Welcome

The Tsunami of Aging

While America is aging, most of us may not be aware that the speed of aging in Hawaii is much faster than the national average.  Hawaii’s older adults (60+) is representing an every increasing proportion of the total population.  Older adults have grown from representing 12% of the population in 1980 to 18% in 2004 and are expected to exceed 25% by 2030. This change will affect businesses, education, health care, government services and recreation services.  By way of comparison, Hawaii’s 60+ population grew twice as fast as the national average from.  Only 3 or  4 states have elderly growth rates that exceed Hawaii’s.  By 2011 – a mere 3 years from now --   Hawaii’s post-war Baby Boomer population will begin retiring in droves.  Are we prepared for the demands on services, for more workers and more training?  At the same time, the aging revolution also suggests opportunities to tap what has been called “America’s fastest growing natural resource”.  In what ways can community colleges be an effective player in an aging society?  

The Role of a Community College in an Aging Society

In August 2003, Kapiolani Community College convened a meeting of the 7 community colleges and their respective community agencies to review the present and future role of the community colleges for the state. Given that Kapiolani Community College (KCC) has been viewed as the flagship for nursing and allied health care education among the 7 UH community colleges, the 2006 State Legislature provided on-going funding to support a new role for KCC to address the challenges from the Tsunami of Aging. 

To that end, the mission of KCC's Aging and Long-term Care Training Initiative will be:

To promote eldercare in Hawaii by promoting its workforce needs by

• Creating a quality and committed professional and paraprofessional workforce
• Training family caregivers
• Promoting active aging and
• Coordinating with the other UH Community Colleges