UF researchers estimate that by 2045, nearly 20% of county residents will be 65 or older.

Days before her 90th birthday, Gainesville resident Shirley Bloodworth pulled her iPhone from her purse as it rang.

She said it’s important that she and other seniors keep up with technology to remain in touch with friends and family.

Of seniors who refuse to use smartphones, she asked, “Are you just being a dinosaur on purpose?”

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Alachua County — whose population is among the youngest in Florida — is following a national trend: the age group growing fastest are those older than 85.

Alachua County has grown by about 1% each year since 2010, according to Census estimates, and now stands at about 270,000. During that time, median age of the county also increased, from 30.1 years to 31.6 years. That's still much younger than the national median age of 38.2 in 2018, up from 37.2 in 2010.

The University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research released its own population estimates, including age projections out to the year 2045, on June 27. BEBR estimates those ages 25-45 will increase by less than 5% over the next 25 years, those older than 85 will more than triple.

Alachua County's retirement-age population today is about 15%. By 2045, nearly 20% will be 65 or older.

Robert Hutchinson, Alachua County commissioner, said the county and city of Gainesville have already taken steps to maintain and improve the quality of life for older residents, but more can be done.

The city of Gainesville and UF Health’s ElderCare of Alachua County opened a 17,000-square-foot Senior Recreation Center at 5701 NW 34th Blvd. in 2012.

“We really need to do several more of those,” Hutchinson said.

He said the center, which allows local seniors to participate in fitness, arts and cultural activities, volunteer opportunities and more, should have a second location on the east side of town.

Hutchinson said Alachua County is a great destination for older generations because of its outdoor recreation and the cultural life generated by Gainesville being a college town.

“We’ve got it as good as anywhere in Florida,” he said.

Additionally, Hutchinson said, the area is much more affordable for retirees and others moving in from urban areas.

However, affordable housing continues to be an issue for older residents living on a fixed income.

One of the best solutions for this is to include more accessory dwelling units, which are small, secondary housing units attached or next to an existing residence, he said.

These spaces, sometimes referred to as granny flats or mother-in-law suites, allow older people to live near family and remain integrated in neighborhoods rather than living in senior-exclusive communities.

“It would be nice to get back to that,” Hutchinson said.

Older community members living in multi-generational neighborhoods would be able to provide day care and neighborhood watch during the day, he said.

Alachua County has allowed accessory dwelling units in unincorporated single family and agricultural zones since 2005, but the city of Gainesville is still considering whether to expand access to the units.

A plan to incorporate the units as a component of GNV Rise was met with criticism from the public and some city commissioners last year, who were concerned with possible gentrification and disruption of historically black neighborhoods.

The goal of the voluntary, incentive-based program was to bring additional housing units into existing neighborhoods.

Gainesville City Commissioner Harvey Ward supports accessory dwelling units as a tool that could help resolve some of the city’s affordable housing problems.

“There is no one fix,” he said. “It’s all building blocks to having better housing for everyone.”

Ward said the City Commission recently directed the Department of Doing, which deals with city planning and building, to draft an ordinance addressing accessory dwelling units. A second reading of the ordinance could take place within 90 days.

Hutchinson said other improvements can be made to improve quality of life, such as making bus passes free for residents over 65. Senior citizens currently pay 75-cents for a one-way ticket.

Gainesville Regional Transit System spokesman Thomas Idoyaga said a city initiative is underway to make ridership free for students under 18, but no efforts are underway related to reducing senior fares.

Dr. Susan Schneider, a clinical assistant professor at the UF Institute on Aging, said that a lack of reliable transportation has the ability to seriously impact a senior’s independence and quality of life.

The most important factor for maintaining independence and quality of life is socialization, she said.

“I think Gainesville has excellent resources for this,” she said. “Within Gainesville, it really is a utopia.”

However, Schneider said, people living in rural parts of the county often do not have easy access to social and nutrition services because they often cannot travel to the Senior Recreation Center or other venues.

Some senior transportation services are available in the city to assist those using walkers, canes or wheelchairs, she said, but the services do not extend to the far reaches of the county.

“There’s not a lot of low-cost options for people who need that,” she said.

Bloodworth, the tech-savvy 89-year-old, said lack of transportation contributes to a lack of civic engagement in seniors who want to be involved, but cannot easily or frequently travel to city or county meetings.

“If they want us to be informed, they need to come to us,” she said.

Bloodworth is co-chair of the Gainesville Community Coalition for Older Adults and helps organize activities at ElderCare’s Senior Recreation Center to keep seniors involved, engaged and healthy.

Her civics, end-of-life planning and aging well classes have been well-received, with as many as 145 people participating in conversations on daunting topics such as the signs and symptoms of dying.

“I was worried people weren’t going to come,” Bloodworth said.

She said she hopes the programs become a model for others throughout the state, so that aging populations can have improved quality of life, even at its end.

“There’s not enough seniors enjoying each day,” she said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but at least we’re identifying the problems."