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The Takeaway: Santorum Takes Louisiana; Communities Ill-Prepared for Aging Boomers
By Elizabeth Nolan Brown, March 26, 2012 08:14 AM
Older Voters Fuel Santorum Win: In Louisiana's Republican primary Saturday, almost half of voters were aged 45 to 64, and another 26 percent were 65 or older, according to exit polls. Rick Santorum ended up with 49 percent of the GOP vote; Mitt Romney finished with 27 percent, Newt Gingrich with 16 percent and Ron Paul with 6 percent. See more here. >>
The Boomers are Coming! Stories touting the catastrophes awaiting the aging of the boomer population are-pardon the cliche-a dime a dozen these days. But is the message actually getting through? America's 65 and older population will double between 2000 and 2030. But few cities or communities have started planning how they'll accommodate the increase in older residents, USA Today reports.
This lack of planning for a population where one out of every five Americans will be 65+ isn't exactly new-but it isn't changing either. Six years ago, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging said less than half of cities it surveyed at the time were preparing to deal with the transportation, housing and other needs of older residents. Five years later, the group found little had changed.
There are a lot of communities that recognize they need to do something but haven't done it yet," Sandy Markwood, the group's chief executive officer, told the Associated Press.
Why not? Because many of them can't afford to. States, cities and communities across the country are facing tight and dwindling budgets-and services for the aging have already been seeing cuts. But there are preparations communities can make on the cheap, said Henry Cisneros, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development who now heads an urban real estate firm. And those that do could "reap benefits that reach beyond the boomer bubble," according to USA Today.
Monday Quick Hits:
- The responsibility of caring for an elderly parent catches many unprepared.
- In Ohio, older adults hit by job loss during the recession are left finding novel ways to retool for the future.
- And why you should "add color" to your diet: Richly-colored foods from berries and plums to red wine and dark chocolate can lower your heart disease risk.