Friday, November 5, 2010

The Crisis of Aging

Pulled this from one of my my local newspapers:

As back ground Wake County North Carolina is probably the largest county in North Carolina (it is in a dead heat with Meklenberg County in which Charlotte resides) containing Raleigh, the Large Town of Cary, and a number of comparably well off bedroom communities.  Six of the top 25 wealthiest zip codes in the state are there.

Yet you have the following being reported to the County Commissioners:

Crisis of Aging Looms in Wake County

A group that makes efforts to support the elderly within the county make the following observations:

  • The 65+ population will likely increase by 200% by the year 2030.
  • Most people are on waiting lists for services that allow them to stay out of long term care
  • Many Seniors have outlived their savings and are finding that they have to go back to work
  • The $11.5 million that the agency used to spend on in-home and adult day car has shrunk by 10%

Wake County with a youthful median age of 34.1 years is generally thought of as one of the most expansive successful counties in the country.  So the population increase of seniors is not that stunning.  But the inability to pay for them this early into the baby boomer retirement is.

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