aging โAmerica:โฃ infrastructure and Policyโฃ Gaps Threaten Senior Care
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The United States faces mounting challenges as its population ages, with new research indicating โคa critical lack of preparedness in providing equitable โคaccess โtoโค essential services for seniors. โขA recent study from โขNortheastern University highlights notable infrastructure and policy gaps that could impactโ the โwell-being of older Americans โin the coming decades.
The Looming demographic Shift
The U.S. โis experiencing โขa considerable increaseโฃ in its older population. According to the U.S.Census Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 and โolder grew significantly between 2020 and 2023 . This โtrend is projected โขto accelerate,โ with the number โof individuals aged 60 and over โขworldwide expected to โreach โฃ1.4 billion โby 2030 . This demographic shift necessitates proactive planning to ensure adequate support for seniors.
“At this stage, we are not ready โfor theโฃ aging population,” asserts Ryan wang,โค associate professor and vice chair for research of โcivil and environmental engineering at northeastern. “Population aging isn’t a critical issue yet compared to countries like Korea or Japan, but that will change without significant policy adjustments.”
Uneven Access to Essential Services
Researchers โฃanalyzed mobility data, โcensus information, โคand environmental factors toโข assess access to grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and housing for older adults across the nation. โฃCommunities were categorized asโ “high-aging