In Extension, it is important to keep up to date on current issues facing communities in the commonwealth.   One such issue is the impact of aging.   In Kentucky, the population ages 65 and over is growing moving from 13.3% in 2010 to 17.0% of the state’s population in 2020.  In 2023, that number grew even more to 806,757 persons. Still, aging impacts not only individuals, but also households.  In Kentucky, there are an estimated 540,893 (+/- 2,877) households that have one or more persons ages 65 and over (2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates).  

As the numbers of older adults have been growing, it is important to realize that the needs of this group are varied.  For example, while some older adults require nursing home care and other long-term care services, the majority of older adults live at home either on their own or with family members including spouses, adult children, and extended family.   For some older adults, it is not only about the care that they need, but they are also providing care for others – including their grandchildren.  In Kentucky, there are an estimated 51,247 (+/- 2,009) grandparents who both lived with and had responsibility for their grandchildren.  Of these, around two thirds were women and about one quarter had an income that was below poverty (2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates).

To assist with providing data for communities to understand the extent and characteristics of those ages 65 and over, I collaborated with Dr. Amy Kostelic in FCS Extension to create a 3-part data series focusing on aging.  Of these, one issue provided the most recent estimates on the aging population for the state and by county.  To better understand their characteristics and needs, an additional issue of Kentucky: By The Numbers focused on living arrangements and a third issue focused on grandparents.   These are being used by Dr. Kostelic whose Extension program focuses on aging.