Half a Million Older Californians Living Alone Unable to Make Ends Meet has been published by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, in collaboration with Insight Center for Community Economic Development.
This policy brief examines how older Californians (age 65 and over) are faring in terms of economic security using the Elder Economic Security Standard Index (Elder Index), which gauges how much is required for an older adult to live independently, taking into account the costs of food, housing, health care and transportation. Economic security is examined across race/ethnicity and across the 58 counties of California.
Selected Findings:
- In 2007, the average minimum income needed (for an economically secure standard of living as measured by the Elder Index) for a single older Californian who lived in a rented dwelling was $21,011 - roughly twice the federal poverty level (referenced on pg. 3).
- Close to half a million (495,000) older Californians (aged 65 and over) living alone did not have sufficient income to make ends meet in 2007 (referenced on pg. 1).
- More than half (54.4%) of older persons living alone in L.A. County (excluding L.A. City) were economically insecure in 2007 (referenced on pg. 4).
- In L.A. City, close to 60% of older persons living alone and more than one third (37%) older couples were, in 2007, economically insecure (referenced on pg. 4).
- At 67.1%, Imperial County had, in 2007, the highest proportion for the state of economically insecure older persons living alone (referenced on pg. 4).
No comments:
Post a Comment