Utah is getting older.
While it still remains the youngest in the nation, the reality is the state’s aging population is expected to double by 2060. By then, Utah will have more older adults than school-aged children.
An assessment conducted by Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services found more resources are needed to support the older population, which is considered those aged 60 and above. The biggest demand for additional services or support surrounds health care, transportation, housing and nutrition.
And the forecasted need for services is fast approaching. Of those surveyed for the assessment, 31% of older Utahns anticipate needing aging-related services for themselves within the next five years, and 40% expect they will need those resources for a loved one.
If more attention isn’t given to the aging population now, the future could look grim. Afton January, communications manager for Adult and Aging Services, said agencies that cater to older Utahns will “start having to make hard decisions, to start putting waitlists together, to start turning people away from services,” within the next couple of years.
“And that's really something that we don't want to do,” she said.
What older Utahns say they need
January said health care in every form always tops the priority list for older Utahns. That includes access to care specialists, but it also means access to affordable prescriptions, mental and behavioral health resources and an understanding of how insurance operates.
Nutrition and food insecurity was the second most important thing to older adults. It’s not just the availability of healthy food, it’s “access to culturally appropriate food,” like halal and kosher meals, January said.
“If you go into a senior center right now and you ask for the daily meal, you'll probably get something that's pretty culturally appropriate for a person who is white, who is LDS, and who grew up in Utah and is around 75 years old,” January added.
The traditional canned green beans and chicken thighs aren't always the best options for everyone. January said it’s been a challenge to meet “the cultural needs of different types of people who make up our older population.”
“As our older population grows, we see that the diversity is growing and we want to make sure that we can help meet the dietary needs of those individuals who are accessing nutrition programs with us,” she said.
Older Utahns aren’t immune to the affordable housing crisis, either. There are growing concerns over where they will live once they can no longer live in their current accommodation, “particularly as they start to maybe have mobility challenges and disabilities as they age and place,” said January. And some places in Utah, like Park City, don’t have a single assisted care facility in the area.
There isn’t enough housing stock to meet the needs of Utah’s older population, January said, especially those on fixed incomes, and as housing costs rise.
“We're seeing more and more older adults fall into homelessness as a result of this,” she said. “And frankly, it's a problem that I think our community is going to have to really start to face and solve together in the coming years.”
Utah isn’t ready — for now
The report showed a drop in community satisfaction among elderly Utahns in nearly every category, like transportation, nutrition and housing from 2017. And even though the department can’t identify what caused the decreased contentment, January has some hunches. One of those was the COVID-19 pandemic, but another was increased fear over lack of services.
“We will also be seeing, and maybe are already seeing, increased competition for limited services,” she said. “Aging and Adult Services is a taxpayer-funded government agency. And so our budget is limited.”
During his August monthly news conference, Gov. Spencer Cox acknowledged that Utah’s population is growing older. He said the Legislature and the executive branch “have to start being much more engaged” in the issue because “we have a wave of them coming” and he isn’t sure the state “is completely prepared for what's on the horizon.”
More funding from the Legislature is needed to keep vital programs like Meals on Wheels alive, January said. She said there has been an increase in older Utahns using the service since COVID-19, but money allocated toward Meals on Wheels is set to expire in 2025. While she couldn’t give an exact figure, January said millions would be needed to keep it afloat.
January added more government money for in-home services, like installing grab bars or updating a home to accommodate a wheelchair, could make a huge difference for the elderly community.
“Investing in in-home services is one of the best ways that as a state and as a country, we can invest in the care of our older generation and make sure that people have choices and can remain independent during those last years of their lives,” she said.
The report also showed aging Utahns feel left out of policy making conversations. They would like to be involved in discussions about housing and health care sooner rather than later. January believes elderly Utahns and agencies that serve them need “a bigger voice on Capitol Hill,” when it comes to policymaking and community planning efforts.
“Without a place at the table for older adults, the public perception of how well this community cares for its elders will not improve,” the report read.
