The Kent County senior millage serves 17,000 people a year with 43 different services that help them live independently in their own homes. More than 90% of older adults want to live in their own home as long as possible.
Home delivered meals, personal care, transportation, and home repairs funded through the senior millage help frail older adults age with dignity. These services also save health care dollars in the long run.
Demand for millage services continues to increase as the population ages. The number of older adults in Kent County has increased by more than 30% since 2000. There are now more than 100,000 older adults in Kent County.
Demand will only continue to grow. The older adult population in Kent County is projected to double over the next twenty years.
As the population increases, funding has decreased. Millage funding has declined from a high of $7 million to the current $6 million level due to declining property values over the past four years.
Waiting lists and unmet needs for meals, home care, and transportation are growing. Individuals on waiting lists are more likely to end up in a nursing home, more likely to seek care from a hospital room, and more likely to die waiting for assistance than their counterparts who receive services.
The senior millage ballot proposal costs pennies a day. Increasing the millage rate from 1/3 to 1/2 mill will cost the owner of a $150,000 home an extra $12.50 a year.
Thousands of older adults will have a better quality of life and many will be able to stay in their own home.
Remember to vote on August 5 !
