2006 State Report > Aging Trends > Choices
Aging Trends: Choices
In order to address the many opportunities and challenges that South Carolina faces, government, businesses, individuals and families must work together to make educated choices so that the future will bring positive outcomes rather than greater problems. The following are areas where choices need to be made:
- Individuals and families must realize that resources of government and the private sector are limited and that individuals and families must take personal responsibility for their future.
- Government and business must work together to create the necessary medical infrastructure so that our mature adults have access to needed medical care and have the option of choice through community-based service options.
- As the demographics of the workforce change, many seniors will want or need to work longer. Employers will need to adapt to this phenomenon in order to prevent the loss of older, experienced workers. Employers will need to consider flexible options for work through sharing jobs, telecommuting and part time work.
- Organizations that provide services to seniors will need increased funding. However, these organizations need to adapt to a world where tax resources and the willingness of the state's citizens and businesses are limited. Service providers must recognize that increased investment of tax dollars in services will require greater accountability showing that these services make a difference and are cost effective They will also need to adapt creatively to the growing market and need for services from our state's mature adults who are willing and able to purchase these services.
- Communities will need to look at how attractive they are to these in-migrants and also address how they can make their communities more livable for all mature adults.
- The Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging is moving toward greater accountability through its effort to use data to help state policymakers, the private sector and the public to make wise choices to address the opportunities and challenges of our aging population. Mature Adults Count is part of that effort. The office is also using evidence based research through its Performance Outcomes Measurement Project grants to show the value of state and federally funded home and community based services to reduce usage of higher cost services funded by Medicaid and Medicare. A third step is the creation of the Seniors' Cube funded by the Duke Endowment. The Seniors' Cube is a web-based analytical health care data warehouse which will help policymakers and researchers target how to use limited tax resources to invest in those services which allow our state's citizens remain at home and avoid more costly publicly funded institutional services.
Through the use of data from the Census Bureau and various state agencies, we hope to create an accurate and insightful picture of our state's many and diverse seniors. The data in Mature Adults Count can be a useful tool for policymakers as they address the opportunities, challenges and choices in the future.