The Senior Tsunami is coming! Are we prepared?

Beware...The "Senior Tsunami" is fast approaching San Mateo County.  Are we prepared?

As you know, a Tsunami is a series of powerful water waves caused by the displacement of a large body of water that is caused by a major disturbance below the water or above. San Mateo County in the coming years will be facing our own demographic tsunami.  This fast approaching powerful wave will come in the form of senior citizens who will need housing, services and programs to support them.

The aging of the "baby boomer" population in San Mateo county will have a number of significant impacts. Among these will be changes in housing needs, preferences, and the market for various types of housing that will be driven by baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) and those older adults, born before the baby boomers.

in 2008, there were about 91,000 people over the age of 65 living in San Mateo County; by the year 2030 this number will rise to about 157,000, an increase of 72%. Even more alarming will be the rise of older adults over the age of 85, this group will experience an increase fo 148% in the same period. In one sense this is a good thing, because of advances in health technologies we are all living longer and healthier.

However, with this increase number of people living longer in our communities we as a society need to make sure that we have adequate services to support our senior population. One of the basic needs that seniors will need is basic housing. Securing housing that is affordable across many different income levels is important for older adults since many will live on fixed incomes, and some may not have the ability to pay more for housing than they currently pay. For housing to be considered "affordable" households should pay no more than 30% fo their income towards housing costs.

In order to prepare and appropriately plan for this incoming Senior Tsunami, it is imperative for cities like Millbrae to incorporate affordable housing elements in the their development plans to foster healthy living for aging adults.

Let me know what you think.  Are we prepared?