According to a report released by the state Department of Business and Economic Development and Tourism, there were an estimated 11,650 people age 60 and older living on Kaua‘i in 2005, up 11 percent from the 2000 Census. In 2010,
According to a report released by the state Department of Business and Economic Development and Tourism, there were an estimated 11,650 people age 60 and older living on Kaua‘i in 2005, up 11 percent from the 2000 Census. In 2010, that number is projected to be 13,800.
To address the needs of Kaua‘i’s growing senior population, the county’s Agency on Elderly Affairs is in the process of collecting data and will be formulating a plan for October 2007 through September 2011.
“Every four years, our Elderly Affairs staff creates a plan focusing on the needs of the kupuna in our community,” Mayor Bryan Baptiste said in a press release from the Office of Community Assistance. “It’s important that this is done so we can respond to the current and growing needs of this segment of our population.”
There are several components to the needs assessment study being conducted by AEA, including surveys, focus groups and a public hearing. So far, the caregiver and senior surveys have been completed, and the deadline for the service provider survey is Aug. 17, the release states.
“We’re hoping to get responses from as many service providers as possible,” Naomi Sugihara, AEA program specialist, said in the release. “The information we receive will help us determine what services are currently available for seniors and where we need to focus our efforts. It will also assist us with referring seniors and their families to appropriate agencies.”
Sugihara said a high percentage of seniors returned the surveys that were mailed last month. Of the 1,100 seniors surveyed, 41 percent, or 453, responded, and the caregiver survey had an even better return rate of 47 percent, or 90 out of 190.
A college intern is compiling the data collected thus far and will stay on until the information from all three surveys has been inputted, the release states.
Over the next couple of months, AEA has scheduled focus groups with various stakeholders including seniors, caregivers, service providers and the Na Kupuna Council, made up of representatives from all nine senior centers.
Sugihara said anyone who is interested in helping should contact the AEA.
“We’ve already conducted two focus groups, one with AARP members and the other with retired HGEA members,” she said.
After all the data from the surveys and focus groups is collected, the AEA staff will review the results and draft a plan that addresses the needs of Kaua‘i’s seniors in several areas, including caregiver support, health and wellness, housing, support for frail elders and transportation.
Information from other sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, University of Hawai‘i Center on Family and the state Executive Office on Aging will also be used in devising a plan for seniors, the release states.
A public hearing on Kaua‘i’s plan will be held in early spring 2007. After revisions are made, it will then be presented to the County Council and the mayor for review and approval. The final plan will be submitted to the state Executive Office on Aging by mid-April, and Kaua‘i’s plan will be incorporated into a statewide plan.
For more information, call the Agency on Elderly Affairs at 241-4470.
