Introduction

Sherry (age 70) and her husband Gregory (age 71) have lived in Mexico for a few years. They have been married for 30 years; each had been married once previously. Sherry has two children from her previous marriage; she and Gregory did not have any children together. Sherry is close to her daughter, who is moving for a new job that will also make it easier for her to see her mother in Mexico, and she will see her more often. Sherry is less close to her son, though they speak about once a month; she says that he will never visit. She is not close to her step-grandchildren, all of whom are grown.

When Gregory retired, Sherry was still employed and could work remotely if need be. If she could afford it, she would have preferred to move back to a city where she had once lived on the East Coast of the US, but that was too expensive. They looked at some places in Mexico, spending a couple of months in each, and did the same in some cities in the US. Eventually, they rented a place in Mexico, with the thought of staying for two years to see whether it facilitated being close enough to their daughter and son-in-law. They decided that it would work for them, both for family and for health reasons. Both Sherry and Greg had multiple chronic health issues. They maintained their healthcare providers in the US and held open the possibility that, as they aged, they would establish relationships with healthcare practitioners in Mexico.

The combination of their ability to see her daughter and son-in-law, access to desired healthcare, and economic considerations swayed them towards Mexico. As they were fairly well off, their economic reasoning bore more explanation: