On this West Virginia Morning, family recipes are a way for people to connect with their ancestors, but what do you do when the measurements for the recipe aren’t exact and you’ve never actually tried Grandma’s potato candy. Brenda Sandoval in Harper’s Ferry had to find out. Inside Appalachia’s Capri Cafaro has more.
Who’ll Care For West Virginia's Growing Elder Generation?
Who's Going To Take Care Of Maw Maw?Lalena Price
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We’re an aging nation.
Today 16 percent of Americans are over age 65. In the next few decades that will double as the youngest Baby Boomers move into old age, but in West Virginia, that future is now. It’s the third oldest state in the nation and more than 20 percent of its residents are over age 65. At the same time, West Virginia’s birth rate is low because young people are leaving. That generational imbalance will increase in coming years.
The numbers show a growing crisis. More seniors want to stay in their homes and the industry has shifted from a nursing home model to one focused on aging in place. That’s led to an explosion in home-based support and care services, but now those companies struggle to find the workers they need to provide services for the growing elderly population.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond. You also can listen to Us & Them on WVPB Radio — tune in tonight, June 24, at 8 p.m., or listen to the encore presentation on the following Saturday at 3 p.m.
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Phyllis Nichols lives in a Section 8 housing facility in Charleston, West Virginia, that’s designated for elderly and persons with disabilities. Several times a week, she receives a visit from a specialized caregiver, who helps her ‘age in place.’
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Rev. Jim Lewis waits for a medical exam.
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Eugene Barker looks after the needs of Saunders Cleage. Fifteen years ago, Cleage had a stroke and ever since, Barker has been his full-time caregiver.
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Trey Kay visits Rev. Jim Lewis at his new residence in a retirement community.
Glade Creek’s beauty took on a much richer, golden rainbow hue on Monday as the sixth annual Gold Rush got underway. The state's largest fish stocking initiative highlights the golden rainbow trout.
Family recipes are a way to connect generations, but what happens when you’ve got grandma’s recipe, and it doesn’t have exact measurements? We also talk with Ohio poet laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour about Appalachia, poems — and getting published. And we revisit a story about an attraction at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there.
On this West Virginia Morning, more than a decade ago, Huntington made headlines as the “fattest city in the nation.” We listen to an excerpt from our latest episode of Us & Them with host Trey Kay Kay, where we look at continuing efforts to teach healthy habits in West Virginia.
According to recent health rankings, West Virginia tops the charts for the rates of obesity and diabetes. More than a decade ago, Huntington, West Virginia made headlines as "the nation’s fattest city." Since then, some things have changed.