Big changes ahead for aging population

By Iowa City Press-Citizen

---

Numbers recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau show a massive societal change taking place in Iowa and the rest of the nation. People who are 65 and older are now the fastest growing segment of the population across the U.S., and Iowa is one of the states where that growth is happening most noticeably.

Over the past decade, the nation's 65-and-older population grew more than 15 percent to 40.3 million people. The age group makes up 13 percent of the nation's population, up from 12.4 percent in 2000. Iowa, with seniors making up nearly 15 percent of its population, has the fifth highest rate in the nation - Florida is No. 1 with 17.3 percent.

“This is an unprecedented demographic period,” Brian Kaskie, associate professor of public health at the University of Iowa's Center for Aging, told The Des Moines Register. “Every structure in society is going through a reassessment and will have to adapt, from the workplace to families and health care.”

According to census figures released earlier this year, the number of Johnson County residents age 55 to 64 increased by 98 percent over the last decade, from 6,595 to 13,045 people. The number of residents 65 and older jumped 34 percent, from 8,373 to 11,211 people. Statewide, those age 55 to 64 increased by 44.8 percent, and those age 65 and older increased 3.8 percent.

In far too many other Iowa counties, that rising percentage of seniors isn't necessarily something to celebrate. The numbers, instead, demonstrate how many younger families are leaving the area. The recent census figures show how the top five Iowa counties with the greatest percentage of people 65 or older all had populations of 10,500 or fewer.

Johnson County, despite the local growth in its local elderly population, remains one of the youngest counties in the state. The average median age in Johnson County was 29.3 in 2010, compared with 38.1 statewide. And the percentage of Johnson County residents 65 and older is the lowest of all 99 counties.

Government and nonprofit agencies have been working for years to think about the consequences of this growing senior population. Through collaborative groups such as the Johnson County Consortium on Successful Aging, they've produced a series of reports and recommendations on transportation, housing and supportive services for successful aging. Over the past decade, they've changed the nature of community planning conversations so that senior issues are now an essential part of such discussion rather than an afterthought.

But that same level of conversation needs to be taking place on the statewide and national level. And our local leaders need to do more to integrate our college-age populations with the growing number of local retirees - not to mention the growing number of seniors who can't afford to retire.