,” said Rodger Wetzel, AARP North Dakota State President. “By listening to people’s hopes and needs, the survey will help AARP provide the tools and resources that people clearly want.”

Janis Cheney, senior state director of AARP, said many North Dakotans 50 and older dream of a retirement that includes travel and leisure, but “most are faced with a very different reality.”

“They’re worried about staying healthy and being able to afford health care and long-term care, as well as financial issues, such as saving for retirement,” she said.

Other survey findings include:

* About one-third of respondents said economic issues, including the economy, the cost of living or having enough for retirement, are the biggest concerns facing aging North Dakota residents.

* About 80 percent said they worry about financial security issues, and the majority of North Dakota adults 50 and up worry about saving for the future and maintaining financial security in retirement.

* More than half of those surveyed said they’re worried about being able to stay in their own home as they get older. Almost half believe it would be hard to find appropriate long-term care that they could afford.

On the web: Complete survey results are available at www.aarp.org/nd.

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Tags: health care, north dakota, news, retirement