A study released this week tells us that less than half of American communities have begun preparing to deal with the needs of their elderly citizens, whose ranks will swell sharply as baby boomers age.

Says Eileen Alt Powell of The Associated Press: “The issue is critical because the baby boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 – are turning 60 this year and are rapidly approaching retirement age. By 2030, the number of people over age 65 in the United States will exceed 71 million – double the number in the year 2000.”

With the nation’s population now close to 300 million, that 71 million projection is quite imposing.

Among the sponsors of the study was the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. The report is titled “The Maturing of America – Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population.”

Sandy Markwood of the aging agency says:

“The question that people need to ask themselves – and their community leaders – is, ‘Is my community a good place to grow old?’ Steps to make it so will make the community a better place, not just for the elderly, but for all.”

Powell of the AP lists these key findings in the report:

¢ Health care. In one third of the 1,790 communities surveyed, older adults do not have access to services such as health screenings, counseling on prescription drugs or health education.

¢ Nutrition. Some 80 percent of communities have programs providing home-delivered meals for the elderly but just 25 percent provide nutrition education.

¢ Exercise. More than one third of the communities do not have fitness programs for older adults.

¢ Housing. Just half the communities have home-modification programs to help the elderly with physical limitations stay in their houses.

¢ Work force development. More than 40 percent of the communities do not offer formal job training or retraining programs.

¢ Human services. Many communities have failed to create a central point for seniors to go to get information.

“The good news is that 46 percent of American communities have begun planning to address the needs of this exploding population,” says Sibyl Jacobson, president and chief executive of the MetLife Foundation, which underwrote the study. “The other side is that many communities have not. We hope this will spur discussion and spur interest.”

There are sure to be conflicting opinions, but early evidence is that the Lawrence community is far better prepared to meet the “baby boom” challenge than many other cities. The presence of Kansas University, its programs, its outreach and the people associated with KU factor heavily in this situation. Further, ready access to facilities and personnel in Kansas City and Topeka helps boost our “aging” profile.

Certainly, our town can do more in all the listed categories to meet the challenges when 71 million out of the nation’s 300 million are age 65 and older. But considering how many older people are coming back to Lawrence to retire, the evidence is that we are well ahead of the curve in providing the services and support that population needs.