Editorial: Senior issues need spotlight

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 1997 | 9:32 a.m.

THE Silver State is graying.

Nevada, which has the fastest-growing senior population in the nation, will be the host next month for Senate Special Committee on Aging hearings.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is bringing the panel to Nevada on Jan. 12-13 to hold hearings on the future of long-term care.

"We plan to use these hearings to explore what is working in long-term care, what isn't, and where we need to go in the next century to ensure that one in five Americans over the age of 65 have access to affordable, safe and high-quality care."

Some sobering statistics from Reid illustrate just a few of the challenges ahead:

Another wrinkle is that more parents and children are separated by thousands of miles. Whether it's the child taking a job in another state, or a parent retiring to a community thousands of miles away, additional anxiety is created when thinking about long-term care for seniors.

Anyone who has seen the despair in the faces of children talking about caring for their parents as they get older understands the importance of the issue. The federal government is sure to learn much from Nevada and its problems when it meets here. The policy-makers in Washington need to listen carefully to the concerns ordinary Nevadans have, and then lend a helping hand when setting policy.