Health care is drawing retirees to Murray Bridge

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More and more older people are moving to Murray Bridge because of the standard of health care available, a peak body for older South Australians says.

COTA SA chief executive Jane Mussared visited Murray Bridge last Wednesday to ask locals about the benefits and drawbacks of growing old in the Murraylands.

The issue raised with her again and again, she said, had been health – and mostly in a positive way.

More visiting specialists would be welcome, but otherwise people were happy with their GPs and the health services they received.

The affordability of housing – for buyers, not renters, presumably – had been another tick in Murray Bridge’s box.

Overall, Ms Mussared said she had been surprised to learn just how many people were choosing to spend their retirement years by the river.

“One person had been (in Murray Bridge) a year and a half, another person had been here 12 years,” she said.

“They like the services here and they feel central to the region – they can go to Adelaide quickly.”

Life wasn’t all sunshine and roses, though, she noted.

Some older locals were doing it tough, and at least one had noted how difficult life would become if she ever lost her driver’s licence.

Ms Mussared’s visit was part of a tour intended to help her and COTA SA advocate more effectively for older South Australians in rural and regional areas.