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Growing Senior Citizen Population in NYS Calls for Realignment of Public Policies on Aging

June 12, 2009 

By Stephen J. Acquario*

To toss another penny into the pond of challenges facing New York, recently the US Bureau of the Census reported that New York’s senior population has grown dramatically.

The aging of our population is particularly acute in the 50 Upstate counties outside of the New York City Metropolitan area where a total of 14.5% of the population is age 65 and over. If Upstate New York were a separate state it would have the 7th highest senior percentage in the nation.

By the year 2025, the population of New Yorkers age sixty and over is projected to grow from 3.5 million to 4.9 million. This projection must be taken seriously by state and local leaders as we develop public policy initiatives aimed at our parents’ and grandparents’ generations.

This year, New York State leaders closed a more than 15 billion dollar budget deficit by increasing taxes and fees, reducing programs and services and tapping into federal stimulus dollars. With future year deficits expected to grow by billions of dollars, New York will have fewer and fewer resources to address the growing challenges facing our state, including those involving our growing senior population.

With this in mind, we must realign the programs and policies needed to address the particular needs of this special population.

County leaders and the New York State Association of Counties have already begun this realignment. In addition to the traditional county-administered senior programs such as nursing home and long term care, home care, transportation, home and heating assistance and food stamps, county leaders are working hand-in-hand with the NYS Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) to structure long term programs that provide our growing senior population with more and better alternatives for housing, community planning, volunteerism and civic engagement and community based services.

It is clear from a variety of studies that seniors are living longer and they represent a tremendous source of financial stability for communities and social capital that can help address our community needs.

Senior citizens have the right to age gracefully in New York State, and our leaders must work collectively to establish policies and programs that ensure that right.

*Stephen J. Acquario is the executive director of the New York State Association of Counties, a bipartisan municipal association serving all 62 counties of New York State including the City of New York. Organized in 1925, NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate and advocate for member counties and the thousands of elected and appointed county officials who serve the public.

The New York State Association of Counties is a bipartisan municipal association serving all 62 counties of New York State including the City of New York. Organized in 1925, NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate and advocate for member counties and the thousands of elected and appointed county officials who serve the public.

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