New York’s older population is growing rapidly, and by the year 2015 adults age sixty and over will make up 20 to 29 percent of the general population. Not only will this cohort be 50% larger than the existing senior adult population, it will also be more culturally and economically diverse. Older adults express an overwhelming desire to live independently. This major population shift presents a challenge to communities, government agencies, providers of housing and senior services, and other entities involved with older adults.

The State continues to experience an in-migration trend among the oldest population (aged 80 and over, typically frail, widowed, and poor),1 who are moving back to New York to live near family, to live their final days “back home,” or to take advantage of New York’s service-rich care system.The frailty characteristics of these returning elderly residents have an impact on both the costs and structure of the State’s health and long-term care systems.

By 2015, 54 NY counties will have at least 20% of their population aged 60 or more. 43 of these counties are statutorily defined as rural.