[Marin County] Editorial: Grand jury asks a good question — is Marin ready for its aging demographic?

The 2017-18 Marin County Civil Grand Jury is not the first civil panel to shine a public spotlight on the need to improve services for Marin’s growing senior population.

Its recommendation that the county create an emergency shelter for seniors is worth consideration, but there are likely many ways other than establishing a brick-and-mortar year-round shelter to address that need.

The grand jury report asks an important question in its title, “Marin is Aging: Are We Ready?” This question has been asked and addressed before, but the need continues to grow faster than our response.

By 2030, according to population trends cited in the report, more than one-third of Marin’s population will be over 60. Today, that number stands at about 27 percent and Marin, by far, has the oldest population in the state.

That raises numerous issues, many of which Marin has worked to address, including effective outreach and care for seniors still living in their homes; the addition of senior housing, especially housing that’s affordable to older households living on fixed incomes; and transportation for seniors who need convenient ways to get around our county.

And certainly, this demographic trend puts pressure on the local job market, from the need to fill jobs that provide services to this population to filling jobs of local retirees. But it’s in an area lacking the same access to affordable housing that those seniors saw when they started their careers.

The results of that demographic dynamic can be seen every day in Marin’s commute-hour jam. Local employers face a steep challenge recruiting and retaining those workers.

But while those challenges need to be a focus of the county and Marin cities, the grand jury report rightly takes the issue a step further. For example, encouraging officials to take a more active role in securing state funding for treatment of seniors with mental illness and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

To Marin’s credit, the report says this county “goes beyond” state and federal requirements for senior programs.

But there is room for improvement and the report recommends Marin look into a program in Sacramento that provides emergency shelter — a “safe house” — for at-risk seniors, those who need to get away from situations of physical and verbal abuse, financial exploitation or neglect.

County officials question whether there is enough demand for a year-round permanent shelter, but in its review of the grand jury’s report and recommendations, they should provide facts and figures and possible effective alternatives instead of the cursory dismissal often found in agencies’ responses to grand jury reports.

The grand jury is asking a valid question, one that needs to be addressed and answered by the county and every city. Only by raising and asking this question — “Are We Ready?” — can we be better prepared for changes and challenges.

May 30, 2018

Marin Independent Journal