SCRANTON — With the aging populations expected to continually increase in the coming years, state Sen. John Blake and Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa today hosted a local roundtable discussion focusing on senior care and services.
Nearly two dozen public officials and aging industry experts participated in the talk at Allied Services Skilled Nursing Center, including Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Brian Duke and members of the state House of Representatives who represent citizens within the 22nd Senatorial District.
“Today’s older citizens are more informed than ever. They’re health conscious, tech savvy and staying in the workplace longer,” Blake said. “We must address the current issues facing this growing population while anticipating the needs of the next and even bigger generation of seniors to come.”
Pennsylvania currently has the third highest population of adults ages 65 and older in the country and the fourth highest population of seniors ages 85 and older. Those numbers are expected to continually rise as the “Baby Boomer” generation begins to retire. Approximately 17.7 percent of the residents of Lackawanna County are aged 65 years or more, versus a statewide county average of 15.4 percent. In fact, by 2020, Pennsylvania’s 60 and older population is expected to rise to 25 percent of the total population, according to the Pennsylvania Health Care Association.
“Seniors have many options when it comes to service and care, from aging-in-place programs to varying levels of assisted and long-term care and even a variety of health and fitness programs geared specifically to them; and these services are always evolving,” said Costa (D-Allegheny). “We all need to ensure that Northeastern Pennsylvania, and the commonwealth as a whole, are providing the best access to care and services as well as affordable housing choices, and share ideas that are working here to improve senior services statewide.”
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