Utah, nation prepared for aging boom?

The Utah Commission on Aging's just-released annual report, "Aging in Utah: Avoid Crisis, Maximize Opportunity," recommends, among other things, that there be statewide efforts to provide financial advice to seniors to improve savings for retirement and to avoid fraud; and ways to encourage healthy eating and exercising at early ages to keep people as healthy and independent as possible as they age.

"We would choose not to focus on developing senior communities but on things like building homes with visibility and accessibility standards, so the whole community can be better equipped for people to age in place, age well, and stay out of that population that needs government services to stay afloat," Henry said.

Among the key findings of the national n4a report (available at www.n4a.org):

• Health care. In one-third of the communities surveyed, older adults do not have access to services such as health screenings, counseling on prescription drugs or health education.

• Nutrition. Some 80 percent of communities have programs providing home-delivered meals for the elderly, but just 25 percent provide nutrition education.

• Exercise. More than one-third of communities do not have fitness programs for older adults.

• Housing. Just half of communities have home modification programs to help the elderly with physical limitations stay in their houses.

• Work force development. More than 40 percent of communities do not offer formal job training or retraining programs.

• Human services. Many communities have failed to create a central point for seniors to go to seek information.

In Utah, aging services are administered by 12 agencies known as "triple A's" (area agencies on aging). Each one manages programs such as Meals-on-Wheels, nutritional education and in-home services. The programs are more prevalent in populated areas of the state, Moon says. "Where you find most of the need is in rural areas."

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