Like a whole lot of communities across the US, Guilford County’s population is getting older, so it’s important for the county to be hospitable to the elderly.
With that goal in mind, Well-Spring Retirement Community is making a $25,000 donation to the Guilford County social services department to support an initiative meant to help the county qualify as an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Age-Friendly/Livable Community.
The contribution will be used to “support the planning, development and implementation of a community action plan to explore becoming an AARP Age-Friendly/Livable Community.”
The money will aid the countywide effort to create community partnerships meant to move the county toward becoming an age-friendly community. This money will also be used to hire a consultant who will help guide the effort.
Other funds supporting the project have been allocated by the Board of Commissioners in the fiscal 2022-2023 Guilford County budget adopted by the commissioners last June.
Though the main focus of the initiative is to make the area more amenable to the elderly, backers of the project point out that area residents of all ages will benefit from the enhancements encouraged by the program. Those goals include providing a wide choice of outdoor spaces for enjoyment, supporting accessible transportation and housing, and promoting choices for social, work and civic engagement.
According to the AARP, “livable” communities are those that are “safe and secure” and offer “choices in where to live and how to get around.” Livable communities also equitably serve “residents of all ages, ability levels, incomes, races, ethnicities, and other backgrounds” – as well as ”enhance personal independence.”
According to statistics that Guilford County staff have provided to the county commissioners, by 2036, one in four Guilford County residents will be over the age of 60. And, in the next 20 years, the population of residents under the age of 18 will grow by 6 percent while the older adult population – those age 60 years and over – will increase by 44 percent.
By 2036, county staff notes, Guilford County’s older adult population will be over 151,600 and will “vastly outnumber” the county’s younger population.
Couple things off hand. In order to enhance the life of our seniors (that be me); you might add more officers to the GPD for our safety, and, lower the property tax rate for all City & County residents/businesses.
What our govt is doing is defunding the police by enhanced attrition, and confiscating the taxpayer’s wealth by taxation (wealth transfer).
Typical conservative mindset. Increase spending and reduce taxes. The ‘I want more for less’ mindset that has helped balloon the federal deficit. How about we increase taxes on corps and wealthy individuals AND reduce spending.
You misundertook me. I want LESS spending and taxation, – the govt out of my life. Live below your means. If you look at the Federal & State income tax rates, property tax rates, sales tax rates, Medicare/SS taxes etc.; you would see that the well-to-do pay a stunning amount taxes; but receive no more benefits than we do.
The “Rich” are heavily taxed because they don’t have the votes (we do). They have to buy influence. So we want the benefits, but would like for someone else to pay for it? Got news, our govt can’t even service the debt and pay out entitlements, without borrowing even more money.
Throw ALL the bums out. I’ve got some coal tar if you will bring the feathers.
It would be better if Well-Spring paid property taxes. The added revenue would help enhance all lives, regardless of age. Continuing care facilities, e.g. Well-Spring, River Landing, are not givers to the community. A small $25,000 donation does not make up for the enormous tax benefits afforded to the facility. There needs to be a serious discussion and overhaul of non-profits. The word “non-profit” as it applies to non-profits is a misnomer.
Tax payers should realize that Well Springs, Friends Home and other retirement communities pay no city or county taxes because they are listed as non-profits. So to donate 25000.00 is a drop in the bucket of taxes not received from these communities. One of the council members lives in one of these communities and votes on how tax money is spent but pays no city taxes.
I have (had) friends at Well-Spring. The fees they charge are enormous, gigantic, unbelievacable, etc. They are in the your-money extracting business while you are still alive. Non-profit? Anyone believe that? So how did they get the non-profit designation (like Goodwill)? Who got paid off?
The scale of national monetary gouging is unprecedented. I need not to make examples. Fill in your own?
What a feel good crock for the tax free Well Springs. If they want to help, then lower their costs and start paying taxes
It’s amusing that WellSpring is donating $25,000 to help the County “qualify” for an AARP Livable Community during a time when the County has priced many of the people this initiative is aimed at helping out of their apartments/condos through its aggressive search for businesses with tax-funded incentives. As the County seeks to “become an age-friendly community” which they predict will consist largely of people over the age of 60 it’s clear the County Commissioners are more concerned about equity, race, ethnicity, and “other backgrounds”, when they should only be interested in what each individual’s wishes are for their lifestyle choice.
The best use of this donation and all other monies given to this “community partnership” would be to create a fund that could begin to provide meaningful resources for respite care to people who care for older family members in their homes daily and need a weekend, a day, an afternoon off before they feel it’s necessary to resort to facility care on a permanent basis because they just can’t continue caring anymore. So many amazing people in this county on a daily basis are giving intense care to family members who have dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, Spinal Cord Injuries, strokes, or who have adult children with major care needs, or young kids with extraordinary needs, and care for them every day, all day, without a break. There should be a county fund to offer respite care so when the caregiver gets to the point of wanting to hit someone upside the head with a frying pan they have someone to call for help, and they KNOW there will be a positive response, a place that will agree to let them drop their loved one off for a day or two where care will be given while they rest, recover, recuperate.
We don’t need some dorky new program, we need funds to help people now who have serious needs and can’t afford to darken the door of places like WellSpring in their wildest dreams. We need help for the people who are doing their best to care for the people they love at home but need a bit of help once in a while to continue on. Let’s use these funds in a much more meaningful way instead of funding a fancy feel-good program that amounts to absolutely nothing. Fund respite care for all those quiet, desperate home caregivers. I’ll run it for free, or 25 cents.
An interesting note is that WellSpring
Doesn’t Councilwoman Hoffman live in a tax-free facility, which means that not only does she not pay property tax, but she also lives off the backs of those who do. No wonder she voted for such a large property tax increase. The increase does not affect her.