Are you 40 years or older? Do you plan to be living in La Plata County in 25 years? If the answers are yes, you’ll be in good company among a growing population of senior citizens expected to call this place home during their golden years.
The number of households composed of people 65 or older could more than double from 5,500 to about 11,000 by 2040 in La Plata County, according the state demographers office. The increase in seniors will crate a higher demand on services that aid seniors.
In the meantime, baby boomers may help force a shift in cultural attitude and encourage investments in infrastructure, like accessible sidewalks, that could help seniors stay connected with the community and maintain lifestyles, said Sheila Casey, La Plata County Senior Services manager.
“Our society will be forced to respond to the 78 million baby boomers across the nation,” she said.
Maintaining an active lifestyle and staying involved in the community can prevent seniors from falling into depression and experiencing other mental-health problems.
About 25 percent of older adults experience a major depressive episode at some point, said Dr. Stephanie Allred, senior director of clinical services at Axis Health System.
While seniors face many life transitions that can contribute to depression, such as losing loved ones, transitioning into retirement and losing some mobility, depression is not a normal part of aging, she said.
“There’s a lot of people out there suffering unnecessarily,” she said.
For retired chiropractor Faye Gooden, 71, getting help for her depression started with going to Axis, but staying healthy has meant hiring home-based services, managing her diet and going to the Durango/La Plata County Senior Center to exercise and to be with friends.
“It all started because somebody encouraged me to ask for help,” she said. “It’s really, really hard to ask for help and admit that you need help.”
Having someone come to her home to clean and prepare food has helped her save energy to stay active in the community, including serving as president of the La Plata Council on Aging.
“It is a godsend for me because I am very social,” she said.
As the population ages, the need for home-based workers to help seniors stay in their homes and be connected to their community is projected to grow at a rate four to five times faster than other professions, according to a study by the Bell Policy Center and a coalition called Caring Across Generations.
Placing more value on what older adults can offer and the people who care for them could go a long way to help meet mental-health needs and fill positions, Gooden and Casey said.
A shift away from the negative stigma on aging could help people find a greater sense of belonging and self-esteem as they age, which in turn can encourage better mental health, Casey said.
The Durango/La Plata County Senior Center already meets many seniors’ needs by providing good nutrition, exercise classes and an opportunity to make friends and stave off isolation and depression, she said.
But the baby boomers could bring about a new model for community centers that would serve the needs of seniors and younger generations, she said.
An intergenerational approach could also help keep oral history alive and keep different generations of people connected to each other.
“There’s so many contributions that seniors could make and we haven’t tapped into that,” she said.
To Anita Hermosillo, too many older adults become invisible and cut off from the community.
“Old people have a lot to say, it’s just nobody ever asks,” she said.
To help people get connected, the La Plata Council on Aging offers a scholarship program to help low-income people attend classes at the senior center, she said.
To apply for a scholarship or find out more about the council, visit http://laplatacoa.com/
mshinn@durangoherald.com
