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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2009

Project to help communities in southeast Michigan
prepare for expanding older adult population

Approximately 1.2 million seniors projected to be living
in this region by year 2035 as baby boomers age

WARREN, Mich. — Communities in southeast Michigan need to prepare for a surge in population of adults age 65 and older that is projected to double in the next 25 years in the seven-county region, experts on aging announced today.

Adult Well-Being Services (AWBS) and the Institute of Gerontology (IOG) at Wayne State University announced the launch of Seniors Count!, an extensive two-year collaborative research project to collect, analyze and interpret information on adults age 50 and over in the seven counties of southeast Michigan. Once it is gathered, the information will help prepare communities to meet the social and economic needs and contributions of the increasing older adult population in the region. The project was announced by the two agencies at the Warren Civic Center, located off Van Dyke Road in Warren.

“The expanding older population will have a significant impact on the economic, social,
and even the political landscape of the region,” said Karen Schrock, president and CEO of Adult Well-Being Services. “We hope the Seniors Count! project, once completed, will help cities and counties prepare for the changes that are inevitable in community policies, programs and allocation of resources, as well as emphasize the tremendous value that seniors will contribute to the region.”

Thomas B. Jankowski, PhD, of the Institute of Gerontology, said systems like emergency response, transit, health care and retirement, as well as labor markets and social services, may be some of the first to be affected as the population grows older.

“These services and systems will no doubt have to adapt to an older population,” he said. “Part of our research will work to identify what services seniors rely upon and how communities can benefit from these older adults who are still in good health and want to be active in their community.”

According to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), within the
next 25 years all of the baby boomer generation, those born between 1946 and 1964, will
nearly double the number of older adults age 65 or older living in the region.

There are approximately 628,500 citizens age 65 or older currently living in southeast Michigan. By the year 2035 that number is expected to nearly double, leaping close to 1.2 million seniors residing in the seven counties, according to SEMCOG.

The project area will cover the seven counties in SEMCOG: Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.

Jankowski said the senior population increase will have a direct effect on many communities in the region. The city of Warren, for instance, is the “oldest” city in Michigan, and the ninth oldest in the United States in terms of the percentage of its residents who are age 65 and older.

“A high number of older residents are aging in place,” Jankowski said.

Approximately 87 percent of householders in Warren age 65 or older own their home. Additionally, a quarter of the city’s owner-occupied housing units have been owned by the same owner since 1970.

Researchers for the Seniors Count! project will tap data sources such as US Census Bureau and population surveys, disease registries, national and state government records and other statistical information. They will investigate health status, housing income levels, immigration patterns, economic factors, demographic shifts, disability status, transit needs, employment rates and civic engagement within each of the seven counties.

“The research will ultimately provide information to improve the delivery and quality of services and programs in the region for our rapidly aging population and it will enable policy makers and others to recognize the potential contributions,” Schrock said.

More than 78 million baby boomers are alive today and continue to live longer than the generations before them.

The Kresge Foundation, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and American House Foundation are funding the Seniors Count! project through grants totaling $275,000.

The Seniors Count! project is guided by an advisory committee comprised of local, regional and state-level policy makers, government agencies, non-profits, health providers, academic researchers, consumers and other stakeholders. It is modeled after the national KIDS COUNT! data collection effort that was conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

A recent study by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging found that less than half of American communities are prepared to adequately address the needs and assets of a population that is growing older.

Adult Well-Being Services
Adult Well-Being Services is a community-based, non-profit human services agency that has served the seven counties in southeast Michigan for more than 55 years. AWBS promotes health, well-being and independence of adults through advocacy, services, family and community support. AWBS provides comprehensive services to older adults in areas of developmental disability, mental health, and healthy aging services. AWBS provides case management, support and enrichment for grandparents raising grandchildren, psychological and psychiatric services, disease prevention and referrals among other assistance. www.awbs.org

The Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University
The Institute of Gerontology (IOG) at Wayne State University brings together science, service and education to advance the cause of aging research. Its multidisciplinary faculty, post-doctoral fellows and pre-doctoral trainees focus on the social and behavioral aspects of the aging process, health and cognitive development. Dedicated to promoting successful aging, the IOG is where research and outreach combine to make life better in Detroit and beyond. www.iog.wayne.edu

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