Domingo Cruzada, 68, and his wife, Emerenciana, 73, walk to their apartment, both hands full of shopping bags from the 99-cents store. , Sadaf Syed for Al Jazeera America

Janet Hale, left, 64, educates a Hemet resident about the CARE (Curtailing Abuse Related to the Elderly) program on Thursday. Sadaf Syed for Al Jazeera America.

Susan Evans, 67, a Hemet resident, fills out an application at the job fair on Thursday. Sadaf Syed for Al Jazeera America

In Hemet, more than a quarter of the population is 65 or older. Sadaf Syed for Al Jazeera America

The Riverside County Office on Aging hosted a job fair on Thursday in Hemet, Calif., where many senior citizens live. Job seeker Maria Alvarez, 62, picks up a brochure on how to live with her Type 2 diabetes. Sadaf Syed for Al Jazeera America

HEMET, Calif. — Domingo Cruzada, 68, walks a block on North Palm Avenue from the Sahara Villas senior apartments to the bus stop. When the bus pulls up, his wife, Emerenciana, climbs down, both hands full of shopping bags from the 99-cent store. He grabs the load, and the two trudge back to their apartment.

They don’t have a car because they can’t afford one. Their kids don’t live nearby. They depend completely on public transportation. Sometimes they have to take a taxi.

“During the weekend, there’s no bus,” said Domingo, a Filipino immigrant who moved three years ago from nearby Riverside to this San Jacinto Valley city of about 80,000.

He bemoans the limited service that makes it tough for the retired couple to attend church or visit friends and family. “And on holidays, there’s no transportation,” he said.

In a city where more than a quarter of the population is 65 or older, meeting the special needs of the elderly is a challenge. But providing for those who are old and poor is even more taxing.

It’s a worldwide problem, according to a Global AgeWatch Index released Tuesday. It showed that many countries, including the United States, are not prepared for a coming surge in the older population.

From 2000 to 2010, the 65-plus population in the U.S. grew more quickly (15 percent) than the population overall (9.7 percent), according to the Census Bureau. There are more coming. The oldest of 78 million baby boomers turned 67 this year. And people are living longer.

“There’s a realization among city and county officials that they need to do something,” said Sandy Markwood, chief executive of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. “But at this point, because of the economy and impact on budgets … there is not as much action to be able to move the ball forward.”