Retirement Myth #1

Retirement Myth #1: Most retirees eventually end up in nursing homes.

Not so, says Dr. John Rowe, past president of Mt. Sinai NY Hospital and current professor at Columbia. “Only 5% of people over the age of 65 live in nursing homes, and that percentage has been falling for at least 10 years.”

Rowe says the reason for such low numbers is that most older Americans are free of disabilities. “Of those ages 65 to 74, a full 89% report no disability whatsoever.” And the same is true for three of every four seniors, ages 75 to 84.

Besides, we baby boomers will change the institutions. No card-carrying boomer is going to sit in a wheelchair in front of a TV watching Lawrence Welk reruns.

We’ll put motors on those puppies, set the TV to a classic rock station, push back the chairs and play a rousing game of capture the flag.

**This piece is the first of 10 blogs that will unmask retirement myths in American culture.