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The many shades of gray Old before its time, Pittsburgh offers the nation a look at the future December 13, 1998
As Al Kvorjak saunters along the tidy Braddock Hills street where he’s lived for 48 years, he offhandedly describes the age and condition of his neighbors in the dozens of small brick homes. "This one across the street, he was a veteran. He died, and his wife’s still there … This one here, her husband died last week. She’s in her 90s, and her son’s coming back to live with her … This here is a gentleman 87. His wife’s deceased, and he has no children …" The house numbers change, but not the descriptions, as Kvorjak continues the winding walk on Illinois Avenue. Most residents are widows and widowers in the pension stage of life, or old couples still together, like he and his wife Grace, who are in their 70s. In all, 20 of 30 houses to the left of the Kvorjaks’ home are occupied by people 65 or older — the majority of them female. The neighbors to their right are younger, but not by much. "This is widows’ alley, now," the retired steel mill supervisor says with a faint chuckle, thinking back to the 1950s and 1960s, when the neighborhood’s homes overflowed with children. In an extreme way, now-quiet Illinois Ave-nue represents what the Pittsburgh region has become in the 1990s, and foreshadows where America is headed in the 21st century.
The nation’s 65-plus population has more than doubled since 1960, to 34.3 million graying or balding individuals. It will double again by the year 2030, according to census projections, once the baby boomers have all qualified for Social Security. One of 25 Americans was elderly at the start of this century. Now it’s one of eight. By 2030, it’ll be one of five. Western Pennsylvania, long considered behind the times in fashion and culture, finds itself ahead in this one trend. Few local streets have as high a proportion of elderly as Illinois Avenue — Braddock Hills was Allegheny County’s oldest municipality in the latest census count — but as a whole, they have a greater share of older people than the lanes and avenues of every major metropolitan area outside of Florida. Nearly 18 percent of the region’s population is 65 or older, compared with a national rate of less than 13 percent. It will take until 2024 for the United States to reach Allegheny County’s current 65-plus share of 18.1 percent. A pervasive effect These figures make Allegheny the second-oldest county of greater than 1 million residents after Palm Beach County, Fla. Pittsburgh is the second-oldest central city of at least 250,000 residents after St. Petersburg, Fla. Pennsylvania has a higher percentage of elderly than any state but Florida, and the southwestern corner is among the state’s oldest sections.
Such data count for more than just rankings. The high proportion of elderly help shape the fabric of Western Pennsylvania, where a grandmotherly mayor like Sophie Masloff can be as appropriate and popular as the reduced-portion, discounted senior citizens’ meal at Eat ‘n Park. The elderly are the primary consumers of a health care system that has been the region’s No. 1 growth industry since its decline as a steel and manufacturing center. They’re the target of a housing boom that has filled the suburban landscape with helpful, home-like but pricey facilities catering to older adults who are experiencing physical or mental decline. They sustain the area’s numerous churches and fraternal groups, which they’ve shown more interest in than their children or grandchildren have, and they provide income, baby-sitting and other support to make life easier for their offspring. Their traditional values also contribute to the resistance to change that is a part of Pittsburgh’s identity, for better or worse. And the older they get, the more demands they place on government services and family support. Their decline can be wrenching for those who care for them, emotionally, physically and financially. Still, the high proportion of elderly "is an issue, not a problem," maintains Charles Pruitt Jr., president of Presbyterian SeniorCare in Oakmont. His view is shared by many others who study the impact of older adults on the region. "It’s just the way it is, and we have to plan to deal with it," said Pruitt, whose nonprofit corporation has gained a national reputation for Alzheimer’s patients’ housing and care.
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