Bush praises state's elderly

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Bush praises state's elderly

By Jeff Kunerth

Sentinel, August 12, 2003

Gov. Jeb Bush on Monday credited the economic impact of Florida's elder population for keeping the state fiscally afloat while other states are experiencing huge budget deficits.

Florida residents older than 60 spend $150 billion a year and contribute $2.5 billion more in revenue than they consume in state services, Bush told elder-care professionals atthe 2003 Florida Conference on Aging in south Orange County.

"We don't have the same problems many of our fellow states are suffering with. The one distinguishing feature that separates us from the rest of the pack is we have a vibrant senior population that does not take as much as it gets," Bush said.

In an effort to keep attracting retirees,Florida's Department of Elder Affairs created the Office of Destination Florida last week. Elder Affairs Secretary Terry White appointed Chris Pool as its director.

Pool, a former administrator ofan older-worker program in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties, will oversee the state's efforts to promote Florida as a retirement destination and publicize the contributions that the elderly make to Florida.

The creation of the Destination Florida office was one of the recommendations from a task force appointed by the governor to look at the impact of the state's retirement population.

"Not everybody agreed that having senior citizens continue to come to our state is necessarily a good thing, but I think they ended up reaching a consensus about how we could approach this in a way that could help our state," Bush said.

Bush characterized the state's elderly population as Florida's "secret weapon" that provides not only an economic boost but is also an important source of volunteers.

He pledged to pay back the elderly with increased money for home and community-based care that would allow elders to be independent and remain in their homes as they age.

The governor touted the $5.6 million allocated by the Legislature for a pilot program assisting families caring for Alzheimer's patients; the approval of $137.6 million for prescription-drug benefits for low-income elders; and the increase of funding for community-based care to $412.3 million a year.

"Let's never lose sight of the importance in terms of volunteer time and charitable money, as well as the economic driver that our senior citizens provide," Bush said.

The conference on aging,with an estimated 800 senior-services workers in attendance, continues through Thursday atthe Caribe Royale, a resort and convention center.

The conference is sponsored by the Department of Elder Affairs, the Florida Council on Aging and the Florida Association of Aging Service Providers.