County supervisors are spending time learning more about the needs of Marin's growing senior population.
Residents age 65 and older make up nearly one-third of the county's population. Most of them are baby boomers who are facing various challenges associated with aging.
Supervisors recently heard the results of a county-commissioned survey showing a growing number of seniors are concerned about their financial security.
Some people postpone retirement. Retired people worry about making ends meet on a fixed income. They worry about whether their Social Security checks and savings will be large enough to meet the many needs they face as they grow older. For many people, if they're not keeping up with rent increases or medical costs, it's the inflationary prices they see at stores and gas stations.
The survey showed an increase in concerns from 13% to 29% compared to the previous survey in 2019. This is important. We included more minorities in our research to ensure that their concerns were fairly reflected in the results.
Another growing area is older adults concerned about financial crime, economic abuse and fraud.
They and their savings often fall prey to cyber fraud. The development of artificial intelligence is fueling this fear.
Sometimes calls and emails asking for help or offering incredible deals are disguised ploys for data mining or theft.
Seniors' concerns range from climate change to whether they can afford home care or assisted living.
They also expressed a desire for further socialization.
Due to the high cost of living in Marin, grown children and grandchildren often cannot afford to live nearby.
The question facing supervisors and other county leaders is, once they hear the results, what can they do about it?
The county is recommended to create a separate division for senior services within the Department of Health and Human Services to bring more attention to these issues.
County officials were slow to respond to the recommendation.
The answer is not to create another costly bureaucracy, but to make senior services and issues a clear priority in the county's decision-making process.
Simply asking questions about how the county's actions and decisions impact seniors or how county services can address the needs of Marin seniors is a reasonable proactive strategy.
There is also growing concern about older adults facing homelessness, with the percentage of older adults living with Alzheimer's disease in Marin County likely to increase to more than 10,000 (about 4% of the county's population) by 2030. It is predicted that
Questions that need to be asked on an ongoing basis should not only be asked by county supervisors, but local city and town leaders as well.
In some cases, the experience of being isolated and cut off from local services and programs during the COVID-19 pandemic response is shining a spotlight on some of the issues facing local seniors. What we learn from that experience should shape future strategies to address regional problems and challenges.
At the same time, across Marin, much of the population will become more diverse as the county experiences what one civil grand jury once called a “silver tsunami.” We need to address that diversity and its challenges.
Conducting a relatively small community survey every five years may not be enough.
The latest findings should not just be food for thought, but a basis for action.
