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Look around. Our demographics are showing. We are coming of age -- each of us individually, as colleges, and as communities.
At present, approximately 13% of Arizona's population is 65 years of age or older. By 2025, the 20% of Arizonans who will have reached this hallmark will be better educated and more diverse, with more citizens 80 years of age and older. The dependency ratio, the number of youths and elders for every 100 people of working ages (20 to 64 years of age), could increase from 79 in 1995 to 94 in 2025. This graying of the population, the aging of the aged, and the increased dependency ratio are, of course, national phenomena.
While we live longer and are healthier and productive for more years, the number of sick and disabled is also increasing. At a time when one-third of Arizonans aged 40 to 60 years are caring for an elder and the need for services is growing, the array of available services comprising the continuum of care is deficient and confusing to most, giving rise to a system that many consider broken. With fewer physicians and registered nurses per capita than the national average and a serious shortage of paraprofessional home- and community-based service workers, Arizona is facing a care deficit. Our needs are increasingly complex. There will be no simple solutions.
These realities suggest a demographic imperative that will force us to address aging and its repercussions. Last May, St. Luke's Health Initiatives (SLHI) sponsored a one-day conference on The Coming of Age in Arizona. This conference considered our demographic destiny through scenarios of potential futures in Arizona that depend on actions we take now and in coming years.
In December, lifelong learners from across the District, along with representatives of the aging services network, participated in a forum to explore further the values that underlie policy options including greater reliance on public support, an emphasis on free enterprise, and a focus on personal and community responsibility. In January and February of this year, Viewpoint Learning held citizen dialogues in Phoenix, Prescott, and Yuma involving representative samples of local communities. The issues that have surfaced thus far range from health care and the cost of prescription medications to transportation, housing, productivity, and the end of life. Much of the concern is financial, but it is also emotional and physical. The issues will touch us all, often painfully.
With support from SLHI, recent activities continue this spring in community forums within the District and at community colleges across the state. Designed to engage Arizonans in public deliberation about how to address the aging of our population and the trade-offs associated with various choices, these forums will educate our communities, explore issues from a local perspective, and potentially lead to public action.
Gerontologists have talked for years about gerontologizing the curriculum -- integrating issues of aging across disciplines and courses. We are not there yet, but we are working on it. If you are interested in pursuing this goal, please call Maricopa CARES at (602) 285-7587. See more information on The Coming of Age in Arizona. For information about upcoming forums at your college, call the District's Center for Civic Participation at (480) 461-6123. For information about lifelong learning programs at your local college or in your community, contact:
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Sun Lakes Education Center
Mary Kaye Allen
(480) 857-5505
Estrella Mountain Community College
Community Education Program
Gina Sandoval
(623) 935-8499
Glendale Community College
Community Education
Suzanne Higgins
(623) 845-3808
Mesa Community College
Senior Programs
Marie Allen
(480) 461-6251
Paradise Valley Community College
Senior College
Judi Anderson
(602) 787-6802
Phoenix College
Adult Education Program
Colleen Massey
(602) 285-7192
Rio Salado College
Sun Cities Lifelong Learning Center
Charlcey Brabec
(480) 517-8776
Scottsdale Community College
Senior Adult Educational Program
Vincent Huffman
(480) 423-6535
South Mountain Community College
Guadalupe Center
Raul Monreal
(602) 243-8040
For information about Maricopa CARES, the Senior Adult Network, college programs, eldercare, or older workers, contact Rose Pfefferbaum at (602) 285-7587.
 Rose L. Pfefferbaum, Ph.D., M.P.H., mcli
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