Hawaii ranks among the costliest states for long-term care, and prices will likely go higher as a graying population boosts demand.

An annual Cost of Care survey released this week by long-term care insurer Genworth Financial Inc. ranked Hawaii fourth highest in the nation for the cost of private-room nursing home care at an annual median of $125,925, up 4.2 percent each of the past five years.

The state also is third most expensive for home health aides — who help seniors in daily-living activities such as bathing — at $25.25 an hour. Hawaii ranks seventh highest for homemaker services — that includes cooking and housekeeping — at a median hourly cost of $22.

The state is the 13th most expensive for assisted-living facilities at $3,750 a month — an annual median increase of 13.4 percent over the past five years.

"Hawaii seniors are in an extremely vulnerable situation," said Barbara Kim Stanton, AARP state director. "One in 5 Hawaii residents are age 60 and older right now, but by 2030 that’s going to rise to 1 in 4. The fact that we have the highest longevity in the country, plus our cost of living, makes it a triple whammy. Hawaii is set for a public health crisis the likes of which the state has never seen."

From 2000 to 2030 the number of Hawaii residents age 75 and older will more than double to 167,500 from 75,339, AARP said.

By comparison the median annual cost for assisted-living facilities nationally is $39,600, nearly 14 percent lower than the $45,000 charged in Hawaii. In addition the median cost of a nursing home nationally is $81,030, or 55 percent less than $125,925 in Hawaii.

Nationally the hourly cost for homemaker services is $18, or 22 percent lower than the $22 per hour here. The national median cost for home health aide services is $19 per hour, compared with the local cost of $25, nearly 32 percent higher.

"Certainly when it comes to the cost of living in your state — things as simple as bringing in food to the islands — all of the costs of living in Hawaii are expensive," said Wendy Boglioli, national spokes­woman for Genworth’s long-term care division.

Overall, home care services have remained relatively flat because of the competition among a number of agencies vying for more business.

However, that has not been the case for nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, which aren’t as prevalent in the market, Boglioli added.

That has led many families in high-cost states to move to other areas where it is less expensive to receive care, she said.

HAWAII has the longest life expectancy rate in the country at 80 years, while the 60-and-older population is growing 2.5 times faster than the national average, according to AARP. The state Legislature is contemplating a bill that would consolidate long-term care services, fund a public awareness campaign on the costs of long-term care and establish a task force to examine the implementation of a mandatory insurance program for elderly health care.

"There is no way we can catch up to satisfy the needs because we have neglected this area for decades," Stanton said. "You’re coming to the end of the road, you can see that the numbers are so high as far as number of aging seniors. The costs are astronomical for the average senior and their families. We’re going to be out of time for a lot of seniors in order to provide the kind of care they should have and that the state has not prepared for."