Now the Legislature is studying a "state dementia plan," with an alarming rise in Alzheimer's disease. “We call it the silver tsunami,” state Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, said Wednesday at a news conference at the state Capitol, according to Arizona Public Media. “The number of folks who are projected to experience Alzheimer’s in the coming years is going to be significant.”
"One
of the many lies the boosters tell is that Arizona is a youthful state.
Yet according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18.3% of the state's residents
are 65 years or older. That compares with 16.8% nationally and — among
peer Western states, 15% for Colorado, 16% for Washington, yet
surprisingly 18% for Oregon (home of Portland, "where young people go to
retire").
Either way you slice the baloney, Arizona is a state with a sizable cohort of older people. It's not surprising. Since 1960, when Del Webb built his pioneering Sun City development west of the Santa Fe Railway tracks and Grand Avenue northwest of Phoenix, Arizona has marketed itself to retirees.
One of our long-lost commenters — I believe it was Concern Troll — made the point that a huge piece of the state economy is dependent on retirees, including their Social Security and pension checks, and the vast system of hospitals, medical workers, and caregivers who serve them.
According to the Social Security Administration, more than $69 million was dispersed in Arizona in 2021, the latest data available. The average monthly check is modest: 574.76. And not all this goes to seniors. Still...
✓ It's only one window into the advantages and disadvantages of being a retirement destination.
Advantages include a built-in economic engine with local spending, supporting large numbers of medical establishments, and the incentive to build more retirement "communities." But disadvantages loom large..."
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