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Study: Communities ill-prepared for elderly

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published September 28, 2006

NEW YORK - Fewer than half of the nation's communities have begun preparing to deal with the needs of the elderly, whose ranks will swell dramatically with the aging of the baby boomers, according to a study released Wednesday.

A survey of more than 1,790 towns, counties and other municipalities found that just 46 percent are looking at strategies to deal with aging America.

The issue is critical because the baby boomers - those born between 1946 and 1964 - began turning 60 this year and are rapidly approaching retirement age. By 2030, the number of people 65 or older in the United States will exceed 71-million, according to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, or n4a, based in Washington, D.C., one of the sponsors of the study.

The report, titled "The Maturing of America - Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population," looks at health care and nutritional programs, transportation, public safety and emergency awareness, volunteer opportunities and other services.

Sandy Markwood, chief executive of n4a, told the Associated Press that the findings "should serve as a wakeup call for communities to begin planning now."

Among the key findings in the report:

Health care: In a third of the communities surveyed, older adults do not have access to services such as health screenings, counseling on prescription drugs or health education.

Nutrition: Some 80 percent of communities have programs providing home-delivered meals for the elderly, but just 25 percent provide nutrition education.

Exercise: More than a third of communities do not have fitness programs for older adults.

Housing: Just half of communities have home-modification programs to help the elderly with physical limitations stay in their houses.

Human services: Many communities have failed to create a central point for seniors to go to seek information.

Sibyl Jacobson, president and chief executive of the MetLife Foundation, which underwrote the study, said the results indicate America has much more to do to prepare for a graying population.

"The good news is that 46 percent of American communities have begun planning to address the needs of this exploding population," Jacobson said.

"The other side is that many communities have not. We hope this will spur discussion, will spur interest."

[Last modified September 27, 2006, 23:48:23]