Challenges Facing Long-Term Care
The challenge we face: Providing quality long-term care to Minnesota’s exploding senior population
For the first time in history, Minnesota’s senior population now exceeds the entire K-12 student population. Soon, 25% of our adult population will be 65 or older. We must prepare so that today’s and tomorrow’s seniors have the support they need to live well.
In order to be prepared, it’s critical that families, communities and lawmakers understand how senior care works in Minnesota. Realities such as the rising demand for services and the chronic shortage of professional caregivers must be a part of the conversation and the solutions we create together.
The number of Americans 65 or older has increased 33% over the past decade.
The United States is experiencing the largest senior population increase in history. The number of older adults turning 65 between 2010 and 2030 will be greater than the past four decades combined. In Minnesota, more than one million residents are already 65 or older, which means the demand for senior care will be growing for many years to come.
Providing quality care, housing and support services for seniors is a Minnesota value. It requires strong partnerships among families, communities, professional caregivers and the state of Minnesota. And Minnesotans agree – we are all in this together.
More services and professional caregivers are needed as Minnesota’s senior population grows.
While Minnesota’s overall population is projected to grow 8.6% over the next decade, its senior population will surge by 56%. This means we will need additional services and professional caregivers to provide the care and support our seniors will need.
Job vacancy rates for nurses and nursing assistants are soaring, with 17,000 open positions at senior care settings across Minnesota. Staff shortages are forcing many locations to limit admissions, or close entirely.
Few Americans have saved enough money to pay for outside care during their retirement. The average retiree aged 65–74 only has about $95,000 in assets and $81,000 in home equity.
Stable funding for long-term care is critical to responding to the senior boom
State funding is key to invest in our workforce and prepare for the dramatic increase in the demand for senior care. According to a statewide survey, 87% of Minnesotans agree that the state should help fund support services for seniors who cannot afford to pay.*
* Survey of a random sample of 800 adult residents in Minnesota commissioned by the Long-Term Care Imperative and conducted by Morris Leatherman Co.
However, for decades state lawmakers have neglected their responsibility to support care for our seniors. Many seniors rely on waivers and government assistance to support the care they need, but these programs have not kept up with the costs of providing care. Currently, nursing homes must wait 15 to 27 months (as much as 2 years) before receiving reimbursement from the state of Minnesota for the actual cost of services they provide to residents. As a result, hundreds of long-term care providers have closed their doors. Rural Minnesota has been most affected, where 1 in 3 nursing home beds have disappeared over the last 20 years.