Seniors Count! is a project to plan, design and implement an ongoing, systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data on older adults in the seven-county region of southeast Michigan. Seniors Count! responds to the timely and critical need for a comprehensive information system on older adults to improve the delivery and quality of needed services and programs to our rapidly growing older population.

For more information regarding Seniors Count please contact Thomas Jankowski at:
t.jankowski@wayne.edu or (313) 664-2603

White Papers:

• Invisible Poverty: New Measure Unveils Financial Hardship in Michigan's Older Adult Population
• Gender Disparities of Older Adults in Southeast Michigan
• An Income Profile of Older Adult Householders in Southeast Michigan

Why Seniors Count!

• Many disparate sources of data, but no current means of integrating them
• Data from different sources and domains must be compared to draw complete picture
• Aging population and shrinking resources make efficient targeting of services critical
• Need to respond to growth of older population requires raising awareness and informing policymakers and planners
• Many local communities not preparing for population changes
• Without good data, no way to gauge effectiveness of programs designed to aid seniors

We would like to ensure accessibility of the data by making outcome and status indicators available online in a variety of formats including tables (in PDF and HTML format), maps, and interactive maps that will allow the selection of specific indicators, years, geographies and downloadable data files.

County-Level Data Available

Economics

Income
Poverty status
Income ratio to poverty
Participation in labor force
Gross rent as a percentage of household income
Grandparents responsible for grandchildren in labor force
Food stamps
Aggregate nonfamily household income
Aggregate value of owner occupied housing units
Monthly housing costs as a % of income
Rent as a % of income
Employment status

Health

Hospitalizations by cause
Cancer by type
Disability
Leading diagnosis for hospitalizations
Mortality
Access to food
No. recreation & fitness centers
Care management
Case coordination & support
Chore services
Homemaker
Personal care adult day care
Home delivered meals
Respite care
Health Care Professional Shortage Area

Population

Age
Gender
Marital status
Veteran status
Educational Attainment
Race
Disability
Citizenship
Language spoken
Place of birth

Nursing Home Data

Locations
Ratings
No. of certified beds
Type of ownership
Program participation

Behavioral Risk Factors

General health
Mental health
Physical health
Life satisfaction
Social & emotional support
Weight
Health care coverage
Health care provider access
Leisure time
Physical activity
Fruit & vegetable consumption
Smoker
Alcohol
Routine Check-up
Cholesterol
Hypertension
Diabetes
Heart attack
Stroke
Asthma
Arthritis