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CARTER LEADS KINGS PAST BLACKHAWKS Kings’ Willie Mitchell (left) steals the puck from Hawks’ Marcus Kruger
A country getting older
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that the population of seniors will double by 2050. McHenry County Valley Hi Nursing Home residents, including Mary Jane Gibson (center), play bingo Friday in Woodstock.
Aging population expected to present policy challenges By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
n 43 million – the number of senior citizens living in the U.S. in 2012. n 83.7 million – the projected senior citizen population in 2050. n 400 million – the projected total U.S. population in 2050. n 21 percent – of Americans will be age 65 and older in 2050, outnumbering those age 18 and younger.
The face of the United States is becoming more racially and religiously diverse – and it’s also going to get a lot older in the coming decades. The U.S. Census Bureau projected in dual reports released earlier this month that the population of citizens age 65 and older will double over the next 35 years, from 43 million in 2012 to 83.7 million by 2050. If current trends continue, the demographic shift will mean that slightly more than 20 percent of the projected 400 million Americans will be seniors, compared to about 13 percent now. The senior population will be roughly the same size as the population of children 18 years and younger, according to the report. This is going to mean significant changes for the nation as a whole in many areas, the reports conclude. “The projected growth of the older population in the United States will present challenges to policy makers and programs, such as Social Security and Medicare. It will also affect families, businesses and health care providers,” the report summary states. Leaders of local agencies that work with seniors and senior issues agree that the changes will be numerous, profound, and something that needs to start being considered now. One emphasis that needs to be made is on staying healthy, said Bette Schoenholtz, executive director of Senior Service Associates Inc., a nonprofit that serves 28,000 se-
Source U.S. Census Bureau
On the Net You can read the U.S. Census Bureau’s reports on the expected increase of the senior citizen population at http://shawurl.com/16o7.
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niors at five centers in McHenry, Kane and Kendall counties. “As the population grows, it’s living longer, and as a consequence, you’ll have a lot more frail seniors, and you’ll have a lot of health issues. There’s going to have to be a big emphasis on healthy aging,” Schoenholtz said. Data back up Schoenholtz’s concern. The Census report projects average life expectancy to increase from the upper 70s today to the mid-80s by 2050, varying by race and gender. It will be highest for white and Hispanic women at 86.2 years, and lowest for African- and Native American males at 79 years. Another health issue that needs to be addressed is providing adequate resources to combat mental health issues such as Alzheimer’s disease and the increasing likelihood with age that people will be diagnosed with dementia, said Tom Annarella, administrator of the county-run Valley Hi Nursing Home west of Woodstock. Resources, of course, means money. And the growing senior population today will take a much larger bite out of mandatory federal spending, not counting the uncertainties of the ongoing implementation of the Affordable Care Act. “Social Security, when it was designed, was not supposed to be for long periods of time, because life expectancy wasn’t that long,” Annarella said. “It’s going to cause further strain on Social Security and
See AGING, page A9
“As the population grows, it’s living longer, and as a consequence, you’ll have a lot more frail seniors, and you’ll have a lot of health issues. There’s going to have to be a big emphasis on healthy aging.” Bette Schoenholtz Executive director of Senior Service Associates Inc.
LOCALLY SPEAKING
CRYSTAL LAKE BAR OWNERS CONTINUE GAMING CAMPAIGN A group of bar owners who have been asking that Crystal Lake allow video gambling are planning to bring their request again to the City Council. The bar owners say the practice would allow them to be on the same playing field as other towns. Revenue also can be used for repairs and renovations at their establishments. For more, see page D1.
Andrew Tieman Kyle Grillot - kgriillot@shawmedia.com
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CRYSTAL LAKE: Faith Lutheran High School celebrates 2014 graduates. Local&Region, B1
Kings lead series 2-1
Jacobs runner wins Class 3A state title in 800-meter run
Clark Brooks for Shaw Media
Jacobs’ Lauren Van Vlierbergen stays ahead of the pack after 400 meters of the Class 3A 800-meter run during the state track and field final on Saturday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium in Charleston. She went on to win the race, the first state title of her career. See more girls state track coverage on page C2.
State lawmakers split as budget deadline looms By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com Local House lawmakers are split over what the final week of the spring session will bring when it comes to approving a 2015 budget. Last week’s session was a roller coaster, even by Illinois General Assembly standards. It started with House lawmakers narrowly approving a budget that counts on the “temporary” 67 percent tax increase being made permanent rather than expiring as long promised. In the middle was House Speaker Michael Madigan conceding that he had nowhere near the 60 votes needed to keep the tax hike, which will significantly decrease Jan. 1, or halfway through the next state fiscal year beginning July 1. And it ended Friday with lawmakers soundly rejecting a “doomsday budget” that slashed education and
social service funding to compensate for the lost revenue – a budget that McHenry County’s representatives, Republican and Democrat alike, blasted as a scare tactic meant to push for a tax increase. “It was just political theater. It was a joke. It wasn’t a real budget,” state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, said. “Clearly, and without much pain, we can reduce spending and allow the tax increase to expire.” State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said Friday’s budget vote, which he called “political shenanigans of a budget designed to fail,” will not change enough Democratic minds to support the tax increase. Franks said he has made a number of proposals to cut costs and wasteful spending that would considerably close the gap,
See BUDGET, page A9
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