There are 54 million people 65 and older living in the United States. By 2040, that number will reach 80 million. Which begs the question: Where in the United States is the best place to grow old?
The results of a new study designed to answer this question were recently published. The comprehensive study ranked all 50 states based on key criteria such as affordability, health care, senior living assistance and housing, as well as available transportation options.
Vermont took the top spot, followed by Minnesota, Maine and Nebraska. At the other end of the scale are Arizona, Mississippi and Louisiana, the three worst states for the elderly. Somewhat surprisingly, California, supposedly the most fun state in the US, came in last. Honestly, though, there’s nothing fun about growing old in California.
In cases of abuse, mistreatment and exploitation, California is guilty of failing its senior citizens. Moreover, according to a recent Kiplinger report, California is now one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. From gas prices to astronomical housing costs, the Golden State is in terrible shape.
As a result, at least 10 percent of California’s senior citizens now live in poverty. To complicate matters, the state fully taxes pension income at high rates and sales taxes are particularly high. In a state synonymous with wildfires, California regulators never tire of burning holes in people’s pockets.
Furthermore, as America’s Health Rankings analysts note, a large number of “older adults live on limited incomes and modest savings,” which limits “their ability to afford basic medical care.” The authors also note that “63% of adults age 65 and older have at least two chronic conditions, resulting in increased out-of-pocket costs.”
Frankly, the “California problem” is symptomatic of a much larger problem. Across the country, seniors are treated as second-class citizens. Worse, aging is now viewed as a disease, something that desperately needs to be cured. Today’s seniors are treated with much less respect than the seniors of yesteryear. In California, however, it’s not just the elderly who are respected; they are at risk of being physically assaulted.
In addition to the state being synonymous with a high cost of living, California is also synonymous with violent crime, including aggravated assault and murder. Burglary is also a real problem, with ruthless criminals targeting the elderly. Recently, in San Francisco, four juveniles brutally beat a 70-year-old woman and kicked her in the head. From San Jose to San Francisco, senior citizens now live in a state of fear.
California is not only an inhospitable environment for the elderly; it’s an inhospitable environment for everyone (except criminals, many of whom seem to get a free pass). A recent Top Agency study ranked all 50 states on the following eight metrics: affordability, crime and safety, economy, education, health care, infrastructure, opportunity and quality of life. California ranked near the bottom on more than half of them.
However, it wasn’t always like this. I reached out to Joel Kotkin, an urban studies student at Chapman University in Orange, California, for comment on the matter. A best-selling author covering demographic, social and economic trends, Kotkin is critical of California’s “high housing prices and rents, congestion, crime and taxation patterns.”
When did things start to deteriorate? “The problems were partly inevitable,” he told me. “The country was growing very fast and this caused a rebellion that fed the environmental lobby. As we began to deindustrialize in the 1980s, we saw mass immigration from abroad of people who had limited skills. Our manufacturing and construction industries have not expanded to accommodate, creating a huge class divide.”
Kotkin, the author of “The New Class Conflict”, speaks a lot of truth. Today, the gap between California’s haves and have-nots is vast. In fact, the divide between high- and low-income families in the state is “among the largest in the nation,” according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
However, the following must be emphasized again; Senior citizens across the country are suffering, many in silence. According to a report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, “one quarter of community-dwelling Americans age 65 and older consider themselves socially isolated.” Those over 50 “are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or worsen social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, loss of family or friends, chronic illness and sensory impairment.”
To complicate matters, seniors in America are more likely to live alone than those living anywhere else in the world. Feelings of loneliness and social isolation are major risk factors for suicide.
A sobering report released by the National Council on Aging paints a pretty bleak picture for the United States: Older adults make up only 12 percent of the population, but account for about 18 percent of all suicides. Moreover, among people who attempt to take their own lives, “one in four older people will succeed, compared to 1 in 200 young people”. What can be done?
It may sound obvious, but it starts with showing more respect to your elders. The American people are getting older. Aging is a necessary part of living a full life; contrary to popular belief, it is not a disease.
The next time you see an older man or woman, remind yourself that that person could be someone’s grandparent, sibling, husband or wife. Have the decency to acknowledge this person, and to see the elderly as they are – compatriots.
John Mac Ghlionn is a researcher and cultural commentator. Follow him on Twitter, @ghlionn
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