Booklet helps assess how 'liveable' a community is for older people

More than 80 percent of America's seniors say they want to remain at home as they age. Their degree of independence, however, depends largely on their community's features and services. Now, communities can assess how "liveable" they are for seniors by using a new evaluation guide written by a Cornell University housing expert.

"Liveable Communities: An Evaluation Guide" by Patricia Baron Pollak, Cornell associate professor of policy analysis and management, is the first community/citizen liveability assessment guide. Published by the Public Policy Institute of the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), the guide enables community residents to assess whether their communities have programs and services that help older persons remain independent.

"This is the first guide that provides information to citizens to assess community indicators on their own to determine the extent to which their communities encourage or impede independence as residents age," says Pollak, leader and director of Housing Policy Programs and Housing Options for Seniors Today, a public education program of Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York State Office for the Aging. Pollak also is the author of numerous publications on housing options for seniors. "It is also the first guide to focus on indicators of quality of life and community supports for older people."

The 100-question assessment tool not only helps residents evaluate public transportation, driving, walking, housing, shopping, municipal features and services and leisure facilities in their communities but also provides many examples of special programs and features for seniors that some communities have instituted. The evaluation guide also provides guidance on determining priorities and developing and carrying out community action plans.

The 112-page booklet is available free from the Public Policy Institute of the AARP at 601 E. Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049. It has an extended list of where to get additional information.

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