Aging

Minnesotans are living longer and that trend is expected to continue. According to Minnesota State Demographic Center projections, the number of adults 65 years and older is anticipated to double between 2010 and 2030. That means 1 in 5 Minnesotans will be an older adult.

MPR News is looking at this shift and what it means to all of us.

Related: End in Mind delves into how our culture engages with loss, dying and death and offers resources to live more and fear less.

Minnesota playing catch-up to get seniors of color vaccinated
Minnesota is trying to bridge two issues at once — getting as many older people vaccinated as quickly as possible, while also making sure racial and ethnic communities hardest hit by the virus have access to vaccines.
After slow start, Minnesota long-term care centers get more vaccinations
A federal COVID-19 vaccine program for Minnesota’s most vulnerable people is going more slowly than expected. Walgreens and CVS are part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program to vaccinate residents and staff in a majority of the long-term care facilities.
Report: Many U.S. nursing home staff decline first COVID shots
Only a little more than a third of nursing home workers have been getting shots against COVID-19 when the vaccinations are first offered. A CDC expert says more staffers do get vaccinated when a second or third clinic is held at a nursing home.
'Peanuts' pen pals find comfort in correspondence
After being furloughed from his job at the Denver International Airport, Wesley Morgan began writing to over 500 older adults living in isolation due to the pandemic. He says 142 responded, and many have become consistent correspondents.
'Step in the right direction' as Minnesota nursing home residents get first vaccine doses
The first residents and staff at a St. Cloud nursing home and a Prairie Island Indian Community assisted living facility have received their initial doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. It’s good news for long-term care facilities, which have been hardest hit by the virus. Sixty-five percent of the state's 4,896 deaths have been among long-term care residents.
'A ray of hope': Vaccines should roll out soon in Minnesota long-term care facilities
As Minnesota health care workers receive the initial doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, residents of long-term care facilities are next in line to start receiving those shots — perhaps by the end of the month.
COVID spread causing 'surreal' staffing problems in nursing homes
Long-term care in Minnesota is in dire need of staffing support. With COVID-19 peaking, large numbers of staff are out sick or quarantining because of exposure. The situation is forcing state officials to take unusual measures to fill gaps.