America’s Baby Boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964) is reaching retirement age and the number of American’s over the age of 65 is expected to reach 71.5 million by the year 2030 – twice their number in 2000, or 1 in every 5 Americans. The fastest growing segment of the population is those 85 and older who will most likely need the support of family, friends and the community to remain living independently. The number of people age 60 in Illinois is projected to increase by 87% from 1,966,236 in 2000 to 3,676,295 in 2030 – 1 in every 5 Illinoisans. The number of 85 year olds in Illinois is projected to increase from 192,346 in 2000 to 402,311 in 2030, representing 14% of the over 65 population.

It is a known fact that most Americans wish to remain in their own homes and familiar communities for as long as possible. However, this increase in the number of persons reaching retirement age will certainly create challenges for communities to provide health care, recreation, housing, transportation, public safety, employment and education. These services currently assist a broad segment of the population and have a major impact on the quality of life of older Americans. America will be dealing with the largest population of educated and skilled older adults in the history of our nation. In addition, a national survey of U.S. counties and cities finds that only 46% of American communities have begun planning to address the needs of the exploding population of Baby Boomers.

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), MetLife Foundation, International City/County Management Association (ICMA), National Association of Counties (NACo), National League of Cities (NCL) and Partners for Livable Communities (PLC) partnered to conduct a survey, "The Maturing of America", which assessed communities and their "readiness" for the advancing aging Baby Boomers.

As a result of this survey they learned that over half of America’s communities have not begun to prepare for the rapid aging of the population. While local governments across the United States offer older adults the basic services such as health and nutrition programs, they are less likely to provide or tailor programs that affect quality of life and the ability of older adults to live independently and contribute to their communities. These services might include job retraining, flextime and other job accommodations; home chore services, home modification and senior-friendly housing options, tax relief, roadway redesign or public transportation assistance as well as volunteer opportunities targeted to older adults.

Overall, programs, planning and policies that address the needs of an increasing number of older adults do not appear to be happening at a level that reflects the need. The "Maturing of America" survey indicates that while some communities have taken on all or part of this challenge, the majority of communities have a long way to go.

Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging (WIAAA) in partnership with Illinois Department on Aging (IDOA) and the Illinois Area Agencies on Aging (I4a), in collaboration with other departments and offices of state government, advocacy organizations on be half of older adults, local units of government and organizations in the private sector will assess the preparedness of the State of Illinois and its counties and communities within the 13 Planning and Service Areas (PSA) of Illinois for the aging of the population. We will then prepare our report and make recommendations to government officials in the areas of health and human services, land use, housing, transportation, public safety, workforce and economic development, recreation, education, civic engagement and emergency preparedness.

WIAAA will draw on the experience of the national "The Maturing of America" survey to approach local governments and communities in our ten county Planning and Service Area to assess their preparedness.

This assessing of the needs of seniors will take place over the 3 year Area Plan cycle with various aspects of the survey being conducted in three phases during each of the 3 years. WIAAA believes that it will require the entire cycle to be able to obtain the scope of information needed to determine our readiness and that of our local communities for the coming of the baby boomers. Once that determination has been made, we will be able to make recommendations to our local governments and communities to help them better prepare for the boomers. America’s communities need to take a fresh look at their existing policies, programs and services to see how they might address the needs of an aging population.

During this, the first phase of our survey, WIAAA will research and review the data from the 2000 U. S. census concerning the current population and the population projections of persons aging in Illinois. Compilation of this data will aid in us determining where the aging baby boomer population is expected to be concentrated as the boomers retire. With this data, WIAAA will be able to review the future population trends. This information will assist us in planning for services which boomers feel they will need in order to "age in place" in their communities throughout our ten county PSA.

During the final Phase II of our process, WIAAA will survey local governments and communities in our ten county PSA to determine their "readiness" for the Boomers based on the information gathered on the Phase II survey tool. It is during this phase that WIAAA will learn just how prepared we and our local communities are and what we together will need to address in the future to meet the needs of the boomers.

During Phase III of our process, WIAAA will seek input via a survey questionnaire, of a sampling of baby boomers throughout our PSA to determine what it is they will need in the way of services when they retire. WIAAA suspects that Boomers may have much different expectations than the seniors we currently serve, and it is our hope to address those expectations to the greatest extent possible.

Nationally, it is reported that the baby boomers intend to control and postpone their aging process to the fullest extent possible and their expectations and interests are decidedly different from those we currently serve. How well we meet the needs of tomorrow’s seniors depends on how efficiently and effectively we prepare to provide services today. Most importantly, it depends on how keen is our vision and how closely we stay aligned with the central mission of the Older Americans Act – to develop services that guard the independence, dignity and well-being of the older men and women in our communities.

WIAAA looks forward to this three year process to assess the needs of future retirees and the "readiness" of the communities they will reside in. We believe this survey process will give us good insight into the needs of our future seniors and will allow us to remain on the cutting edge of providing services for those who will need them. These are challenging times for the Aging Network and it is imperative that WIAAA keeps pace with all of the up and coming changes in order to better serve those who will need our services.

The explosion in birthrates began in 1946 (right after World War II) and ended almost as abruptly in 1964. It was a unique demographic event for our nation. Between two relatively small generations, 76 million children were born.

Baby boomers care about looking good and feeling fit, they are at their peak earning level, and they are homeowners with good equity, often remodeling to meet their needs as they age. They love their life and leisure time and they love their "explore and escape" experiences.

The real core of the baby boomer phenomenon is the way in which it will impact the local communities and the provision of services provided by WIAAA and all organizations and agencies in the aging network in our PSA. It stands to reason that boomers, because they are the largest group of people born within a specific period of time, their generation spanning all of eighteen years, will need an expansion of services to help meet their many needs.

The baby boomer generation does not want to acknowledge themselves as "aging" and certainly don’t want to be classified as "seniors". Many boomers are still working and plan to continue working longer than the previous generation. Many boomers are still raising children while caring for aging parents and cannot easily find the time to devote to their own interests and needs, much less volunteer. How will these new retirees and "soon to be" new retirees view the current services which are provided by the Area Agencies on Aging and the Aging Network?

While many national surveys have been done pertaining to the baby boomers, WIAAA feels we must get in tune specifically with the needs of our boomers by conducting a survey of the boomers throughout our ten county PSA. The ten counties in our PSA are: Bureau, Henderson, Henry, Knox, La Salle, McDonough, Mercer, Putnam, Rock Island and Warren.

Once we have gained a good perspective on what boomers need and expect through Phase II of our survey process, we will be able to present that information to local governments and communities during Phase III to see how they "rate" in providing for their needs and meeting their expectations.

The map below shows the percentage of the population age 60 and older in our PSA in the year 2000. Here the medium and dark gray colors indicate those areas where between 1-in-5 and 1-in-3 people are 60 and older. Also note how well this map reinforces the concentrations of 60+ around Macomb, Cambridge, Princeton, Hennepin and Ottawa. Also note the I-74 corridor.

The statistics on the graph below show the increase of the Illinois population age 60-85+ as it compared with the overall population of Illinois in the year 2000. The chart also shows this same age group as projected by the U. S. Census Bureau for 2030.

Clearly, there will be a significant increase in the senior population which will put a serious strain on the local communities and counties where these individuals reside. Ultimately, the best outcome for boomers is that they are able to "age in place" in their communities but will the communities be prepared to cope with their demands? If boomers cannot find the things they need or are interested in, they may relocate to areas which can meet their needs and fulfill their interests. This would be a devastating turn of events for economies in those communities. It stands to reason that if an inordinate number of consumers leave town, the economics of that community stand to suffer a great deal as well.

Boomers are expecting to live an average of 22 years longer than the generation before them due to medical advancement and healthier lifestyles. This increased longevity for boomers will most certainly produce a challenge for the medical community and in some cases, may result in sub-standard care for individuals in rural areas where health care access is more difficult to obtain.

The following graph shows the actual numbers of the increase in population, age 60 – 85+ (the numbers represent population in the thousands) as projected by the U. S. Census Bureau, from the year 2000 through the year 2030.

One of the main reasons WIAAA is reviewing the census data in this phase of our survey is to learn what we as an Area Agency can expect in the way of increased demand for services and to assist in alerting local governments and communities on how to prepare for the influx of boomer population that is on their doorsteps. It is our hope to learn what changes may need to take place in preparation for the delivery of services for boomers. In addition, we hope to help communities to become more "age ready" and "livable" in order to keep the aging baby boomers in place.

As stated previously, according to the "Maturing of America" survey, only 46% of the communities surveyed had begun to address the needs of the rapidly increasing aging population. This report is intended as an observation of past, present and projected population trends which will assist us in planning for future needs and services for the aging baby boomers.