Louise Lehman Bourgeois
December 12, 2011
Garret Russ
December 14, 2011
You might not know it by looking around south Louisiana, but new figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau state that the population age 65 and older is now the largest segment in terms of percentage and as a group grew faster in rate than the total population between 2000 and 2010.
When compared to the 2000 census, all regions of the nation grew in both the 65 and older and the 85 and older populations.
“Yes, people are getting older,” Terrebonne Parish Council on Aging Executive Director Diana Edmonson said. “They are also working longer, especially with the stock market the way it is. Their retirements just aren’t out there.”
According to 2010 census figures, of Louisiana’s 4.5 million residents, 12.3 percent are 65 or older while 24.8 percent of the population is less than the age of 18.
In the Tri-parish region, 11.2 percent of Terrebonne Parish is 65 or older while 26 percent are under the age of 18. Lafourche Parish has a population split of 12.5 percent above the age of 65 and 12.5 percent under 18. St. Mary Parish has 12.9 percent 65 and older and 25.4 percent 18 and under.
Maine outreached Florida as having the oldest population with a median age of 42.7 years, but Florida recorded the most seniors in the nation at a level of 17.3 percent while having a median age of 40.7 years.
Utah was listed as the youngest state where the median age is 29.2 years. Louisiana’s median age is at 35.8 years, while the national median age is 37.2 years.
The numbers do not deter Edmonson, who noted that during 2011 her agency served a record number of unduplicated clients that topped 5,000.
“Many people over the age of 65 are coming back to work,” Edmonson said. “We have people going back to work to bolster their incomes and we have people who are in retirement that are helping their parents.”
Edmonson said that in addition to an influx of 72 million surviving baby boomers that began turning 65 in 2011, the general population is living longer due to medical advances and being more health conscious.
Census figures show that those Americans aged 85 to 94 years experienced the fastest growth of all persons 65 and older, by 29.9 percent, between 2000 and 2010.
The only older population age group to decline in numbers between 2000 and 2010 was the 75 to 70 year age group, which decreased 1.3 percent from 74 million to 7.3 million.
AARP research analyst Jeff Love said that during 2011 more than 7,000 people turned 65 every day of the year. “Financial security and improving their health are top concerns,” Love said one year ago as he predicted the then advancing 12 months.
“In a few respects, boomers turning 65 have age-related concerns similar to their parents when they were 65,” Love said. “[They] have found that aging often presents chronic health conditions and financial responsibilities that will influence how they live the last third of their lives.”
“We have even more people that need us now [as the 65 and older population grows],” Edmonson said. While TPCOA generally services the most needy in terms of financial condition first, this director of elder care noted an increase among the more affluent and educated members of this age population. That too, she said is a number that will soon be growing at a record pace.
Ronald Pepper of Houma had retired from the oil industry, but returned to work as a paid employee with the Terrebonne Parish Council on Aging. He is among the number of seniors remaining in the workforce as their growth numbers surpass that of the rest of the nation. MIKE NIXON
