“Is New Mexico ready to care for an aging population”
by Marjorie Childress, Midweek Newsletter, New Mexico in Depth
January 3, 2023
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham touted in a press release Tuesday a stat from United Van Lines showing the national company helped more people move into New Mexico last year than it helped leave the state.
“Individuals, families and businesses around the country are recognizing the potential New Mexico offers, especially with regards to jobs, lifestyle and retirement,” said Lujan Grisham in the press release. “We’re continuing to build up systems that attract and support continued growth and a thriving population. Welcome to New Mexico!”
I don’t blame her for touting the company figures, one of several sets of data released by national moving companies each year.
Because in truth, New Mexico’s population stats are grim if you’re someone who thinks a growing population signals a robust economy that provides opportunity for young people.
According to the U.S. Census, New Mexico lost population over the past three years. More people died than were born within the state, and there weren’t enough people moving in to fill that gap between local births and deaths.
The other salient factor when thinking about New Mexico’s population is that it’s aging.
A 2021 analysis by the program evaluation unit of New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee puts the problem succinctly:
“Between 2010 and 2019, New Mexico’s birth rate fell by 19 percent, and the under-18 population shrank by 8.3 percent. At the same time, the working-age population (18 to 64) declined 2 percent, and the over 65 population grew 38 percent.”
The implications, the LFC analysts wrote, are that “New Mexico is heading toward having more, older New Mexicans using relatively expensive public services (e.g. Medicaid and Medicare) and fewer, younger New Mexicans in school and working.”
With an eye on how New Mexico grapples with an aging population in the decades to come, New Mexico in Depth republished a series of stories by the Kaiser Family Foundation Health News and the New York Times about the high cost of – and potential financial ruin wrought by – long-term care.
The series described in detail how families are staring down financial ruin as the costs of care, whether in-home or in nursing or assisted living facilities, continues to escalate. From the first story in the series:
“The prospect of dying broke looms as an imminent threat for the boomer generation, which vastly expanded the middle class and looked hopefully toward a comfortable retirement on the backbone of 401(k)s and pensions. Roughly 10,000 of them will turn 65 every day until 2030, expecting to live into their 80s and 90s as the price tag for long-term care explodes, outpacing inflation and reaching a half-trillion dollars a year, according to federal researchers.”
Personal corner
Late last week, I stopped in Amarillo on my way home from visiting family for the holiday. In the middle of the night I got a text that my mom was in the hospital. My sister who lives with her took her to the ER because she had trouble breathing. She was in the hospital for several days, with my sisters taking turns sitting with her. I’m grateful that she’s home now, all is well for the time being.
When I got the text, I immediately thought to return, but it was impractical. I had more than a few sisters there with her and could return in a few days if needed. As a family we’re fortunate that one of her daughters lives with her, and there are several more nearby. But what if she were alone, with no nearby children? That’s the reality more and more families – or in many cases, elders on their own – find themselves grappling with.
Is New Mexico ready to care for its aging population? A December story from Bryant Furlow suggests not. In April, May and June of this year, he found, only two of New Mexico’s 68 nursing homes would have met minimum staffing standards the federal government may soon impose for registered nurses (RNs) and certified nursing assistants.
We’d like to learn about how you or your loved ones are navigating long-term care in New Mexico. We’ve created this form to collect stories – please share if you have a story that will help us understand the challenges our state faces. (Your privacy is important to us – any information you provide will be kept confidential. We won’t publish any of your information without your permission.)