Those who are getting older in Michigan are finding the state a good place to grow old.
New data released Tuesday morning by the Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging, based at the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, showed 82% see the state as a good to excellent place to live as they grow older.
The poll of 1,293 Michigan adults aged 50 to 93 gave favorable ratings to the quality of health care available in their region for people their age, as well as the aging services and programs available to older people in their area.
"The vast majority of them viewed Michigan as either excellent or very good or a good place to live as they aged," Dr. Jeff Kullgren told WWJ's Beth Fisher. "Things that were rated particularly high by older Michiganders included things like health care quality, social and recreational opportunities, public safety as well as aging services and programs."
But people living in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula were less likely to say it was easier to find high quality health care, according to Kullgren.
"Even though there are a lot of positives about Michigan as a place to age, there are certain areas where many Michiganders may feel specific challenges more than others," Kullgren said. "So, this really points to the fact that we really need to figure out ways to better support the aging population in this state."
Researchers say the information could help inform Michigan policymakers and organizations as they work to serve the needs of older Michiganders now and in the future.
The weather was the only aspect of aging in Michigan that wasn’t viewed favorably by a majority of those surveyed. Just over half (52%) called it fair or poor.
Here are the results of specific topics:
Healthcare: People 50 and older living in Northern Michigan (the Northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula) were much less likely to say it’s very easy or somewhat easy to find high-quality health care than those living in other parts of the state. Of Northern Michigan residents, 58% said so, compared with 86% of those in Southeast Michigan and 75% in other parts of the state.
Aging-related services: Older adults who say their physical or mental health is fair or poor were much less likely to rate the aging services and programs in their area favorably than those who rated their own health more highly. So were older adults with household incomes below $60,000, Black adults over 50 and those with disabilities.
Awareness of services: 39% of people 50 and over said they aren’t familiar with services for older adults in their area. Caregivers (those who provide unpaid care regularly for another adult) were more likely to be familiar with such services, but even so, 25% of them were not familiar with what’s available in their area.
Cost of living: While just over half (55%) of Michiganders 50 and older rated the cost of living in their area as excellent, very good or good, the percentage was much lower among those who rated their physical or mental health as fair or poor, those who have an activity-limiting disability, and those who are Black.
Housing: 29% of Michiganders age 50 and older said it’s very difficult or somewhat difficult to find housing that meets their needs, but the percentage was higher (39%) in the Northern and Southwest regions, compared with the Central (29%) and Southeast (24%). People in their 50s and early 60s, those with incomes under $60,000, and those with health challenges and disabilities were also more likely to say that finding housing was very difficult or somewhat difficult.
Transportation: Overall, 26% of Michiganders age 50 and up said it’s somewhat or very difficult to find safe and reliable transportation in their part of their state, regardless of their household income.
The full poll results are available here https://michmed.org/GYrZd.
