Social Contacts & Mobility

2001 Issues Briefs – Social Contacts & Mobility

Older Minnesotans remain close to family, give care

• Despite the fact that young people often move far from home for education or work opportunities in Minnesota, only about one in three older people does not see his or her children at least on a weekly basis. Fully 72 percent of older Minnesotans have at least one child who lives within a 30-minute drive.
• Table 8    Having Living Children Nearby
• Table 10    Contact with Children

• Older Minnesotans are mobile. About one in 10 lives in another state part of the year. These “snowbirds“ are most likely to be married and more likely to have slightly higher educational and income levels than non-snowbirds.
• Table 1    Live in Another State Part of the Year
• Overall, about 13 percent of older Minnesotans are “caregivers“ — that is, they currently give assistance to someone because an injury, disability or medical condition makes them unable to care for themselves. About one-fourth (24 percent) of these people are caring for a parent or parent-in-law; and slightly more than that (27 percent) are caring for a spouse.
• Table 4    Caregivers for Some One Ill or Disabled
• Among people aged 55-59, very few (less than 3 percent) do not drive or have a spouse who drives. However, having a car and being able to drive decreases significantly with age. Among people aged 85 and older, nearly half (43 percent) have no direct access to personal transportation, and nearly half of these (20 percent) are not able to find transportation when they need it.
• Table 3    Older Adult Drivers