Gaylord Herald Times
LANSING — At a press conference in Lansing on Tuesday, the Aging Services of Michigan will release its 2010 Annual Long Term Care report, “A Decade in Review,” focusing on long-term elder care issues.
The association is issuing a call for action on the state level to change public policies that are detrimental to the care of seniors, family caregivers and nonprofit care providers.
The association is issuing a call for action on the state level to change public policies that are detrimental to the care of seniors, family caregivers and nonprofit care providers.
According to the Aging Services of Michigan, which represents nonprofit organizations providing community and home-based services for the elderly, there will be an explosion in the need for such services in the coming years.
Among the issues reported in the review is the estimation that Alzheimer’s disease will affect 180,000 Michigan elders in 2010, with an additional 200,000 people affected by from some form of dementia. The number of adults 65 and older will represent 20 percent of the population by 2030; the number of adults 85 and older, the fastest growing age group in the nation, will double by 2050. Michigan is not prepared for the increase in the aging population.
“Michigan’s long-term care system is under assault and has been for a long time,” said David Herbel, president and CEO of Aging Services of Michigan. “The need for Michigan senior care is increasing, while funding and state support is eroding.”
Women have traditionally been the caregivers of aging relatives, but economic factors over the last few decades have forced more and more women into the workforce as a necessity for family survival. The decreased funding and increasing need for care providers as the aging population grows will put an additional burden on middle class families already struggling.
The report was initially released in the first of a series of regional meetings with Aging Services of Michigan’s nonprofit member organizations. It was held at the Otsego Memorial Hospital (OMH) in Gaylord March 4. OMH’s McReynolds Hall skilled nursing facility, which provides short and long-term care, is a member.
For a copy of the 2010 Annual Long Term Care Report, visit the Aging Services of Michigan’s Web site at www.AgingMI.org.
Among the issues reported in the review is the estimation that Alzheimer’s disease will affect 180,000 Michigan elders in 2010, with an additional 200,000 people affected by from some form of dementia. The number of adults 65 and older will represent 20 percent of the population by 2030; the number of adults 85 and older, the fastest growing age group in the nation, will double by 2050. Michigan is not prepared for the increase in the aging population.
“Michigan’s long-term care system is under assault and has been for a long time,” said David Herbel, president and CEO of Aging Services of Michigan. “The need for Michigan senior care is increasing, while funding and state support is eroding.”
Women have traditionally been the caregivers of aging relatives, but economic factors over the last few decades have forced more and more women into the workforce as a necessity for family survival. The decreased funding and increasing need for care providers as the aging population grows will put an additional burden on middle class families already struggling.
The report was initially released in the first of a series of regional meetings with Aging Services of Michigan’s nonprofit member organizations. It was held at the Otsego Memorial Hospital (OMH) in Gaylord March 4. OMH’s McReynolds Hall skilled nursing facility, which provides short and long-term care, is a member.
For a copy of the 2010 Annual Long Term Care Report, visit the Aging Services of Michigan’s Web site at www.AgingMI.org.
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