Best places to live with MS

[Pablo_Morphy]

I am curious:  What would be the best places to live with MS, and why?  I guess weather is the first issue.  I am from a very hot town, and I currently reside in a place that gets very hot summers and there is a high risk of hurricanes.  Another issue would be healthcare.  Family and friends are an absolute priority as well.  What places would you consider?  

[Pablo_Morphy]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your comments!  

In a personal note:  The good news is that my wife has sisters and uncles in the NW, and we had already considered moving there before my CIS diagnosis (especially Seattle).  We would like a place where she can also have good job prospects (now more than ever, since keeping two sources of income and insurance is critical).  Re other countries, I know Canada has plenty to offer, though I have heard mixed reviews about the health care system.  I was also considering a position based in Australia, so I would certainly appreciate the comments and input from our friends from that side of the world (if you wish, contact me via a personal note).

It's interesting that nobody so far has mentioned the largest cities in the country as places to consider (since these cities offer excellent health care options).

[jean_619]

I have traveled often to Seattle and I love it.  I've never been their more than 2 weeks -- but I've been there different times of the year and it was great weather.  It never rained very hard when I was there -- just a lot of light rain and misting.  But everything was so green (and there were even flowers in the winter) that I could easily get by even with the rain.  

I love vacationing in Maui -- but I've only done that when the weather was mild.  And I'd be concerned about the health care availability -- the main hospitals are probably on Oahu, which I didn't care for much.

One thing I know for sure ... don't bother with metro Detroit.  People that live here already tend to like it or are stuck here with a family or job.  I think there is lots to see and do, but the main drawback is the weather.  Very cold and snowy in the winter, and hot and humid on the summer.  It rarely gets above 95, but the humidity will practically kill you.

One plus -- the housing is really cheap!  You can get a home for a dime -- especially if it is already foreclosed on.  But then again, you somehow have to find a job.    =)

Jean

[doublevision1]

Not exactly 'overseas' lol, but here is a submission from your neighbour to the north.  

I'll preface this by saying it's hard to take familiarity bias out of the equation; we tend to prefer that which we know firsthand.  Thus, not a shocker when I say I think in terms of best country, Canada at the top of my list.  
Several reasons:

Access to treatment
Specifically, for RRMS and in some instances SPMS, I think any of the 10 provinces and three territories would do, as all jurisdictions provide, for nominal or free of charge, the approved DMDs on the recommendation of a neuro/MS specialist.  As far as I know, no Canadian should go without  treatment for financial reasons; big difference compared to USA, and even UK, where DMD access seems to be more constricted and less of a given than in Canada.,  UKers, correct me if I’m wrong please.
For access to the best neuros, all of the major cities have MS clinics associated with medical schools, and I’d feel confident with any of them: Edmonton (where I go); Calgary; Vancouver; Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax.

Canada Health Act
Which guarantees universal coverage for all medically necessary hospital and physician services, without co-payments.  This does not preclude one from having private individual or group supplemental health insurance; in fact very common for employers to offer this coverage.  And the Act does not mean in any way that the government makes your medical decisions, a common misconception.  These decisions are made between patient and doctor.  

Employment
Employers in provincial and federal jurisdictions are held to a high standard with respect to accommodating employees with disabilities.  Failure to do so results in financial penalties.  I work in HR and some of our employees who are on assignment here who are from the USA are astounded at the lengths we go to (accommodate employees in new jobs; provide full re-training; provide ergonomic and other equipment as required, ie: for me, voice activated software; provide flexible work schedules; allow employees to work from home; reduce wages only to a minimum of 2/3 of regular earnings, even if the accommodated position normally would pay much less;  pay for private medical testing to speed up the diagnostic process; etc).  Not all employers go to this extent, I am lucky to work for one that does, but even with that said, employees with disabilities do have greater protection of employment related rights in Canada than many other countries.

For employment opportunity, I would say Alberta (where I live) is in the best shape, mostly associated with the oil and gas industry.  Another plus for Alberta is no provincial sales tax, which is more money in your pocket to buy the expensive gas to drive to your medical appointments, lol.

Quality of Life
Canada ranks 4th on the last U.N. Human Development Index, after Norway, Australia and Iceland.  This index measures life expectancy, literacy, education standard of living, well being include health care and child welfare.  It is used to measure the impact of economic policies on overall quality of life for all countries worldwide.

Weather
Being a land of extreme temps, from way too cold to way to hot and humid; I’d have to settle on Vancouver as the best place in Canada for someone with MS.  It does rain a fair bit; very comparable to Seattle actually.  Very mild temps winter and summer, so always comfortable/tolerable.   It’s a large but very accessible city, gorgeous scenery, and has the other benefits mentioned above.  I can't live there now, but someday, probably at retirement, I'll get to live there again.  Lucky me :)

[Pablo_Morphy]

Thanks for the comments about Canada.  I think Canada and the Scandinavian countries might be the best equipped countries against MS, because of the high incidence of the disease.  I am originally from Latin America, and I wouldn't mind moving back home, but I'm worried about having little support for my MS there.      

[JemmAus]

Pablo, I seriously don't know, if I were you, that I would be prepared to even consider moving half way across the world, into a different hemisphere, leaving friends and extended family, while unwell.

I was living 1300km from friends and family when I became unwell and it was seriously awful, and I felt very alone.

Health care here is good, everyone contributes 1.5% to 2.5% (depending on income) of their annual tax to medicare, and everyone has equal access to its resources. One can also pay for private health insurance, but I find that is overepriced for-profit nonsense, and stick with medicare and pay privately myself for some things - which I can claim at least 50% of back from medicare anyway.

Hard to explain in a forum....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_(Australia)

[Pablo_Morphy]

Thanks, Jemm.  Yes, it's not an easy decision.  I already had a tough decision to make regarding staying abroad or moving back to Latin America before the diagnosis came up.  On one hand, being away from family if I get worse would be really tough.  On the other hand, being there limits your access to treatment alternatives and care, and salaries are much lower.  

I'm no longer as stressed about making the choice to stay abroad or move back as I used to be.  Now the choice will be.... different, contingent on how my condition goes and so many other factors!  I will keep my fingers crossed the best outcome for us takes place...