[nfbmi-talk] Here's A Newsline Fix

[Fred Wurtzel]

For those of you missing Newsline, here is something from the Free Press.

 

Seniors in Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties will nearly double their
population

in the next 25 years -- from just less than 13% of the tri-county population
this

year to 23.4% by 2035.

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It's a population explosion that will be mirrored throughout southeast

Michigan

, according to a forecast done by the Southeast Michigan Council of
Governments.

(Along with Wayne, Oakland and Macomb, the southeast region includes
Washtenaw, Livingston,

Monroe and St. Clair counties.)

To look at it another way: In 2000, there were just three communities in
those seven

counties in which the 65-and-up population made up about 25% of the
residents; by

2035, 86 southeast Michigan counties will have that number, according to
SEMCOG.

"It's a shift of monumental proportions," said John Paul Rea, who
contributed to

an in-depth look at the implications of aging in Macomb County through 2030.

In addition to expanding

health

 care, that means improving and adding to mass transportation, establishing
mixed-use

and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods and shopping centers to accommodate
those who

no longer drive, and continuing the evolution of senior services from the
old model

of card tables and quilting clubs to those that meet baby boomers' more
active lifestyles.

Several communities have begun to look at the way they support seniors --
not only

because seniors will need more services, but also because they represent a
$16.6-billion

chunk of southeast Michigan's

economy

.

The Oakland County Senior Planning Coalition said it is hoping to tap into
that economic

potential by making, even branding, Oakland County as senior-friendly.

Among the ideas: creating lending libraries for assistive devices such as
wheelchairs

and walkers, establishing time banks so seniors and others can exchange
services

and chores and finding ways to lure medical professionals with a focus on
geriatrics.

All this could help retain seniors in the area or even draw new ones,
coalition members

said. That's crucial, because retaining 100

retirees

 results in more than $4 million in spending in the local economy each year,
according

to the coalition's report, "Preparing for the Silver Tsunami, A Wave of
Opportunity."

"There's a tendency to say 'Oh no, (seniors) are going to need all these
services.

They'll need so much, they'll bankrupt us,' " said Jim McGuire, research

director

 at the Southfield-based Area Agency on Aging 1-B, which covers six
counties. "They're

really a net gain to the community."