iStock/KatarzynaBialasiewicz

“Good fences make good neighbors,” Robert Frost wrote mischievously in his poem, “Mending Wall.” Anna and Curtis Pribula of Fridley might beg to differ.

Both attended Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Annual Social Justice Assembly Feb. 6, which this year focused on aging and was held at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

Titled, “In the Twilight of Life: Community, Poverty and Inequality in Aging,” the presentation centered on barriers people encounter when aging without a support system, the roles poverty and inequality can play, and the impact it has on the community.

The number of seniors in Minnesota will grow significantly in the next decade, experts told the gathering of about 150 people. Catholic Charities and other organizations are using that kind of data to help meet anticipated needs for services, such as transportation and medical care.

At the same time, informal caregivers, typically family members and friends, will continue to play a vital role in caring for seniors, experts said.

Just ask the Pribulas, members of St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center in Minneapolis. At age 71, they understand how seniors might need help from outside services or informal caregivers, typically family members or friends. Younger neighbors shovel their snow and bring in their mail when they’re not home. They took Curtis to rehabilitation appointments after hip replacement surgery.

“And my mother is 95, so we see it from two perspectives,” Curtis said.

The need for informal caregivers is expected to nearly double by 2040, said keynote speaker Allison Liuzzi, research manager at St. Paul-based Amherst H. Wilder Foundation and project director of foundation-led efforts under Minnesota Compass to track social and demographic trends.

Other statistics from Liuzzi:

  • In 2018, in 45 Minnesota counties, at least one in five residents was 65 or older. By 2030, seniors will represent one in five residents in 80 counties.
  • One-third of older adults in households live alone.
  • One-third of older adult-headed households pay too much for housing.
  • One-third of older adults have at least one disability.

Panel members included the moderator, Peter Cox, a reporter who covers issues related to seniors for Minnesota Public Radio; Melea Blanchard, program supervisor for Catholic Charities’ services for the elderly who are homeless; and Pahoua Yang Hoffman, executive director of the Citizens League in St. Paul.

Blanchard said a growing older adult population and a crisis in affordable housing drive the need to talk about issues surrounding aging and poverty.

“Our program is seeing both an increase in older adults needing our emergency shelters and an increase in the vulnerability of these individuals,” she said.

There are more people with memory loss in shelters, for example, and a growing trend in “solo aging” — people who by choice or circumstance are without traditional family support, Blanchard said.

As executive director of the Citizens League, Hoffman said, she works to help shape public policy to meet people’s needs. Noting that her employer understands when she needs time off to take her mother to medical appointments, Hoffman said she is talking with other Minnesota employers about adopting similar policies.

Those at the gathering, including supporters of Catholic Charites, representatives from partner agencies and people from the broader community, also held table discussions and participated in a Q&A session.

Daniel Pollock, assistant commissioner for Continuing Care for Older Adults at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, said he attended the assembly to support community engagement.

Pollock said he appreciated the information that was shared, including concerns about access to affordable transportation, and the personal conversations in small groups.

“They were grappling with the burden of caregiving and wondering what (more) we can do as a state … to support family caregivers, particularly informal caregivers,” he said.

LEARN MORE

Catholic Charities’ Homeless Elders Program
Working with Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness: Best Practices and Resources
cctwincities.org/wp-content/uploads

Citizens League
What Does Home Look Like as We Age?
callinghomemn.org

Minnesota Compass
Aging Overview led by Wilder Research.
mncompass.org/aging/overview

Minnesota Public Radio
Aging in Minnesota in 2019
Peter Cox, Angela Davis and Karen Zamora
Search “Aging in 2019” at mprnews.org

GET INVOLVED

Catholic Charities Advocacy Workshops
7:30–9 a.m. March 4
St. Olaf
215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis
Or:
7:30–9 a.m. March 25

St. Paul Opportunity Center
422 Dorothy Day Place, St. Paul
(Optional tour of the new building, 9–9:30 a.m.)
RSVP: 612-647-2586 or [email protected]

Homeless Day on the Hill
9 a.m.–3 p.m. March 11
Central Presbyterian Church, 500 Cedar St., St. Paul and State Capitol, 75 Rev. Martin Luther King Drive, St. Paul

Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
Contact Sumaya Hassan at 651-645-7332
or [email protected]