Politics & Government

As Inver Grove Heights' Older Population Grows, So Too Do Needs

The population of older adults in the community grew by 6 percent over the last decade, according to the 2010 Census. How will city officials adjust to that change?

Longtime card player DeLores Plan didn’t need the 2010 Census results to tell her that Inver Grove Heights’ older adult population is growing.

Plan sees plenty of evidence for the growth each week, when she travels to the Inver Grove Heights Senior Center to play the card game “500.” A decade ago, Plan said, the event would only attract five or six tables of players. Now, the attendees at the weekly card game fill as many as 15 tables at the senior center.

 Adults who are 55 years old and older now account for 7,206 of the 33,800 people living in Inver Grove Heights — or roughly 21 percent of the city’s total population, according to 2010 Census results released by city staff. Compare that to 10 years ago, when older adults comprised only 15 percent of the city’s total population.

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Adjusting to the growing needs of an aging population is a multi-faceted challenge with implications for a number of city departments, city officials said.

Take, for example, the city’s fire department. The number of calls firefighters responded to rose from 802 in 2007 to 1,256 in 2010 — more than a 50 percent increase. While all the number of calls in all categories have risen, Inver Grove Heights Fire Chief Judy Thill said, she believes health-related calls from aging adults are one of the more significant drivers behind that growth.

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Emergency responders have to take special measures when responding to certain health call involving the elderly, Thill said. Anything from hearing impairments to difficulty taking blood pressure measurements can impede firefighters attempting to assist an older adult, according to the fire chief.

The fire department isn’t the only organization impacted by Inver Grove Heights’ graying population. The senior center, where DeLores Plan plays cards, is also at the front line of the demographic shift.

“This year, we’ve had lots of new people coming [to senior center events], which tells you that there are people out there who are wanting more or wanting to try something new,” Senior Center Coordinator Joan Wormer said. “If we don’t meet their needs, we’re missing the boat.”

The center continues to expand its programs and classes. Some events, like the recent “Antiques Roadshow” and a senior fashion show, draw in more than a hundred visitors, Wormer said. But marketing to a demographic that spans several generations and has a variety of needs and interests is one of the most significant obstacles Wormer faces.

“We’re trying to grow the program and offer a balance of activities,” Wormer said.

The chair of the city’s newly formed Housing Committee also has the city’s senior population on his radar. The city has added more 200 senior housing units in the last four years. But because of the economy or a desire to live independently, many of Inver Grove’s older adults are choosing to stay in the single family homes they bought or built decades ago, rather than move to modern senior living centers, Housing Committee Chair Jim Zentner said.

Zentner calls the phenomenon "aging in place," and believes the trend will challenge city officials in the next few years. Will the city create programs to help seniors rehabilitate and upgrade their rapidly aging homes? How will city planners bring amenities to a senior population that is spread out across the city — not centralized in a few, larger complexes?

“I think the city needs to have policies in place that ultimately deal with and address issues like this before they get to problem stages,” Zentner said. “We’re still in the stages of trying to figure out where we’re headed and what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Among the amenities the city may need to add to accommodate the growth in the older adult population? A new health care center, City Administrator Joe Lynch said.

Several years ago, the city earmarked a site north of along Blaine Avenue for the development of a clinic or urgent care facility, Lynch said. The Minnesota Department of Transportation owns the site, which is currently undergoing an environmental assessment. Lynch hopes the city will be able to purchase the site within the next year.

City officials have also enlisted the help of a consultant to . A fully developed trail network in Inver Grove, city officials have say, could benefit seniors, who would be able to walk to services or amenities.

“We’re all getting older, more of us every day,” Lynch said. “We’re trying to be prepared for that, everything from our housing…to our parks and recreation programming to looking at our communication methods and style.”


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