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How are older
Minnesotans faring?
Survey puts numbers
on faces of state’s seniors
Minnesota is a land
of myths. From the tall tales of Paul Bunyan to last
summer’s fishing stories, myths are interwoven in
the fabric of our lives. Most myths are harmless
stories, while others are simply wrong. That’s why
the Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA) conducts its
Survey of Older Minnesotans. The board examines some
of the commonly held myths of aging, such as
"Old people are sick," and "Older
people need help, so they have to go to nursing
homes," and gathers concrete data to draw a
more accurate picture of who our older residents are
and helps counter those myths.
"Basically,"
says MBA’s lead researcher Hal Freshley, Ph.D.,
"we look at what older Minnesotans need and
what they contribute to their communities. But we
also get a lot of good information about their
health status, their economics and more."
How are Minnesotans
faring? "Older people are healthier, wealthier
and more worried than they were in 1997, the last
time we did the survey," Freshley reports.
"The ‘young’ old who are still working tend
to be healthier, wealthier and have more resources,
yet they are the ones who report more worries about
their income.
"The older you
are, the less likely you are to have a high income
and the less likely you are to be worried about it.
It’s an interesting paradox because it’s the
opposite of what we would think," he says.
Who tends to have
less income? The "older" old, people over
the age of 80 who are far more likely to be women.
But money isn’t
the only thing older Minnesotans are worried about.
"Every-thing we asked them about – their
children, health, their income – they’re worried
about," Freshley says.
But there’s
plenty of positive things in the lives of
Minnesota’s elders. "Older Minnesotans have
strong connections to their families," Freshley
says. "Even in places like the western part of
the state where the younger people have moved out
steadily since the 1940s, most older people report
having close family contact."
Most older
Minnesotans report that their health is pretty good.
"That’s independent of age," Freshley
says. "People who are on the older end of the
spectrum still say they do pretty good with health
and exercise."
Work, retirement
and income:
Some Minnesotans
continue to work well beyond 65. Among people aged
65 to 74, nearly one in five earns income from a job
– although the majority have part-time rather than
full-time employment. Among those who are not
working, nearly 16 percent would like to work for
pay, especially those with lower per capita incomes.
People’s primary
source of income changes as they age. Employment as
an income source decreases, and dependence on Social
Security increases as people get older. Older people
with lower incomes depend almost entirely on Social
Security, while those with higher incomes are more
likely to get money from employment and private
pensions.
Health of older
Minnesotans:
In general, older
people in Minnesota are in fairly good health. From
the baby boomers to the 85+ people, about half of
all older adults describe their health as good.
However, the proportion who say their health is
excellent decreases steadily with age.
Older Minnesotans
are fairly active. More than half (54 percent) of
respondents report that they participate in vigorous
activity for at least 20 to 30 minutes, two to three
times per week.
For those in poor
health, some have difficulty getting the medical
services they need. It is a bigger problem for
people who live alone (14 percent report
difficulties), and those with very low incomes (18
percent of people with incomes below $12,000 a year)
reported barriers to receiving medical care.
Respondents
reported three barriers to receiving needed health
care:
- Costs of medical
care
- Lack of
transportation to medical care services
- No medical
services available in community
About one in every
five older Minnesotans spent at least one night in a
hospital in 2000. A person’s chance of being
hospitalized increases with age. People aged 55 to
59 were about half as likely to need hospitalization
as those 85 and older (13 percent and 26 percent,
respectively). About 2 percent spent at least one
night in a nursing home in 2000.
Worries and
concerns:
Survey respondents
were more likely to be concerned about their
children or grandchildren (52 percent worry
"some" or "a lot") than they
were to be worried about themselves (42 percent) or
about getting older (35 percent). Concern about
money matters is closely related to age – older
respondents worry less about money than younger
people do.
About 7 percent of
older people say that there is no one in their lives
who they can "confide" in – someone whom
they can count on for understanding and advice.
Twice this number (14 percent) report that
loneliness is sometimes a problem for them. About
one in 10 say that depression is
"sometimes" a problem, and nearly 7
percent report that it is a major issue for them.
Planning for the
future:
Nearly nine out of
10 older Minnesotans own their home. The percentage
who rent an apartment increases with age. People age
85 and older are about six times more likely to rent
as someone in their late 50s.
Most older
Minnesotans have no plans to move. In fact, the
percentage who are actually planning to move
decreases with age. Nearly twice as many people
under age 65 are planning to move (12 percent) as
those over age 65 (7 percent).
When asked if they
need to make changes to remain in their homes,
nearly 22 percent mentioned some kind of structural
maintenance or accessibility help would be needed.
Social contacts and
mobility:
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 do not see their
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.
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.
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; slightly more than
that (27 percent) care for a spouse.
Among people aged
55 to 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.
• • •
Information from
the survey will be used by state officials to
develop new policies and programs to serve older
Minnesotans in the coming years. For more
information on the survey, go to www.mnaging.org.
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