Because of the coming of age of America's "Baby Boomer" population (those born between 1946 and 1964), the number of persons 65 and older will nearly double between the years 2000 and 2030.  By 2030, one in five Americans will be over the age of 65.  These changes will affect Oneida County along with the rest of New York State and the U.S.

Project 2015 is a strategic planning process that enables government agencies and other organizations to consider the impact of the significant demographic changes of the following on major policies, practices and programs:

•  The aging of our population, including increases in numbers of older persons with disabilities
• Increasing racial and ethnic diversity in New York State, due to immigration and migration patterns.

In February 2002, Governor Pataki convened 36 state agencies to investigate and prepare, plan and take action to cope with the state's shifting demographic profile.  New York State Office For Aging (NYSOFA) is one of those agencies and a leading segment of Project 2015.

Four major themes have emerged from the research that has been done so far:

• The necessity for optimizing the fit between services and the diverse set of consumers and their needs in order to support the well-being of the individual and society as a whole.
• The need to handle specific task areas by using existing partnerships and developing new ones.
• Existing and new technologies must be used effectively to improve communications, streamline services and improve response to increased demand.
•  The changing demographics for the workforce owing to mass retirements of older workers in the coming years coupled with a shrinking younger labor pool.

As a result, the State Society on Aging of New York (SSANY) and NYSOFA had leaders in the field of aging to develop papers on a range of topics including:

For Information Call
Oneida County Office for Aging & Continuing Care
315-798-5456