The Golden Years Glow in Orange County : But Some Questions Remain and an Unlucky Few Have Fallen Through the Cracks

With all the talk about the pressures of growing older in today’s society, perhaps the most remarkable thing about the recent Times Poll of senior citizens in Orange County was the degree of contentment it found.

The golden years? Well, to a point, yes. A majority are very satisfied and more than one third say life is even better than expected. Happily, for many Orange County residents over age 60, the dream of a retirement free of many of the stresses of working and family life is a reality. That’s pretty good news, isn’t it?

This is quite an endorsement of Orange County, of its climate, location and community programs. Even with the bad economic news, and pressures from urbanization, the quality of life seems to be holding up for many in this age group.

Many of the county’s senior citizens have benefited mightily from the boom real estate years, Social Security that still delivers, and good opportunities locally. The median income for Orange County seniors is near the top 10% nationwide and the rate of poverty for those 60 and older is less than half the state’s.

And yet, there must be something wrong in the picture. There is. It’s no surprise that as elsewhere, some seniors in Orange County are falling through the cracks.

The future for seniors as a group also is an open question. Even now, with all those satisfied customers, there are more than 15,000 seniors living in poverty.

And many of these seniors have had poor health. Many in need find that local government programs are inadequate. And there are concerns that essential government services may not be available in the future.

What will happen when the Baby Boomers age and the Social Security pot is further taxed? Will the local economy hold up for those who don’t have expensive real estate from the boom years to lean on?

These are interesting times for seniors, to be sure. And very challenging.