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Many American Communities Not Prepared for Aging
Population
Take the AARP quiz to grade your own community for
its ability to serve seniors
May 6, 2005 - America’s cities, towns and
neighborhoods are not ready to serve the needs of the nation’s surging
older population, warns an AARP report released yesterday. Beyond
50.05—Livable Communities: Creating Environments for Successful Aging
takes a fresh look at the adequacy of communities to serve the needs of
persons of all ages, especially those 50 and older, and provides AARP’s
prescription for improving them.
The demand for livable communities – those that
provide affordable and appropriate housing, supporting community
features and services, and adequate transportation and mobility options
– is made clear by a recent Census Bureau forecast predicting that
between 2000 and 2030, as the baby boom generation ages, the number of
people 65 and older will more than double in 26 states.
The new AARP report, which for the first time
establishes a link between the qualities of livable communities and
Americans’ ability to age successfully, finds that people frequently
give low grades to their community if it is lacking those qualities.
Today’s shortcomings will be exacerbated as the number of older
Americans surges in the next three decades.
When older people are not engaged in their
communities, they have lower feelings of self-control, less success
dealing with aging issues, lower life satisfaction, and a poorer quality
of life, the report finds. Only 56 percent of those who report low
engagement in their communities said they were satisfied with their
lives, compared to 87 percent of those who were highly engaged. The
report explores how older residents can maintain independence and
exercise choice and control in their lives.
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Grade Your Community |
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AARP Offers
Check List to Grade Your Hometown
How livable
is your community or the one you are thinking about moving to in
retirement? Does it provide a physical and social environment
that will work for your lifestyle as you age?
AARP has
developed a 10-point community self-assessment check-list that
can be used as a report card and guide to evaluate and assess
the livability of a community. The guide is available as an
interactive quiz on the AARP website (www.aarp.org/beyond50).
Users can assign grades from A (excellent) to F (failure) to a
list of characteristics that help define a livable community,
and access website links that provide additional information on
ways to improve their communities.
Take the Beyond 50: Livable Communities Quiz |
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“Each time an older person finds it is no longer
reasonable to live in his or her home or community, it is a crisis on an
individual and family level,” said John Rother, AARP’s Director of
Policy and Strategy. “Community features can enhance the lives of older
residents. This is increasingly important because between now and 2020,
the number of Americans 50 to 64 years old will increase by 13 million,
and those 65 and older by 18 million. AARP’s vision of a livable
community is more than a goal. It is a wakeup call to baby boomers and
their parents to become involved in their communities. Public officials
need to seek out and engage residents. We hope this report, and AARP’s
focus on these issues, hastens national efforts on behalf of our
members.”
AARP’s work on Livable Communities is initially
focused on housing and mobility issues. Older people feel more isolated
when their homes do not meet their physical needs, the report finds. A
lack of affordable housing can force older persons to have to move. In
an ideal situation, planning during an original design phase or making
modifications to an existing structure can make homes suitable for
people to age in their communities if they wish, or provide them
alternatives in other communities where they want to live. This can
reduce the number of people feeling forced to move into assisted living
facilities or nursing homes while they are still capable of living
independently.
Older Americans who don’t drive make many fewer
trips, and frequently miss doing things they want to, because of
insufficient transportation options. Public transportation can be a
critical source of mobility for this population (for instance, one-sixth
of medical trips for those over 50 are made on it). Other mobility
options, including safe walking options, taxi services, and human
services transportation, can reduce reliance on personal cars and
increase opportunities for community involvement. A safe pedestrian
environment with good sidewalks, easy access to grocery stores, health
centers, recreational facilities and other services can also have a
positive effect.
“Livable communities benefit Americans of all ages,
but those benefits are particularly felt by older people,” said Partners
for Livable Communities President Bob McNulty, who served on a panel at
the report’s release. “AARP’s dedication to this issue will have myriad
benefits for the people of this nation.”
AARP’s Beyond 50.05 report includes a call to
action to focus community attention. It encourages community leaders and
civic groups to facilitate social involvement, including organizational
membership and volunteering, and actively solicit contributions by
persons of all ages and abilities in community decision-making. It
promotes the design and modification of homes to meet the needs of older
residents, and encourages stability through an adequate supply of
diverse, affordable housing options. The report recommends that the
travel environment be improved to benefit older drivers, while endorsing
safety efforts and older driver education. Mobility options, including
public transportation, walking and bicycling, and specialized
transportation for people with special needs, are also key.
To help community leaders and civic groups implement its
recommendations, AARP’s Public Policy Institute has developed “Livable
Communities: An Evaluation Guide.” It includes a community evaluation
tool, resources, tips, and innovative ideas and success stories. AARP
has also developed a 10-point community self-assessment check list that
can be used to evaluate and assess a community’s livability; it is
posted at
www.aarp.org.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership
organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control
in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a
whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin,
our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventad, our bimonthly magazine in
Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+
educators; and our website,
www.aarp.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides
security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with
support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have
staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,
and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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