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My first thought in reading the statistics showing that San Juan County had the longest-lived population was our healthy lifestyle there. [“Life expectancy in Washington counties varies by as much as 11 years,” FYI Guy, March 18]
But I believe most of it is caused by another factor. I am 87 years old, several months older than the oldest, on average. Now I live in Anacortes. We moved here in 2018, after 30 years living on Obstruction Island, an island with no ferry service and a demanding lifestyle.
We left after my husband’s stroke in 2016. New priorities dictated the move. We live in a one-floor home on a cul-de-sac, three blocks from the hospital, one block from a county bus stop and 11 blocks from the town core. Most friends our age on the islands have also moved to retirement homes or other kinds of age-dictated arrangements.
I believe that is why San Juan Island’s aging population seems healthier — the medically at-risk older population leaves.
Caroline Buchanan, Anacortes
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