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Toledo
Blade...
Aging
Ohio
“State and
local governments need to get ready”
Ohio is
getting older, rapidly. In 2010, people who were 60 years old and older
made up
at least 30 percent of the population of only one Ohio county.
By 2050, 50
of the state’s 88 counties could have populations at least 30 percent
60 and
older. This graying of the Baby Boom generation will have huge
ramifications
for local governments. They need to prepare for those changes now.
Researchers
at Miami University’s Scripps Gerontology Center say that nearly half
of the
people who live in Noble County will be over age 60 by mid-century. In
northwest Ohio, only Lucas (28.4 percent) and Wood (23.5 percent)
counties will
be below 30 percent. Ottawa County is expected to have the highest
60-plus
population in the region, at more than 41 percent.
Baby
Boomers tend to be more active and health-conscious than previous
generations.
Still, their needs are going to change as they age. And that will
create
challenges for local governments.
“They need
to start thinking about policies to create environments in which people
with
disabilities can remain independent longer,” says Shahla Mehdizadeh, a
lead
author of the Scripps study.
As older
people become less mobile, she says, zoning regulations may have to
change to
allow more businesses in residential areas. Neighborhoods could start
to look
like they did a century ago, with shops and entertainment venues within
walking
distance of homes.
Active
elders will demand that local governments spend more to maintain -- and
in
suburban areas extend -- smooth sidewalks. Local and state agencies
that
provide senior services, from meals on wheels to senior centers, will
need to
expand to meet growing demand.
Public
transit systems will become more important. Aging Boomers will want bus
service
to take them to more places, yet remain reasonably priced.
That
suggests the need for expanded regional transportation -- not less, as
officials in Perrysburg, Sylvania, and elsewhere believe. And it will
require a
reliable funding source to keep fares low.
More people
will use Medicare, increasing pressure to reform that system to rein in
its
costs. That will include a focus on home-based health care rather than
nursing
homes, which are the most expensive elder-care alternative.
As more
residents retire, local-government revenue that depends on income taxes
will
shrink. Officials will have fewer resources to meet growing needs.
This future
is not written in stone. Current demographics, Ms. Mehdizadeh says,
were
“driven by the recession” and “could change if the future changes.”
The key to
change, she says, is stopping the exodus of young, educated, and
skilled
Ohioans who are leaving the state in droves to pursue economic
opportunities. The
way to stem that tide is to encourage the growth of good jobs here.
Even
so, job creation won’t reduce the
number of older Ohioans. It will just increase governments’ ability to
meet
their needs. Change is coming. State and local governments in Ohio need
to get
ready.
Read
this and other articles at the Toledo
Blade
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