Government agencies ramp up planning

“Struggling to handle what we have now”

At the Custer County Health Center, 60 to 80 new patients a month seek appointments, which typically aren’t available for three weeks. “We’ve had a huge influx of older people who moved from Texas and California,” manager Tammy Ahlers said in her office adjacent to a busy waiting room.

The clinic offers only general “family practice” care, but Ahlers said staffers face constant and increasing demands to handle emergencies.

She has arranged for a bone specialist to visit the clinic once a week. Heart and lung doctors swing through the county every other week. “Telehealth” often proves insufficient.

For urgent stroke symptoms, chest pains, breathing problems, kidney dialysis, and radiation treatments, Custer County seniors must drive or seek emergency

Struggles in Custer County increasingly are replicated elsewhere.

Statewide, waiting lists for meal delivery and transport have ballooned into the thousands. Overseers of the area agencies on aging estimated clearing those lists would cost an additional $20 million in funding — above the current total budget of about $46 million using state and federal funds.

In the eight-county Denver area, more than 3,000 seniors are on waiting lists for meals, said Jayla Sanchez-warren, director of the Area Agency on Aging for metro Denver, run by the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Beyond that, more housebound seniors are asking for rides to medical appointments, an unmet need that reverberates because appointments often must be canceled, leading to seniors skipping necessary health care.

Colorado government officials say they recognize a need to strengthen support for the state’s

Colorado’s over-65 population has ranked among the fastestgrowing in the nation, behind only Idaho and Alaska between 2010 and 2020, with over-65s increasing by 319,070 people. By 2030, the state’s latest demographic projections show, the over-65 population will increase by an additional 315,000 above the 2020 level.

The shift is driven by baby boomers who flocked to Colorado in the 1970s and largely stayed in the state.

“Now as they are leaving the labor force, entering retirement, and entering an age cohort where we see transitions, we are seeing a significant impact,” state demographer Elizabeth Garner said.

The fastest-growing segments of Colorado’s population are those 70 to 74 (224,681), 75 to 79 (129,810), 80 to 84 (82,812) and over 85 (88,264), according to census data. State forecasts show the over-75 population growing by 68% over the 2020 level by 2030 and the over-85 population growing by 50%.

“This decade is when we will see the largest and fastest growth,” Garner said.

Around the state, the biggest increases in over-65 households will occur in the relatively young Denver area, according to data prepared for state lawmakers. Jefferson County is expected to change the most with its number of over-65 households increasing above the 2020 level by 26,180 before 2030, followed by Denver County (22,866), Arapahoe County (22,402), and El Paso County (20,913). That will bring Jeffco’s total of over-65 households to 90,414.

Meanwhile, Custer County elders bristled at the prospect of fewer meals and the camaraderie they bring.

Supervisors of their 53-member senior center pointed to continued population growth in the county and agency funding of only $300 a month, enough for food but not enough to cover their latest electricity bill. Back in 1990, the median age in Custer County was 38, state records show. But in recent years the number of babies born in the county each year has stayed below 50. And of the 800 newcomers who moved into the county from elsewhere over the past decade, 62% were older than 55.

Losing the center would be horrible, members said. “We do have poverty in this county,” Cindy, 61, emphasized, asking that her last name not be printed for fear of an ex-husband in Texas. The three meals a week she eats at the senior center are her only proper meals, she said. From the pantry, she grabs cans of chickpeas and other items to tide her over in her cabin south of town, where she relies on burning wood for heat.

Bingo began in the basement. A Beatles tune played on the local radio. Shooting pool in the library, third-generation Wet Mountain Valley resident Dan Jones, 82, a priest clad in brown robes, said the two dozen churches in town may serve as a fallback for supporting the neediest residents.

He sank a yellow-and-white nine-ball in the corner pocket — and smiled. This senior center has served elders for 46 years, he said.

“It has been good getting to know each other here. That’s important for seniors. It has been a really good meeting place.”