Disabled Seniors' Guide to Retiring in Indiana

If you are a disabled senior, you need a plan for retirement. If you are planning your retirement to take place in Indiana, here are some tips to get you started.

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Retirement Planning is About More Than Saving and Investing - In his book, "Making Healthy Choices for Senior Living," author Kenneth Barringer, a 90-year-old retired psychologist, says getting ready for retirement means making conscious choices. That means things like controlling impulsive buying and thinking twice before wasting money on designer clothes and expensive cars, he says. Even if you're a disabled senior, you can achieve a "wellness way of life," he says, by facing complex decisions with a plan. This holds true for retiring anywhere, not just Indiana.
Make Careful Health Care Choices. - In his book, Barringer also says careless healthcare decisions can include choosing the wrong doctor, medication, treatment or a subpar hospital. Indiana doesn't rank highly when it comes to being a good place for a disabled senior to live. WalletHub, an online personal finance resource, ranks Indianapolis 132 out of 150 of the nation's most populated cities on suitable conditions for people with disabilities. That puts Indiana's largest city on the low end of WalletHub's 2014 "Best & Worst Cities for People with Disabilities." Consider your options before settling.
Avoid Hasty Relationship Decisions - Think about the future before getting married or divorced, Barringer says, because thoughtless relationship decisions can have costly consequences both on your pocketbook and your heart. NerdWallet, a personal finance website, calls Boomer divorces "gray divorce" and warns that splitting incomes can get harder with age, especially if you're disabled and on a fixed income. "Take a good look at your future financial picture and made the decision to divorce emotionally, financially and intellectually before you share it with your spouse," divorce coach Sheila Brennan told NerdWallet. Once you drop the bomb that you've been thinking about divorce, she says, it's a tough road back.

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Choose the Right Place to Live - Changing your mind about housing could prove to be unsatisfactory over time, retirement planning author Barringer says. He advises seniors to approach a choice of where to live like interviewing someone for a job: Make a list of what you will need and how you will pay for it. Do the research and take time to make the right choice. You need a plan.
Withdrawing From the World Will Make Retirement Less Than Golden - The Hoosier State's Family and Social Services Administration have resources to help keep disabled seniors from disengaging with the rest of the world. The Division on Aging may be able to help you find resources and understand your benefits. You may even be able to get help with meals, making your home ramp-accessible or finding in-home health care. But it may have to start with you taking the initiative to find help.