Neighborhood and Built Environment
208 - Exploring Neighborhoods and the Built Environment: Opportunities and Challenges
Tuesday, July 17
1:00 PM - 2:15 PM
Location: Regency Ballroom-Lower Level
Speaker(s)
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Del Peterson, BA MS
Associate Research Fellow / Small Urban & Rural Transit Center, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
North Dakota State University
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Moderator(s)
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James Woods, BS, MS, PhD-A Credible Method for Dynamically Balancing Occupant Responses, Exposures, and Environmental System Performance in Occupied Elder Care Facilitates
Del Peterson, BA MS-Aging in Place in Small Urban and Rural Communities
Nikki Bellamy, BA, MA, PhD-Analysis of a Crisis Counseling Approach for Disaster Recovery in Older Adults
Rachel Beyerle, BS, MA-Aging in the Community: Assessing Transportation Options and Walkability
The American population continues to mature with an impending ‘aging tsunami’ just a few years away. It is projected that by 2050, the number of Americans sixty-five years old or older will increase to more than 83 million, nearly double its current population of 43 million. According to 2014 AARP statistics, 87% of adults age 65 and older want to stay in their current home or community as they age. Among those ages 50 to 64, 71% want to age in place. While many people think about downsizing their home, moving to a one-level residence or discuss alterations to their bathroom or kitchen, not as many people openly discuss transportation access. When choosing where to live, walkability (e.g., availability of sidewalks, curb ramps, pedestrian crossings), transit routes, older adult-friendly ride hailing or volunteer driver programs, or walking groups need to be considered.
This session will explore recent trends and resources related to assessing mobility options for those who prefer to age in place, how to find information about transportation options in both urban and rural areas, the role of national resource centers in disseminating information, and how the public can advocate for driver and pedestrian education and safety.
The session will then present results from three studies looking at opportunities and challenges facing older adults in the context of place. The first study looks at aging in place in small urban and rural settings throughout the country and quantifies the costs for residents to live at home and ride public transportation versus moving to an assisted living facility. The second study presents information from a federal grant that supports short-term interventions that involve assisting survivors of disasters in understanding their current situation and reactions, mitigating stress, developing coping strategies, providing emotional support, and encouraging linkages. And lastly, the third study describes susceptibilities to environmental exposure that elder residents face in facilities, the differences between primary and secondary outcomes, exposures and system performance, and develop an approach to evaluating the dynamic balance for a site-specific eldercare facility.
Learning Objectives:
- List the questions that individuals, their families, and caregivers should ask of transportation services providers before making transportation decisions.
- Describe types of concern and vulnerability among older adults in disaster.
- Describe susceptibilities that elder residents have to environmental exposures.