Aging Montgomery Poses Planning Problems

As Montgomery County demographics shift and seniors occupy a larger portion of the population, planners are considering the changes to infrastructure and housing that are necessary to support an aging population.

"It's important to recognize that many services seniors need, such as improved public transportation and more housing options are similar to larger community needs," said Valerie Berton of Montgomery County’s Planning Department. "Recognizing these links and places where issues overlap helps us define areas that we’re really focusing our efforts on."

About 110,000 residents, or close to 11 percent of Montgomery County residents, are seniors. In the next several decades, planners project that the growth rate of senior residents will be almost four times as high as growth rates of younger groups. The diversity of seniors' economic status, race, and ethnicity further complicates the needs of this growing demographic. Currently, 7 percent of Montgomery County seniors lack English proficiency, and population trends show that this number is likely to increase.

According to a survey of residents 55 and older, 58 percent of seniors plan to live in their homes for as long as possible and 42 percent plan to move from their current residence "sometime after retirement." County surveys looking at the distribution of seniors across Montgomery County support these findings and show a senior population that is less and less concentrated.  

With more seniors choosing to "age in place," or remain in the same homes and communities that they’ve spent the majority of their adult lives, better public transit is becoming crucial, and is the most frequent issue raised by seniors. Many older residents depend on buses and Metro trains to reach important services and interact with their surrounding community.