ORDO WEEK 29 SATURDAY EVENING PRAYER
Lake-County-Report-FINAL-10-16-2015.pdf
The major findings from the research gathered for Lake County are:
1. By 2030, one of three residents of Lake County will be 60 years and older, with most of
the growth after 2020 in the cohort 75 years and older.
2. Lake County is an elder friendly community - with most needs met in the Basic Needs
domain and least met in the Social and Civic Engagement domain.
3. Lake County has a strong community-based senior service delivery system that can be
positioned to accommodate larger numbers of older seniors by 2030.
4. Lake County’s senior levy funding is a tremendous asset that can be used to strengthen
Lake County as an elder friendly community and position the community-based senior
service delivery system for the future.
By 2030, one of three residents of Lake County will be 60 years and older, with
most of the growth after 2020 in the cohort 75 years and older.
. Also by 2030, the 60+ group’s population share is projected to grow to 33.9 percent, outnumbering youth under 20 years old. (Center for Community Solutions, 2015) The growth of the younger age cohort, 60-74 years is projected to stabilize by 2020, with continuous growth of the two oldest age cohorts, 75-84 years, and 85 years and older, through 2030 and beyond.
An aging population in Lake County not only translates into needs for more services for older persons, but also can impact the financial structure of the county and its communities, specifically from potential decreases in sales and local income tax revenue (Center for Community Solutions, 2015
Lake County is an elder friendly community - with most needs met in the Basic Needs domain and least met in the Social and Civic Engagement domain.
The county is very elder friendly for large proportions of seniors on all indicators in the Basic
Needs domain with the exception of one, ‘My home does NOT need major repairs,’ suggesting
that seniors would need additional support in housing for an increasing number to remain in the
community. This finding is reinforced by the community stakeholders who noted housing as a
gap at the community level - the need for more senior housing in general, affordable housing in
particular, more rehabilitation for deteriorating housing stock, and more customized services for
homeless seniors.
For the Physical and Mental Health and Well-Being domain, Lake County is highly elder-
friendly on indicators covering access to medical services, but not so on the indicator capturing
healthy behaviors. Survey respondents reported receiving adequate medical services by having
enough money to fill a prescription for medicine and for tests/treatments recommended by their
doctor, but not in engaging enough in activities that promote their overall well-being, i.e.,
exercise and wellness programs.
For the Social and Civic Engagement domain, collectively, the 6 indicators have the lowest mean
scores of all the indicators used in the elder friendly framework. The highest rated indicator in
this domain, i.e., most needs met, is ‘I have opportunities for employment,’ which captured being
engaged in meaningful employment. The indicator with the lowest mean score, i.e., least needs
met, is ‘I participate in socialization/recreational activities.’ Although most stated they did not
need the services, a higher proportion of survey respondents who did need the services indicated
that their needs were not met than that their needs were met. For example, approximately 22
percent of respondents indicated that their needs for socialization/recreation activities were not
met. For two other indicators, ‘I socialize with friends, etc.’ and ‘I engage in
social/religious/cultural events,’ the proportion of respondents that responded in the negative was
almost 20 percent. The findings suggest that a noteworthy proportion of seniors in Lake County
has limited opportunities for formal/organized recreational activities or are not using available
resources, and are to some extent isolated.
For the Independence for Frail and Disabled domain, indicators capturing access to adequate
transportation have the lowest mean score, meaning higher unmet need, specifically,
‘transportation for shopping’ and ‘transportation for medical appointments.’ On the other hand,
‘adult day care,’ ‘home health care/personal care’ and ‘I have children or other family/friends
nearby who will care for me if needed’ have reasonably high mean scores, meaning needs met.
However, while respondents report most needs being met, those indicators with the highest
percentages of unmet needs were home maintenance, transportation for shopping and medical
appointments, assistance with home chores, and legal assistance.