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5/28/2024
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Op-Ed: Rhode Island needs plan for coming silver tsunami
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 by Rep. Lauren H. Carson
This week, next year’s state budget is being hammered out by the House Finance Committee with the expectation of a vote very soon. I have been working hard this year to see that it contains funding to plan proactively for a seismic shift that we can clearly see coming: a rapid increase in the number of older Rhode Islanders.
Currently, more than 240,000 Rhode Island residents are age 60 or older. That number is expected to increase to almost 265,000 by 2040, constituting an increase of nearly 75 percent since 2010.
Whether or not Rhode Island has the services to support that many people is a question we have yet to answer, but must address sooner rather than later. Since last September, I have a led a study commission that been looking at the matter, and we know the state needs a master plan that maps out both the expansion in services that will be necessary, and the efficiencies we could achieve if we expand them collaboratively, maximizing our resources.
As it is, we know we don’t have the right mix of housing to meet the needs of older Rhode Islanders who want to remain in their community. The level of support available, including physical and mental health care, transportation, recreational and social opportunities and much more, varies greatly from one community to another. We’re going to need to build up these resources to meet the increased demands for them.
This session I’ve sponsored a resolution seeking $250,000 for our state to develop a comprehensive and actionable plan that addresses the needs of our aging population. Our commission has laid solid groundwork for this plan, but this is a critical job that warrants the skills of planning professionals rather than a volunteer commission. That funding would support the services of a planning consultant as well as the necessary resources that our state’s Office on Healthy Aging and the State Division on Planning would need to map out an effective route that takes us from the various patchwork of services we currently have for older Rhode Islanders to where we’ll need to be by the end of this decade and beyond.
Fortunately, of course, Rhode Island is not alone in our changing demographics or our need for a plan to adjust our services for them. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Health Care Strategies offers a roadmap that six other states have used to successfully establish their own strategic plans on aging.
I am very eager to see funding for this planning project included in the budget bill and believe that my legislative colleagues — who, in the House, have already voted to extend the life of my commission into 2026 to allow us to see this plan through — will support this effort to ensure that our state is prepared to support our older residents in the near and more distant future.
I also want to invite Rhode Islanders to join the conversation as our commission hits the road this summer. We are planning three meetings around the state seeking public input, beginning July 23 at Community College of Rhode Island’s Newport campus. We’ll be at the Warwick Senior Center on Sept. 18, with one additional meeting in South Kingstown at a later date yet to be determined.
Rhode Island can’t be caught flat-footed for the massive demographic shift that we can see years ahead of time. We need to get a plan in place, so all Rhode Islanders can live safely and comfortably in their golden years.
Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport) is the chairwoman of the Special Legislative Commission to Study and Provide Recommendations Pertaining to Services and Coordination of State Programs Relating to Older Adult Rhode Islanders.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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