Very few U.S. cities are prepared for the aging of baby boomers, a CNBC report finds, leading to a “troubling” outcome for those who are transitioning out of the workforce and into retirement. Budget cuts are only adding to the problem, CNBC writes, at a time when funds for services such as meal delivery and transportation are dwindling. Some groups of retirees are starting to address the problem on their own by pooling resources for services that allow them to age in place. CNBC writes:

Six years ago, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging said less than half of cities it surveyed at the time were preparing to deal with the needs of older folks. It said the results “should serve as a wake-up call for communities to begin planning now.”Five years later, the Washington, D.C.-based group revisited the survey and found little had changed. There was still a great need for transportation and housing for aging boomers, it said.

…And boomers want affordable and accessible housing, transportation, recreation options and, when the time comes, in-home care and services to help them avoid nursing homes.Edward Elberfeld, a retired art teacher, and his wife, Barbara, plan to stay in their home near downtown Columbus as long as they can.

Elberfeld, 63, has been working with neighborhood residents to form a group of volunteers to help other seniors do the same. Their “aging in place” effort is based on similar projects in affluent neighborhoods of cities such as Boston and Washington, D.C., where private, nonprofit corporations formed to provide services and social activities so seniors don’t have to move.

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Written by Elizabeth Ecker