Coming "age wave" will pose challenges, survey shows

Virginia communities are not well-prepared for a coming "age wave" that will bring significant growth in the senior-citizen population of the state, according to a new survey.

The survey of 5,000 Virginians between the ages of 50 and 105, commissioned by the nonprofit Older Dominion Partnership, found that baby boomers and senior citizens in Virginia generally believe they have a high quality of life and good health.

However, many of them also believe that their communities are unprepared to handle the needs of a growing senior population. The survey also found that a substantial number of older Virginians have chronic health conditions but are not having recommended health-screening tests.

There are about 900,000 people over 65 living in Virginia. That number is expected to double to about 1.8 million by 2030, according to the report.

"It is a shift in society that is coming," said R. David Ross, executive director of the Older Dominion Partnership. "When there are twice as many senior citizens, that will be a big, big shift in the state," affecting the economy, social services and infrastructure needs.

The survey, which was broken down into age groups 50 to 64 and 65 and older, asked for opinions on issues such as overall quality of life, health care, financial security, safety, education and transportation.

The survey found that about half of those 50 to 64 and a third of those 65 and older do not feel prepared for retirement. Yet individuals generally feel they are more prepared than their communities are for the coming age wave. Only 23 percent of the respondents in the 50-to-64 range said their community is prepared to meet the needs of an older population, while 42 percent of the older group said their communities are prepared.

The survey found some disparities across geographic regions, with seniors in urban areas saying they had better health than respondents in rural areas of the state. Urban seniors also felt their communities were better prepared for an aging population than those in rural areas.

Older Virginians are heavily reliant on cars for transportation, which could pose problems as they age, the survey found. It also showed looming problems in health care, as about 33 percent of the boomers and 46 percent of seniors surveyed reported some type of chronic health condition such as diabetes, arthritis or cancer.

Yet majorities of the boomers and seniors said they had not had hearing tests or colonoscopies within two years, and substantial minorities had not had screenings such as a mammography, a prostate exam or a dental visit within two years.

In the Richmond area, the United Way and other organizations are working together to use the data to help create a plan to respond to the coming "age wave," said Barbara Couto Sipe, vice president of community impact for the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg

"We expect that the data will help us gain a greater understanding of the needs and concerns of Richmond-area baby boomers and older adults," she said. "We are in the early stages of analyzing the survey data, and we look forward to being able to incorporate it into the Greater Richmond Age Wave Plan."

The survey, prepared by the Southeastern Institute of Research, was designed to provide baseline information on the needs of older Virginians. The Older Dominion Partnership, which is supported by both business and civic groups, plans to conduct the survey every three years to track the needs and views of seniors.