Alexandria Addresses Aging Population with Five-Year Plan

The City of Alexandria has put together a strategic plan to address its aging population, which will have doubled from 2000 to 2030 thanks to the baby boomer generation.

Council agreed in May 2010 that the city could best address the “needs and aspirations of its aging residents through a closer examination of the implications for Alexandria of their rapidly increasing numbers and the transformation occurring in the meaning of later life,” according to the Strategic Plan on Aging, 2012-2016 (pdf).

The city sees its older residents as generally healthy, affluent people “who want to stay in and give back to their communities,” according to the plan. But concurrently, many older residents will need modifications to their homes and rely on modes of transportation other than cars.

As the population of Alexandria’s 65-plus residents doubles, “the constraints on budgets will make it impossible to double the resources available to older City residents,” says the plan.

Virginia’s older population is expected to grow dramatically – doubling to 1.8 million by 2030.

The swelling ranks of seniors presents some challenges, notes the study. For example, a lack of affordable housing threatens local hiring potential and a demand for moderate-income health care workers and home-based aides will spur a need for more affordable housing.

Additionally, the lack of sufficient senior independent and assisted living facilities impedes seniors’ ability to live in or near the city.

The city also suffers from an 11 percent student drop-out rate – and those students are the next generation of workers and future seniors.

Seniors new to the city also speak at least 45 languages, so the city must find ways to respond to and include this diverse population.

Some statistics from the plan:

• All neighborhoods except Potomac West in 2000 housed at least 2,000 seniors with Alexandria East showing more than 3,000, according to Census data.
• White, non-Hispanic seniors made up 73 percent of Alexandria’s older population. Black seniors made up 17 percent of the senior population, according to 2000 census data.
• Seniors ages 65-74 earned a median household income of $65,800 in 2010. Alexandria’s total median household income is $70,400, higher than the state average of $59,330.

The plan will be discussed at Saturday morning’s City Council public hearing at .