Is Central Ohio Ready for Retirement?

Get ready for retirement, because it’s coming: While not everyone in Central Ohio is ready to check out for the last time, the region will soon have more residents reaching age 65 than will start kindergarten. It’s a situation with huge implications for employers, school districts, health care providers and taxpayers. The 65-and-older age group of Franklin County residents is the fastest-growing segment of the county’s population, increasing more than 50% between 2010 and 2022. During that time, the number of kindergartners — the 0-to-4-year-old age group — grew by just 2.4%. According to a Columbus Dispatch article published earlier this year, the median age nationwide is now 39, rising steadily from 37.2 in 2010 and 35.2 in 2000. Ohio’s median age is even higher: 39.6 years. What policy and infrastructure changes are needed now to meet the housing, transportation, home care, and health care needs of what is quickly becoming the majority of us? What are the multiple implications of our region’s aging population, and when will the tide turn? Is there a “silver lining” to this “silver tsunami,” as many older adults postpone retirement and stay active and engaged in their communities longer than ever before? With a panel of regional experts, we discuss what is driving the rise in Franklin County’s aging population, the profound implications for regional leaders, and how Central Ohioans of all ages should prepare now.

Featuring Chanda Wingo, Director, Franklin County Office on Aging; Katie White, Director, Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging; Dr. Holly Dabelko-Schoeny, Research Director, Center for Senior Innovation, College of Social Work, Ohio State University; Kalitha Williams, Outreach and Advocacy Manager, AARP Ohio; and moderator: Tasha Booker, Senior Vice President, External Engagement, City Year Inc.