With a median age of 45, Maine is the “oldest” state in the US. If trends continue, Maine’s seniors will outnumber younger demographic groups by 2020 and by 2030 the state may have more residents aged 65 and older than under 18. Of specific concern is the fact that many of the state’s oldest residents live below the poverty line. A lack of government assistance makes life difficult, if not dangerous during brutal winter months.
Maine’s story is only part of a greater national threat facing the nation’s aging population.
Matt Black traveled to Maine in January and photographed impoverished elders...