The Baby Boomers are coming! Is your community ready? How one community prepares

Seventy-eight million baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, will begin to turn 60 next year. In response, Aging: The Ultimate Adventure…Journeying Together, a collaborative between the City of Fremont Human Services Department and Tri-City Elder Coalition, has launched a survey on www.fremont.gov/CurrentNews to help them understand the needs of the growing baby boomer generation in the Tri-City (Fremont, Union City, and Newark) area. The Collaborative is an integral part of Community Partnerships for Older Adults (CPFOA) – a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

"The survey's goal is to identify the expectations and needs that exist among baby boomers within our diverse Tri-City community. We hope that every baby boomer within our community from diverse faiths, languages, and ethnicities will participate in the survey.  The results will be incorporated into a Community Strategic Plan to improve long-term care and support services for older adults and their families," states Dr. Ray Grimm, co-coordinator of the project.   

Of the 311,764 residents that live in the Tri-City area, over 85,000 or nearly 30% of the population are classified as baby boomers. "Many boomers are also caregivers, and often experience pressures from caring for their aging parents while still trying to meet the needs of their growing children.  This is often exacerbated in cultural communities where caregiving is an expected part of the family value system," states Asha Chandra, program coordinator/researcher for the collaborative.   

The Tri-City community is home to one of the most culturally diverse populations in the U.S. Over 100 languages are spoken and people from multiple faith organizations reside here. The needs of new immigrants are often quite different from those born in the United States as they cope with language and cultural barriers that hinder their ability to receive services. With an understanding of the types of programs and services baby boomers desire for themselves and their aging parents, the community can better prepare itself for the growth of the senior population.
 
Aging:  The Ultimate Adventure…Journeying Together believes if we prepare for aging now, we can live healthier lives and reduce the time we might need long term care support.  Our vision is to create a community where older adults can enjoy a healthy and fulfilled life.  For those who find they may require assistance to remain in their homes, the Collaborative is working with our community to improve how services are provided.  

The overall purpose of the project is to develop a plan for a community-wide response to the growth of the senior population.  As part of Community Partnerships for Older Adults, we are one of many community partnerships across the nation working to improve long term care and supportive services systems to meet the current and future needs of older adults.