Older adults want to age in place. Current policies don’t make it easy.
People wear protective face masks in Washington Square Park during the coronavirus pandemic on May 24, 2020, in New York City. Noam Galai/Getty Images
More opportunities for social events and accessible health services are a top priority for older adults, a new survey finds.
Over the last two decades, the proportion of older adults moving to nursing homes has declined as more individuals stay in their own homes as they age. But new survey data suggests current policies and resources supporting the aging population may be falling short.
According to a survey from community engagement and civic analytics company Polco, just 6 in 10 older adults, age 50 and up, said their community is an excellent or good place to retire, and only 4 in 10 respondents said the local services available for aging individuals were excellent or good.
The findings reflect survey data collected from 2021 to 2024 among about 100,000 respondents across the U.S. The data, Polco’s principal research strategist Michelle Kobayashi said in a webinar Wednesday, can help state and local leaders “create communities that are healthier [where] older adults can be more engaged, more empowered, more independent, more productive [and] more vibrant.”
Half of respondents, for instance, were satisfied with the preventative health services in their communities, but Kobayashi pointed to more “bleak” statistics that showed less than half of older adults said they have available and affordable quality food options (45%), physical health care (35%) and mental health care (20%).
Kobayashi offered policy suggestions for how local governments and states can better serve the aging population by, for instance, better funding and planning aging-related health services. Washington state, for instance, launched the WA Cares Fund insurance program, funded by a small tax on residents’ paychecks, last year that aims to help individuals afford health care and services to age in place. The insurance plan covers services like meal assistance, home medications and medical equipment.
Recognizing residents may leave the state to pursue other jobs or to find more affordable housing, Washington state policymakers approved a bill earlier this year that allows individuals to still contribute to and use their benefits out of state starting in July 2030. Program administrators are developing processes for out-of-state individuals to participate in the program and access their funds. As some lawmakers look to expand the program’s accessibility, however, a ballot initiative looks to allow voters to choose to opt out of coverage this fall.
Social inclusion and community engagement are also important for older adults aging in place, Kobayashi said, as isolation is linked to increased feelings of depression and hopelessness. Survey data showed that about 40% of respondents reported facing problems with feeling bored and lonely or isolated, and less than half felt positively about the social opportunities in their communities.
To support healthy aging, the survey indicated local governments could increase the number of social events for community members, offer skill-building or personal development programs and invest in developing more public spaces for aging individuals to frequent.
The Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, for instance, announced earlier this year it will offer art camps throughout the summer for adults over 55 to learn artistic skills like acrylic painting, jewelry making and watercolor painting.
And in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Active Adult Program offers individuals 55 and over opportunities to travel, attend educational seminars and workshops and participate in exercise and wellness classes. The state Division of Aging also sponsors an annual event for adults 50 and over to participate in sporting events such as bowling, golf, track races, games like billiards and croquet, and other contests.
“These amenities are important for older adults to stay healthy mentally and physically,” Kobayashi said.
By leveraging data on aging populations, she added, “communities can start to really get ahead of the planning, the advocacy [and] the performance measurements that they need to really be successful” in caring for older adults.
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