More seniors now living alone on LI

Daily Point

One in five LIers 65 or older cope with the challenges of aging on their own

There are more Long Islanders who are age 65 years or older today than a decade ago. One in five — approximately 111,000 seniors — are now living alone while coping with the challenges of aging in the suburbs.

Between 2015 and 2023, the total population of Long Island grew about 2% from 2.86 million to 2.91 million, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. During the same period, the percentage of residents age 65 and over jumped more than 19% from 423,318 to 504,863. Suffolk County’s senior population rose 21.7% from around 212,357 in 2015 to an estimated 258,415 in 2023, while Nassau’s climbed about 16.8% from 210,961 to 246,448.

Over 65 was the age group to have seen the largest uptick during the same period. The number of Long Islanders in the 18-to-34 age group grew 3.7% from an estimated 554,773 to 575,299, and the number of 35- to 64-year-olds fell 3.4% from 1.18 million to 1.14 million. Data estimates released today from the U.S. Census Bureau show that nearly half all counties in the United States had more people 65 years and older than children under the age of 18. Nassau and Suffolk were not on that list, but project an upward growth in the population group.

While the ratio of people in the 65-plus age group living alone has remained about the same, there are around 14,200 more adults 65 and older living alone on Long Island today than in 2015, a climb from 97,306 to 111,587.

According to a Pew Research study, 27% of adults age 60 years and older live alone nationwide. When living alone, the risk of injury and social isolation increases among our oldest and most vulnerable populations. Difficulty in managing medication and limited mobility can further downgrade the standard of living. A survey by the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center found that one in five Americans 65 years and older no longer drive and nine out of 10 of those said their lives were negatively impacted by it.

The alternatives to living alone are limited — move out of the three-bedroom to smaller accommodations or with family or relocate to a senior living facility. An estimated 97,000 seniors on Long Island lived with a relative in 2023 and at least 11,000 lived with a nonfamily member.

Continuing to stay in one’s home can exacerbate an already tight housing market here on Long Island. Residents are burdened with the demands of maintaining a larger house while struggling to downsize in a low-inventory housing market. Moving to a senior living facility can be both expensive and emotional, with many seniors finding themselves on waitlists. Meanwhile, the long list of residents awaiting state funding for assistance with meals and transportation so they can continue residing in their homes is also testimony to the growing concerns of seniors in the region living alone.

— Karthika Namboothiri karthika.namboothiri@newsday.com

Pencil Point

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Final Point

MTA close to acquiring former Lawrence Aviation site for proposed rail yard 

After a swirl of late negotiations, a deal on turning the former Lawrence Aviation site in Port Jefferson Station over to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which hopes to build a rail yard there, is "imminent," a source close to the negotiations told The Point Thursday.

But to get it finalized, the MTA, along with Suffolk County and the nonprofit Suffolk County Landbank, will need one last extension to their agreement, which is set to expire June 30. That extension will run for up to 12 months, but multiple sources said it’s not expected to require nearly that long.

"This is an extension to wrap it up," the source told The Point. "This is not a punt like we’ve seen in the past. Most of the details have already been worked out and now, everyone’s hustling to get it done."

The extension could be finalized by Friday, other sources told The Point.

The last-minute deal making comes just a week after the state Assembly wrapped up its session — tackling the Lawrence Aviation site in its final bill in the wee hours of the morning last Wednesday.

The legislation directed the state Department of Transportation to grant a permanent easement that would allow the MTA to build a rail yard at the site.

The bill, sponsored by Assemb. Rebecca Kassay, already had gone through revisions and debates and in the end, it passed unanimously.

But it took a lot of messy machinations to get that far — and there’s still more to do.

That’s because the DOT wants to preserve the right to use its section of the industrial property to realign 25A and potentially build a highway across its easement on the site. DOT was able to get a provision allowing for the construction of a bridge at the site added to both the Senate and Assembly versions of the bill in the last days of the session.

Now it’s likely, sources told The Point, that amendments will be necessary, to clarify language in the legislation that appears to put the onus for funding and building such a bridge on the MTA. That interpretation conflicts with existing contract language, county resolutions and even the home rule message approved by the Suffolk County Legislature, which notes that the county — not the MTA — agreed to fund such a bridge, if necessary.

That discrepancy, Kassay told The Point, will have to be worked out between the two state agencies before Gov. Kathy Hochul signs it into law. Hochul, Kassay said, already was instrumental in getting the bill through the legislature.

"We’re really grateful to see her team understands both the environmental and the economic importance of this," Kassay said. "My hope is that they will continue to bring these agencies to the table and have them work something out."

That, sources said, shouldn’t take long.

Said a Hochul spokesman: "Working with NYSDOT and MTA, we have made significant progress toward a permanent resolution for the Lawrence Aviation site that will be a win for Suffolk County."

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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