The post-WWII baby boom created a large increase in birth rates across the country. In 2016, the echoes of that boom are being felt through the impact on senior citizens and the services they need.

Senior centers in the Valley are steadily facing the increasing growth of the senior population. Susan Kingsbury-Comeau, executive director of the Mount Si Senior Center in North Bend, explained the cause of the upcoming wave of people she calls the “silver tsunami.”

“There’s a silver tsunami coming, meaning in another 15 years all the baby boomers will be over the age of 65,” Kingsbury-Comeau said. “We can expect that the growth of population of older adults is going to increase significantly. In King County it’s expected to grow fourfold.”

People are living longer than ever but they are also living for more years in ill health, she said. With a large group of people in need of future services, Kingsbury-Comeau said the Mount Si Senior Center is preparing to address the growing demand for services and programs at the center.

Expansion considered

One of the ideas the center’s staff have been discussing is an expansion of the facility. With the current rate of growth, the senior center will soon be too small to accommodate its members and visitors.

“Talk of expansion is in the early conversation. We are going to be a place where three times as many seniors are coming in 15 years. The space that we have now won’t be sufficient,” Kingsbury-Comeau said. “Currently we are seeing an increase of people, 10 new people walking in our door to access services, programs or activities, every month, 120 new people a year. Some of our seniors are here four or five days a week.”

The Mount Si Senior Center has formed a planning committee to create a plan to support the center’s growth as related to the growth of the senior population daily in the Valley. Their plan is to conduct a community needs assessment survey, asking questions and gathering feedback, while also acting as outreach and letting more people know that the senior center exists and what services and programs it provides.

The changing of outreach methods and the community needs assessment will give the senior center board the information to address how it will adapt to the future changes.

The growth in attendance at the senior center has led to a growth in program participation.

“We have countless hours of activities and programming going on. Our numbers have already increased last year by over 25 percent,” Kingsbury-Comeau said.

One of the Mount Si Senior Center’s biggest programs is its lunch, which is subsidized through grants and donations. Kingsbury-Comeau said the center will serve more than 10,000 meals to people ages 50 and older by the end of 2016. Their workout and health programs are also very popular.

Mount Si Senior Center isn’t the only organization facing the rapid increase of seniors in the Valley; Carnation’s Sno-Valley Senior Center is also seeing higher attendance rates and is looking to address many of the same issues.

Sno-Valley Senior Center Director Lisa Yeager said that with the growth of the boomer generation she has also seen many people looking to improve as caregivers to their elderly parents.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth in the last six months, more and more people in the community coming and getting involved in the classes and as volunteers,” Yeager said.

“Another thing, a lot of boomers are in a sandwich generation that have young teenagers and older parents. Those older parents in their 80s and 90s, people are coming in to find services to help them as caregivers.”

Dwindling resources

One of the major problems facing senior centers in the Valley is a reduction in funding from United Way of King County. Kingsbury-Comeau said United Way had been one of the big organizations supporting senior services.

“United Way of King County cut its operating support of senior centers all throughout the county, for us that was about 15 percent of our operating budget slashed beginning July 1, 2016,” she said. “It’s not fine when we face this level of growth. That funding has to be replaced if we are going to meet the needs of an expanding population.”

Carnation’s senior center is feeling the pressure of decreased funding from United Way as well. Yeager said United Way decided to shift all of its funding into homelessness and childhood education programming. Sound Generations, the Sno-Valley Senior Center’s community partner, is a non-profit agency that funds senior services through tax-based sources and funding from groups like United Way. Yeager said the contributions to Sound Generations have been steadily decreasing.

“In 2001, United Way gave older-adult programs $1.2 million,” Yeager said. “A year ago they were at least giving out $700,000, this past year it’s only been $100,000 and next year in 2017 it’s $0.”

Senior services are also losing funding from King County and other groups. Yeager explained that King County funding for Sound Generations has dropped from more than $330,000 on average between 2000 and 2009 to $63,004 in 2016.

As funding becomes more uncertain, the Valley’s senior centers have been working to make up the difference through fundraising, business, outreach and finding operating efficiencies.

“One way Sno-Valley and Mount Si are creating income is through our thrift stores,” Yeager said. “And by renting out our facilities at times we are closed like evening and weekends.”

Yeager emphasized the need to support senior services and said stereotypes of the demographic have led to the decreased funding.

“When people think of senior citizens they think frail, diseased, senile, or active independent people who require nothing,” Yeager said. “Most of us fall in between. We need the support, exercise, nutrition, social activities, and all the necessary stuff.”

For more information on the programs and services provided by valley senior centers visit www.mtsiseniorcenter.org and www.snovalleysenior.org.