Round Rock Edition | December 2024

BY BROOKE SJOBERG

Diving in deeper

Moving forward

Rising costs of care Cost of care for seniors has steadily increased since 2020.

One of the major factors cited by Lacasse—the increase in the cost of senior housing—follows a national trend. Data from Genworth, an insurance company that helps families plan for aging care, estimates that the cost of in-home care, private room nurs- ing and assisted living facilities roughly doubled from 2004 to 2023. Even for residents who have owned their homes in the long-term, transportation might not become inaccessible due to costs, but simply for health reasons. Karen Choate, who has a Round Rock address but lives just outside of city limits, said the area’s growth has both led to improved local transporta- tion, as well as the decrease of access to curb-to- curb transportation service for nonresidents. Choate, who is legally blind, said that prior to the growth of eastern Round Rock along East Old Settlers Boulevard, she received curb-to-curb service from Capital Area Rural Transportation System, or CARTS. When she was no longer a resi- dent of a rural area, she found that a combination of rides from friends and Senior Access ensured she could get where she needed to go. Choate said she walks the short distance—four- tenths of a mile—to her local Round Rock Rides stop, where she can request a pickup and travel to most places within the city limits. “I would love to be able to drive and get to where I want, but I’m not, and so I’m very grateful that there are services that I can use and pay a nominal fee for the use,” she said. Choate’s case is one that many area residents may find themselves in, said Edna Johnson, the city’s public transportation coordinator. She said many municipal utility districts, or MUDs, are spread

Meals on Wheels Volunteers are needed to deliver meals to seniors in the community. • Accepts monetary donations • 301 W. Bagdad Ave., Ste. 2, Round Rock • www.mealsonwheels- williamsonburnet.org Senior Access Volunteers are needed to provide rides to seniors in the area who do not own cars. • Accepts bingo prizes, monetary donations, gas cards • 2498 E. Palm Valley Blvd., Round Rock • www.senioraccesstx.org Round Rock Area Serving Center Community members can access the center’s food bank, financial assistance and get connected to other services in the area. • Accepts monetary donations, food, clothing, furniture, appliances, paper and plastic grocery bags • 1099 E. Main St., Round Rock • www.rrasc.org AGE of Central Texas Seniors and their caregivers can learn more about services, types of care and facilities available in the area. • Accepts monetary donations, adult incontinence products, gently used durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers and shower chairs • 475 Round Rock West Drive, Ste. 120, Round Rock • www.ageofcentraltx.org The area has several organizations offering services to seniors and taking volunteers to assist seniors:

In-home care costs 2021 2022 2023 2020

$54,912

$61,776

$68,640

$75,504

Private room nursing costs 2021 2022 2023 2020 Assisted living facility costs 2021 2022 2023 2020

$105,850 $108,405 $111,325

$116,800

$51,600

$54,000

$61,165

$64,200

SOURCE: GENWORTH/COMMUNITY IMPACT

throughout the city, where residents may mistak- enly believe they are within city limits. While Round Rock Rides charges $2 per ride for seniors, Senior Access is donation-based and does not require a fee. The organization has also benefited from grant funding provided by the city. Sara Bustilloz, the city’s communications and marketing director, said the city provided $50,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding to Senior Access this year, which covers rides for about 451 seniors.

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