Minnesota has to start planing to care for its growing number of seniors.
That was the message presented by Mary Bauer of the Minnesota Council on Aging during a Sherburne County Community Partners meeting Wednesday in Elk River.
About 30 stakeholders representing city, township and county government attended the meeting to learn more about the region’s future economic development.
Bauer presented some interesting statistics about the state and the Midwest region.
She said in four years, Minnesota will have more people 65 and older than school-aged children from five to 17. In some places in the state, the number of seniors will have increased up to 368% over the period from 2000 to 2030, especially in some of the northern counties.
“Everybody in Minnesota is retiring to their lake home (up north),” she said.
That’s one of the reasons some Minnesota communities are changing as the older people sell their main homes.
Bauer said as people age, services to care for those people also increase. A recent study shows there will be an increasing need for medical diagnostic technicians, personal care aides and home care aides.
There will also be a need for more construction workers for remodeling. Older people who want to stay in their homes will need to re-fit their living space to accommodate disabilities.
A study shows nearly 78% of people 45 and older plan to stay in their home for as long as possible and 80% believe their current community is where they will always live.
Bauer said out-of-pocket healthcare costs have doubled in the past few years. And seniors who stay at home will end up paying increasing out-of-pocket costs in the future.
Not all seniors will be able to stay at home as health issues continue to increase with age. Bauer said that will cause major problems with assisted living facilities that are already finding it difficult to find qualified workers.
“The issue will not be too few beds or spaces, but not enough staff,” she said.
She said the ratio of patients to staff in some facilities is already 30 to one.
Finances will also be an issue as people continue to live longer. In many cases elderly surviving spouses have nothing left after caring for their spouse.
She said homelessness is also an issue for seniors. A report issued last week says the state has 2,000 over 65 homeless people.
“I think that is way under-reported,” said Bauer.
She said one of her co-workers, who is part of the homeless coalition said there are a lot of people living out of their cars.
“You see their cars in grocery store parking lots where they can access the restroom. They’ll sit all day in libraries,” she said. “Churches and food shelfs are seeing these folks. Older people are very vulnerable in shelters, so they stay away from them.”
Some elderly people are not homeless, but are still isolated once they reach a point where they can no longer drive.
Bauer said local government, when it is planning for future economic development, must consider the age of its population when it comes to housing and transportation.
In closing, she said she wanted to leave the group with some “buzz words” to consider.
Compactness - a community that is walkable, decreases automobile dependence and supports a socially vibrant realm;
Integration of land uses - older adults live closer to or within walking distance of work, community activities and the services they need;
Housing diversity - ensures that appropriate housing is available for each age of the life span;
Transportation options - helps older adults remain independent, mobile and engaged in their surrounding community.
