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Demographics
Every aspect of American life is being affected by the aging of our population. The greatest effects are still to come now that the nation’s 78 million baby boomers have begun turning 60. The population of Americans over age 65 is expected to double to 71 million by 2030.
What are the implications of this so-called silver tsunami? Clearly, it will place unprecedented pressures on our economy, our health care system, transportation, housing, social services, emergency planning, and long-term care resources. Most directly, it will affect families who are being called upon in ever-increasing numbers to care for their elderly loved ones.
Consider these facts about older Ohioans:
(Source: Scripps Center for Gerontology at Miami University)
- In terms of the size of its elderly population, Ohio ranks 6th in the nation. Ohio today has more than two million people age 60 and older. Every month, another 12,000 Ohioans turn 60. By 2020, we’ll have 40 percent more older Ohioans than we do now.
- Most older adults are healthy and active. As they age, they are more likely to have chronic conditions that require care. Growing numbers of seniors, combined with increased longevity, means a tremendous increase in the number of frail elderly age 85 and older.
- About 175,000 Ohioans are age 85 and older, including 50,000 over age 90.
- By 2010, more than half a million older Ohioans will need someone to help them with at least one activity of daily living, such as bathing, dressing or getting out of bed.
- In 2005, Ohio’s Medicaid program (government-funded insurance for the poor) served about 51,000 people in nursing homes, spending $2.8 billion – a per capita ranking of 9th in the nation. Ohio has been criticized for spending too much of its Medicaid funds on institutional long-term care rather than on in-home services. In home care preserves independence and dignity for seniors and is much less expensive than nursing homes.
- PASSPORT allows elderly Medicaid recipients to receive care in their homes, rather than in nursing homes. It costs about $1,140 a month compared with $4,800 a month for nursing home care.
- The expansion of PASSPORT means the way Ohioans use long term care has changed. Of Medicaid recipients receiving long-term care in 1993, fewer than one in ten received that care at home, via PASSPORT. Today, that number is closer to four in ten.
- Today, more than 26,000 Ohioans are on PASSPORT, including about 3,000 in the five southwestern counties served by Council on Aging.
Demographics and related statistics play an important role in the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio’s advocacy efforts and are used by the local senior centers, levy programs and providers to secure additional funding. This following links highlight some of the information that is utilized in these efforts.
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