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West braces for elderly explosion
With attractive climate, senior population is expected to increase
PAHRUMP, Nev. — When Steve Marsh first drove into this dusty town outside Las Vegas, he took one look at the gravel roads and sagebrush flats and grunted: "This is in the middle of nowhere."
By Angie Wagner, Associated Press
http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~10834~2535169,00.html
This small blue-collar town doesn’t seem like much. But it boasts miles of clean, open space and is surrounded by desert mountains. The weather is mild, the housing cheap and national parks are nearby.
It was enough for Marsh and his wife, Donna, to move here to retire.
"We love it," Marsh said, relaxing after a round of golf at his Desert Greens retirement community. "We’re happy as pigs in slop."
Retirees eager to escape cold winters or congested freeways have been flocking to Western cities like Pahrump. The future will bring more of the same: The Census Bureau says the population of those 65 and older will increase more rapidly in the West than in any other area of the country.
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While retirees settle in, states are figuring out how to keep up with an aging population. Will there be enough doctors and nurses? Hospitals and nursing homes? Will housing be affordable?
"This affects all of us," said Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. "It’s life, and it’s time that we step up, recognize it, identify the challenges and find solutions."
You don’t have to tell retirees in Pahrump that the West is THE place to retire. They live in the third-fastest growing county in the nation for those 65 and older. Only about 5,000 seniors call Nye County home, but that is more than three times the number that lived here in 1990, according to Census Bureau figures.
Nevada leads the country in the senior population boom. From 1990 to 2003, the state’s 65 and older population almost doubled — from 129,107 to 250,787, according to census numbers. Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho were among the top 10 states for growth in the senior population.
Lured by the nostalgia of rural towns and outdoor recreation, retirees have turned Western towns into retirement hot spots. Florida and California have long been Meccas. But today, Bend, Ore., St. George, Utah, Sheridan, Wyo., and Silver City, N.M., are hip places to be.
Laura Ridley and her husband, a retired real estate developer, traded Georgia for Cody, Wyo., four years ago. She speaks about the West in postcard-perfect words.
"We can be in the park (Yellowstone) in an hour," she said. "The animals, oh my goodness, to see them just like it’s supposed to be. The climate is just fantastic. When it snows, it’s like confectioner’s sugar."
Retirees who migrate are the "healthiest, wealthiest and best-educated of all retirees," said Mark Fagan, a sociologist at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. They take college classes and travel. Few pass time in rocking chairs on the front porch.
"Before, when you thought of a retirement home, you’d think of bingo and all that," said Wynne Angell, a retirement housing consultant. "Now … you don’t even want to advertise that. Bingo — that just creates the impression of people that are real frail."
But as retirees age and join the baby boomers already in the West, their housing and medical needs will change. They may need help with everyday activities or move into an assisted living home.
Through 2025, the Census Bureau projects the West will continue to dominate the country in the growth of the senior population. Utah will lead, followed by Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Alaska and Colorado. The senior population in those states is expected to at least double.
All those extra people will strain state resources.
States are taking stock of "We’ve known this was coming for a long, long time," said Bev Morrow, administrator of the Wyoming Aging Division. "Very little has actually been done."
Kempthorne felt so strongly about preparing for older residents that he made long-term care his initiative as chairman of the National Governors Association this past year. His father cares for his mother, a stroke victim, in the couple’s home.
That’s a trend states are looking at — moving away from nursing homes and using relatives or friends as caregivers. Home care is usually cheaper and it’s what people prefer, said Donna Folkemer, health program director for the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But home care creates a whole new set of issues. How will it work? How many caregivers will there be? And what about giving caregivers a break? The availability and affordability of so-called respite care is something else states are examining, especially rural states like Montana and Wyoming.
The Wyoming Legislature this year created a long-term care subcommittee that is studying such issues as whether to put Alzheimer’s units in assisted living facilities, the availability of nursing assistants and the shortage of doctors.
"It’s difficult to attract providers into all of the places we need them," Morrow said.
More doctors are limiting Medicare patients because reimbursement rates are lower than private insurance. That makes finding a physician even harder in parts of the West where it can be 100 miles or more between towns.
Nurses are also scarce. In 2000, 10 of 13 Western states had nursing shortages, according to a 2002 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report. By 2020, the shortage is projected to spread to all Western states and beyond.
"There’s a tug and pull here," said Dr. Joanne Schwartzberg, director of aging and community health for the American Medical Association. "You have the age wave coming, and we just don’t have work force."
When Robert Pioso, 69, retired as president of a Wisconsin first-aid supply company two years ago, he and his wife were looking for a town with affordable housing, a symphony orchestra and a favorable climate.
They found that in Eugene, Ore., but that search was easy compared to finding a doctor that accepted Medicare. That took a month.
It’s not uncommon for older residents to be more interested in making sure recreation areas are nearby than a hospital.
Pahrump, where Steve Marsh, who has Parkinson’s disease, moved to from Indiana, won’t have a hospital until 2006. Marsh, 67, goes to a Veterans Administration clinic in Pahrump or drives 60 miles to Las Vegas for medical care.
"That’s not what they think about," Schwartzberg said. "They think, finally I’m ready to retire. I want to enjoy myself. I don’t want to think about problems that won’t arise for 10, maybe 15 years.
"It’s hard enough to get people to plan for retirement. How do you get people to start thinking about health care?"
States, experts say, don’t have a choice. They must prepare.
When retirees began discovering Sheridan, Wyo., population 16,000, Mayor Jim Wilson asked them to help make Sheridan, with its main street parades and small-town charm, more attractive to an older population.
The newcomers now serve on volunteer boards and have helped the town develop hiking and bicycle trails.
Sheridan is expanding its hospital, making sure its older buildings are accessible to the handicapped, and working to keep housing affordable in a town where new residents have driven up home prices.
That’s a big problem in retirement spots. New, wealthier residents can afford to pay more for homes, but that raises property taxes for longtime residents.
The West accounted for 19 of the top 25 counties in the country for the most expensive homes owned by people ages 55 to 74, according to estimates from the National Association of Home Builders based on census numbers.
Pitkin County, Colo., home to Aspen, led the country with an average home price of $946,036. Teton County, Wyo., home to Jackson and a gateway to Yellowstone National Park, was third with an average price of $650,526.
Nevada is helping launch a pilot project to build an affordable, assisted-living home in Las Vegas. The 90-unit facility is scheduled to open next year. Homebuilder Del Webb, a leader in housing for 55 and older, now offers a range of prices for its Sun City communities in Nevada, Arizona and California.
But preparing for an older population is more than just making sure health care is adequate and housing is affordable. It’s also about quality of life and making sure jobs are available for the many retirees who plan to continue working.
States will need to attract companies that want to hire older workers and businesses will have to accommodate job-sharing and employees who want to work from home, said Clare Hushbeck, an economist with AARP.
"It does require big vision," she said. "It’s not an easy thing to wrap your mind around, but it’s coming."
In Arizona, the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust recently awarded grants to four communities to create "life options" centers, where older adults can learn about new careers, take classes, volunteer and socialize.
Telemedicine — doctors practicing from afar by voice, data and video hookup — may see greater use in remote communities in the West. Kempthorne said a new hospital in Salmon, Idaho, will use telemedicine extensively.
States will also need more transportation options. Using school buses to transport seniors while students are in school is one idea, Kempthorne said.
"While we are getting used to the current generation of retirees and near-retirees, there will be a gap," said Daniel Perry, executive director of the Alliance for Aging Research. "They will be moving to more far-flung areas. There’ll be a gap between now and when health care and transportation services and entertainment catches up with them."
The Idaho governor hopes his yearlong work on long-term care paid off and that his fellow governors will include the issue in their state-of-the-state addresses next year.
"You don’t have to look very far down the road with regard to your budgets," Kempthorne said. "You’re going to be impacted one way or another. You better get ahead of the curve."
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The place to be: Wyoming towns attract retirees
By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press
Whenever Fern and Dale Johnson visited family here, they couldn’t help feeling a bit envious. People were so friendly, and the pace of life in the rural community was much slower – and more to their liking – than back home in Nebraska.
The Johnsons once dreamed of spending their leisure years in the warmth of sunny Arizona. But Sun City, it turned out, was too "busy." So when retirement finally came last year, they headed instead for Buffalo, a decidedly four-season town of about 4,100 people near the looming Bighorn Mountains.
Buffalo is certainly a far cry from Arizona. Winter snows can come early and stay late. The interstate on-ramps have permanent barriers that can be lowered when blizzards make travel too dangerous.
But nestled in a small house on a block so quiet the thrush of blowing autumn leaves is startling, the Johnsons say they couldn’t be happier.
"To me, the climate is so much nicer here. There’s no humidity," said Fern Johnson, 66.
Florida and Arizona remain hot retirement destinations, offering the constants of sun and warmth, gardening and golf, the traditional attractions for a retiree. But Sunbelt destinations are losing some of their cool with many new retirees, who want more and are willing to live where it’s cold and snowy to get it.
Some, like the Johnsons, seek small-town connections. Others seek out culture and educational opportunities in college towns. Some want active outdoor recreation. And some look for a low cost of living where they can build a dream home or start a new business.
"The hold Florida and Arizona have had on retirees is loosening, and the options are growing," said Clare Hushbeck, an economist and senior legislative representative with AARP.
The nature of retirement is changing. Many people are retiring younger, with more money and more plans. For many, that includes opportunities to stay active and involved. Newly retiring baby boomers, between the ages of 40 and 60, don’t see themselves as old, said Joanne Bowlby of AARP Wyoming.
"The idea of playing golf and living in a condo with people only their own age – to them – is old," she said. "Here, we see them active: mountain biking, hiking, skiing. The independent mind-set fits them."
It did for Marvin and JoAnne Brown. The retired Air Force colonel and his wife found a house in Lander, Wyo., that they ended up buying and turning into a bed and breakfast. Though they hadn’t had any particular plans to leave their home in Denver, they were bowled over by the house and its prospects and were excited about starting over in a town of about 7,000 people in mountainous western Wyoming.
Nearly 10 years later, their Blue Spruce Inn is doing well and the couple remain pleased with their move.
"Lander is the kind of place where you can be as busy or not-as-busy as you want to be," said Marvin Brown, 67. "Pick your animal and there’s a group for it – elk, turkeys, fish."
Hunting and fishing are among the draws to Townsend, Mont., a town of about 1,900 near the state capital of Helena. From 1990-2003, Broadwater County, which includes Townsend, saw a 54 percent increase in the number of people 65 and older, according to the census.
While Buffalo is attracting retirees, those same retirees are changing Buffalo.
They volunteer at places such as the Jim Gatchell Museum and food pantry. They use the YMCA to lift weights, walk or swim, and their growing number is a factor as officials look ahead at how best to meet the needs of members, chief executive officer Doug Schultze said. A climbing wall, for example, may be out.
Realtor Bob Snowden says he has seen a steady number of retirees move into the area over the past decade and a rise in prices for the coveted 2- to 5-acre plots in the county. In outlying areas, clearing some snow-covered roads isn’t a top priority for road crews, a fact many new residents learn after their first big snowfall, said Ken Gross, a consultant to the city and former local planner.
So far, he said, growth has been slow and measured and fairly easy for the city to absorb.
But growth "depresses" Mayor Bruce Hepp, who wants his nieces and nephews to be able to ride their bikes to the ballpark without problems and enjoy the same, quiet way of life he had growing up in Buffalo.
"Our biggest problem is people want to change things to the way they were where they came from," he said. "This town is pretty stubborn. It’s open to outsiders, but there’s that old adage: Don’t try to change things."
An example, Gross says, is a small arts center, which would not be "financially feasible here."
"The great majority of people seem to mold in," he says. "Some say, ‘You don’t do things like they did where I came from.’ We don’t pay attention to those people."
But despite occasional friction, Wyoming’s older population is predicted to continue growing.
And that prospect draws a mixed response in quiet Buffalo. Some, like Fern and Dale Johnson, want Buffalo to keep its small-town feel though they know they can’t "shut the gate behind us," said Fern Johnson.
Others, including retirees who’ve moved here, don’t want anything to change.
"It’s just a nice community – but keep it quiet," said 80-year-old Betty Saczawa, who left Placerville, Calif., seven-plus years ago. "We don’t want any more people here."
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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