Live Long, Live Well – A New Report on the Status of Older Adults In Marin

A few weeks ago, I attended the first monthly Commission on Aging meeting I had been able to attend in over a year. The April COA meeting featured Marin County’sArea Agency on Aging’s quadrennial report on life for older adults in Marin called “Live Long, Live Well”, focused on the years 2012-2016.

The report is chocked full of fascinating demographics gathered from public and government statistics alphabolin as well as a local survey answered by 891 Marin citizens. For instance, while the overall population of Marin County is fairly static, the % change in population of persons 60 and over increased by 40% between 2000 and 2010. It is projected to increase another 27% between 2010 and 2020. The number of citizens 60 years and older in 2010 was 61,454.

Marin’s population is the oldest in the Bay Area. The oldest community in Marin is Dillon Beach. 30% of Marin’s 65+ population lives alone.  73% of renters 65+ live alone. More than half of all senior renters living alone in Marin are trying to survive on incomes below the Elder Index. The Elder Index is an adjusted Federal Poverty Level Index that takes into account the actual cost of living in any particular locality.

The slides outline information on many topics in an easy to read and understand format. Topics include overall health and specific medical conditions in our older population, employment and retirement statistics, gender differences in labor force distribution (more older women are working), the race/ethnicity of the 891 survey respondents, nutritional health, top activities, mobility, use of technology, access to caregivers and perceptions of quality of life.

The top three Issues and Concerns expressed by respondents were unemployment (27%), getting services (25%) and Abuse (23%).  The top 5 sources of information when searching for services are Word of Mouth, Marin IJ, Internet, Senior Centers and Whistlestop. 1 out of every 4 respondents are caregivers. The priority areas of concern moving forward are to improve access to services, resources and information; to find local and community-based solutions to address needs; and to improve the effectiveness of the existing services system. The Division of Aging and Adult Services is doing its best to stretch the budget dollars it has to address these issues.

For more information, you can view the slide presentation Area Plan on Aging 2012 – 2016