3502

SILVER HAIRED LEGISLATURE RESOLUTION

NO. 3502

A RESOLUTION urging the Kansas Legislature to support and fund transportation for senior citizens.

WHEREAS, The baby boom generation is the largest in U.S. history, with 46.2 million Americans aged 65 and over representing 14.5% of the population, which is projected to increase to 82.3 million and 21.7% of the population by 2040; and

WHEREAS, Upon reaching retirement age, nearly 90% of Americans will choose to “age in place” in their homes and communities; and

WHEREAS, In the rural and suburban communities where senior citizens are most likely to live, public transportation may be either nonexistent or so limited as to prove impractical. More than 5.5 million Americans, including a large population in Kansas, over age 65 live in areas where public transportation services are poor or nonexistent; and

WHEREAS, While more than 20% of Americans aged 65 years and older do not drive, the dangers of driving increase with age, as physical and mental abilities decrease; and

WHEREAS, Every day in the United States, an average of 15 senior citizens are killed and 586 injured in automobile crashes; and

WHEREAS, For the senior citizens of Kansas and the nation to live successfully in their chosen communities, they must be able to access medical and other essential services; and

WHEREAS, Caregivers provide or arrange over 1.4 billion rides per year to their loved ones, but senior citizens who live long distances from their families or who need more frequent rides to access ongoing medical treatment require more formal services; and

WHEREAS, Inadequate transportation hurts senior citizens’ physical and mental health by decreasing their access to needed medical services and increasing social isolation, contributing to the possibility of placement in long-term facilities at a significantly higher cost; and

WHEREAS, The senior citizens of Kansas and the nation face an ever-growing mobility crisis:

Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Silver Haired Legislature of the State of Kansas: That the Kansas Legislature is hereby urged to support and fund collaborative community-based transportation systems for the senior citizens in Kansas; and

Be it further resolved: That the Kansas Legislature support the involvement of and control by local counties in establishing these collaborative community-based transportation solutions.