Last year, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) was given funding to complete a needs assessment to identify the extent of the unmet need for in-home services and home modifications for older adults in Virginia wanting to stay in their homes. The results were delivered in December.
In Virginia, those 60 and older make up nearly 25% of the population, and over half of those older adults (54%) say they want to stay in their homes as they age. However, many of those older adults fear they won't be able to do so for financial (52%) and health (44%) reasons. And 27% say their homes are not suited for aging in place.
Meanwhile, 37% of older adults say they have a major need for home repairs or home maintenance assistance, 22% say they need homemaker services, 6% say they need personal care services, and 41% say they need help with chores.
DARS has recommended increased state funding between $1.4 million and $7.8 million for area agencies on aging (AAAs) and the local departments of social services (LDSS) to address these needs.
"The current provision of in-home services and home modifications for older adults is limited by extensive funding constraints and increasing costs to provide services," the report states, adding that the recommended funding would provide "meaningful increases in the Commonwealth’s capacity to serve older adults in their homes and their communities."
Closer to home, UVA's Weldon Cooper Center has provided a look at how numerous and potentially vulnerable seniors are in our area. Nearly 25% of Virginians 60+ population live in Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties, and 26.6% of those folks live alone. Nearly 20% rent their homes, 4.6% receive food stamps, and 6.5% live in poverty. Almost 30% of older adults in our area have a disability, and among those folks, 52.8% have two or more disabilities. Over 7% have no internet access, 12.6% don't have a computer, and 8.6% don't drive. As for gender and race, 55% of those 60+ in our area are women, compared to 45% for men, 86.9% are White, 10.6% are Black, and 1.2% are Hispanic.
Recently, an online survey conducted by the City of Charlottesville and the Thomas Jefferson HOME Consortium sought input from folks living in Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties on how to spend federal funding on housing-related issues over the next five years. While the current affordable housing discussion our communities are having tends to focus on the need for new construction and those seeking housing, the survey recognized the growing number of area seniors trying to stay in their homes, including questions about the need for accessibility and safety features like curb-cuts and ramps, funds for home repairs and maintenance, seniors centers, and senior public services.
The survey questions were wide-ranging, focusing on everything from homeless, transportation, housing discrimination, and public services needed to address all kinds of housing issues. We'll have to see how well-represented older adults were in the survey when the results are released. Of course, as is always the case, anything that can help older adults, like accessible infrastructure improvements and better access to housing assistance, food services, public services, and transportation tends to help everyone in the community.
This story originally appeared in CVille Weely’s GenNow special section.