Caring for Populations - Assessment and Diagnosis Caring for Populations: Assessment and Diagnosis

The aging population in America is no secret. The baby boomers are reaching retirement age and people are living longer, which means there is a growing number of individuals over the age of 65 who are going to need care in the future. While there are some communities that have more elderly individuals than other communities, this is still an overarching problem that is affecting the entire United States. The 2010 census indicated that the over-65 population in the United States was 40,267,984 (Census Brief, 2010). That was up from the 2000 census number of 34,991,753 (Census Brief, 2010). It is not difficult to see where the trend is heading, and also not difficult to imagine how that will impact the need for skilled workers who can care for the aging population and its rapid expansion.

Community

For purposes of this paper, the community studied will be Okaloosa County, Florida, which comprises the Ft. Walton Beach area and outlying rural areas, as well as some other small towns and cities. This is a community located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, in what is generally termed the "Panhandle." It is close to larger metropolitan areas, but in and of itself has limited medical facilities and other options for seniors. The county is prone to some flooding and hurricanes along its coastal area, but it also a very popular tourist destination. Fishing is a common activity there, and is also an industry in which some make their living. The aging population is growing rapidly in Okaloosa County and the Ft. Walton Beach area, because the cost of living is inexpensive there compared to other cities in Florida - and retiring to Florida has generally been assumed to be something to which many aging people aspire. Most of that is due to the warm climate.

Demographic and Epidemiological Data

Okaloosa County, Florida is in the Central Time Zone. It is approximately...

As of 2010, the population of the county was 180,822 (Okaloosa, 2012). The county is a bit richer than the Florida average, with a per capita income consistently above $42,000 (Okaloosa, 2012). The per capita income for the state of Florida is less than $40,000, and the per capita income for the entire U.S. is much lower. More than 50% of the people in Okaloosa County are employed (Okaloosa, 2012). The unemployment rate is just slightly over 8%, which is better than the national average. In 2010, however, more people moved out of Okaloosa County than moved into it. This could be signaling a shift in people wanting to relocate to cooler climates, areas with less risk of a natural disaster such as a hurricane, or areas where there is more and better access to medical care and other amenities.
The cost of living in Okaloosa County is just slightly below the national average, and there is access to many services needed for a reasonable quality of life. Because the military has such a strong presence in Okaloosa County, there are many younger people there. The County caters to the military and to tourism because of the tax dollars that are brought in by both of those subsets of the population. However, that can push the elderly aside to some degree, and not provide them with what they need when moving to or living in the area. The outflow of people from Okaloosa County in 2010 could be related to that issue, but there is no data available to indicate whether that is the case, or whether the outflow was related to military restructuring or some other factor over and above a number of people simply deciding that they wished to live in a different county or a different part of the country. Despite its flaws, Okaloosa County has much to offer.

Windshield Survey

Okaloosa County is quite varied in what it has to offer from the standpoint of housing. There are residential communities of all…