Ever wonder how many seniors really live in Blue Springs? The US Census reports 13.4% of our population (at last count) are 65 or older. Those eighteen or younger comprised 28.7% of our population…but those numbers are shifting. For the first time in US history, older adults are projected to outnumber children by 2034. The implications are staggering.

The economic effects are sobering, especially when figuring in the health needs/costs of the elderly. No matter how many salads are consumed, even living on the rarefied life of a Tibetan monk, nothing changes some fundamental facts about aging. The current top ten health issues for seniors include:

• Cognitive decline

• Balance issues

• Oral health problems

• Heart disease

• Osteoarthritis

• Respiratory diseases

• Influenza or pneumonia

• Vision or hearing loss

These issues are affected by diet and exercise, but they don’t disappear by sheer will power. Many coincide with the changing physiological conditions of aging. They are normal.

Let’s put aside the issues of sight and hearing, and just look at somatic changes associated with age. Blood vessels stiffen with age, ultimately resulting in high blood and cardiovascular disease. Bones shrink in size and density. Falls pose a risk for fractures, but even with care, compression fractures are not rare. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease result from the buildup of proteins within the brain. These represent three of the most serious, most costly and most time-consuming health issues families and our community face. How can we prepare for and assist in this changing scenario?

Of course, we focus on nutrition and exercise. We encourage good life choices. We provide ramps and railings in our businesses. There are other more subtle ways we can help as well, ways that don’t cost us a cent. Keep a chair for an elderly person to pull up and sit down when shopping with others. Offer to help a senior shop. Give an older shopper time to review options and make choices. Give seniors discounts. Some need income—offer a senior a way to earn money and retain their dignity. Experience more than balances their physiological changes. Make no mistake: your patience and compassion are noticed. These small efforts change the way we are perceived. Blue Springs becomes a kinder place to live.

More, we need to be preparing for this demographic shift. We need to be a thrifty community, saving for future years. We need to be thinking ahead on several fronts. For example, those oceans of multilevel homes may prove less valuable when a third of the population starts looking for single-level ranches instead. Newer forms of senior living provide a model for us, and we can be ready. While much of the world focuses on the challenges of the here and now, which do require attention, let us also bear in mind the changing future. Let’s be forward thinking and ready for 2030.