BUNCOMBE COUNTY – September 4, 2024 – Almost 80 thousand Buncombe County residents are over the age of 60, representing about 30% of the population. By 2041, 1 out of 4 adults in Buncombe County will be age 65 and older, according to a Community Engagement Needs Assessment by the Deerfield Charitable Foundation this year. Almost 3 million North Carolina residents will be age 65 or older in 2042, according to a NC Health and Human Services report. Last year, Governor Cooper created an executive order for North Carolina to be an age-friendly state. Therefore, the needs of seniors in North Carolina including Buncombe County will require more specialized structures, services, and policies.
It is important to raise awareness of issues that impact seniors. On May 23rd, Buncombe County held an Age-Friendly Summit. On June 13th, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day brought partner organizations and people together to discuss solutions locally. This summer a state-sponsored working group will present 100 recommendations to achieve an age-friendly state.
Here’s some important health and social issues that affect seniors:
- Chronic disease management and prevention
- Social isolation
- Abuse and neglect
- Financial exploitation
Here’s some specialized structures, services, and policies that will support seniors:
- Aging in place
- Safe and affordable housing
- Navigation of services and access to care
- Supporting caregivers
- Transportation
- Adult day care centers
Billie Breeden, age-friendly coordinator for Buncombe County DHHS’s Adult and Aging Services, told Mountain Xpress “People need to know all the wonderful things that aging services providers do on a daily basis to support older adults.”
Funding for programs that support seniors are flat despite the growing need for this growing population group. Many of these programs are funded through state, county, and federal allocations. Nongovernmental charitable organizations try to fill in the gaps. Buncombe County receives around $1.7 million each year for aging services from the state and federal government. The county government contributes another one-half million dollars.
In March, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders proposed more federal funding for seniors from $2 billion to $4.6 billion to address the upswing in transportation, nutrition services and other needs older adults will have in the coming decades.
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org