Public News Service-NV
February 24, 2011
LAS VEGAS – Staying healthy is the top concern for Nevadans age 50 and older, according to a survey being released today.
The AARP survey finds older Nevadans divided on the wisdom of state budget cuts, but agreeing on areas that should not be cut – with K-12 education topping the list.
A whopping 98 percent of older Nevadans say their number-one concern these days is staying healthy and mentally sharp. Deborah Moore Jaquith, associate state director of communications for AARP-Nevada, says these Nevadans are also very concerned about how cuts to Social Security and Medicare could impact their health.
“They don’t believe that they necessarily have what they need in order to stay healthy. Only 32 percent believe they have the resources they need to stay healthy.”
Only one in four older Nevadans surveyed have strong confidence that they could afford three years of long-term care, should the need arise, Jaquith says.
Older Nevadans are nearly evenly split on state budget cuts, with 44 percent supporting a budget that reduces public benefits while reducing the deficit, and 43 percent opposing the cuts. Jaquith says a surprising number of older Nevadans ranked education tops in what not to cut.
“The state services that older Nevadans are most concerned about protecting are: K-12 education with 78 percent, home-care services that allow people to stay home at 71 percent, and public safety at 70 percent.”
The most popular ways to raise state revenue for 50-plus Nevadans would be taxing liquor, beer, wine and cigarettes, the survey found. Older Nevadans also support closing tax loopholes for certain businesses.
A majority, 58 percent of those responding, were not members of AARP, marking the first time the group included non-members in a Nevada survey. The survey sampled more than 400 Nevadans and will be posted on the web today at aarp.org/nv.
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