Breaking Down the State`s Statistics on Seniors

A report on senior living ranks Buchanan County near the bottom of Missouri`s 115 counties. The Missouri Senior Report ranks Buchanan County number 92. But some seniors and those who provide senior services say it may not be as bad as it seems. Seventy-two-year-old Frances Ccarter fills an order at InterServ`s food pantry. She`s only worked for the past 19 years, earning minimum wage. She did because she had to. "I work so I can live better and make ends meet," Carter says. According to the state-published Missouri Senior Report, Buchanan County has one of the highest ranking senior workforces in the state. But, is that a good thing? "We`ve got probably four people from the AARP but are working, making minimum wage to supplement the income that they have--that fixed income that they have--to make a living, to be able to go out and buy the medicines and do the things that they need to do," Jerry Schwichtenberg, InterServ`s Retired Senior Volunteer Program Director, says. "I`ve always enjoyed working. It`s good exercise--mentally and physically," 82-year-old Francis Turner says. Turner says activity keeps him young. But the state reports that senior participation in their communities is lacking. In fact, Buchanan County ranks in the bottom of the barrel. The study meausures seniors` civic engagement based on voter registration, voter participation, and involvement in Area Agencies on Aging...or AAA. Jerry Schwichtenberg serves seniors at InterServ everyday. He says those aren`t good indicators of senior activity. "What about the seniors who are actively working through the churches, in the food pantries, working through the day care centers? What about those? What about the seniors who are volunteering their services and their time throughout organizations here in the community?" Schwichtenberg asks. The ABCD AAA Council, which is made up of senior representatives from Andrew, Buchanan, Dekalb and Clinton counties meet to review the data. Northwest Missouri AAA Executive Director Ron Rauch says it`s just a good basis to gear up for a boom of aging baby boomers. But Andrew County Senior Center Administrator Linda Lambright adds that she doesn`t see "young" seniors involved in the center`s programs. "We have a lot more 85-year-old seniors because a lot of 65-year-olds are still working, they`re taking care of grandkids, they`re out traveling, they just retired and don`t actually feel old enough to come to the senior center," Lambright says. Another ranking by the senior report comes away with mixed reviews. The report ranks Buchanan County near the bottom when it comes to crimes against seniors. The county ranks 105 out of 115. But, St. Joseph police aren`t that concerned. Commander Jim Connors says more than 1,400 property and violent crimes were committed against seniors in 2005. That`s about 10 percent of the 65 and over population. Connors says an increase in cops on the streets also skews the crime rate because more crimes are being found and reported. Connors says if a city doesn`t have enough police, it will have a seemingly lower crime rate--not because crime doesn`t happen, but because it goes unreported. "Oftentimes, the crime isn`t reported because of a great reluctance to admit to people that they`ve been victimized. For years, that has been known as the conman`s swindler`s delight that they can go around--and that`s part of the reason seniors are picked upon as a group, because they tend not to report when they are victimized," Connprs says. Connors says seniors shouldn`t be afraid to report crime. He hopes more reporting will send the message that seniors aren`t an easy target.