Title
Senior Needs Discussion
Body
Summary & Background
Commerce City hired Corona Insights, a Denver-based research and evaluation firm, to conduct research to better understand the needs of seniors living in Commerce City. Multiple research methods were used to gather information about the needs and health of Commerce City’s seniors:
• Literature review of various local and national senior needs assessments
• Analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau
• Interviews with City Council members
• 5 interviews completed (~60 minutes each)
• Survey of registered voters aged 65 or older in Commerce City
• 3,500 hardcopy surveys mailed with stamped return envelope
• 642 households responded (18% response rate)
• Interviews with residents of Commerce City aged 65 or older
• 18 interviews completed (~30 minutes each)
• Interviews with Commerce City leaders
• 8 interviews completed (~30 minutes each)
Summarizing the findings from the needs assessment:
1. Seniors are generally happy in Commerce City. Quality of life and the ability to age in place differ for people living in the northern part of the city compared to people living in the southern part.
2. Loneliness and isolation are not primary concerns for Commerce City’s seniors. However, seniors would like to see more entertainment and recreational options for them in Commerce City. Seniors need better ways of accessing information.
3. Aging in place is important to seniors, and many want community support in order to stay in their homes. Most seniors drive themselves as their primary mode of transportation; other transportation options are lacking.
4. Additionally, Seniors with disabilities are facing more challenges than seniors without disabilities.
Upon completion of the needs assessment, Corona Insights facilitated an in-person prioritization summit, hosted by the Commerce City Senior Commission. The goals of the summit were to review needs of seniors in Commerce City and prioritize which needs to address first. Summit participants were asked independently rank the top three senior issues (out of a list of 16 issues) across a set of 14 criteria. Ranking data were analyzed and presented to the summit participants who then reviewed and discussed the results. This discussion revealed a desire to have some short-term priorities, such as addressing senior poverty and increasing access to resources, and long-term priorities, such as creating a new senior center.
Staff Responsible (Department Head): Sarah Mondesire, Community Wellbeing Manager
Staff Presenting: Sarah Burgess, Community Navigator - Seniors; Introducing Corona Insights
Financial Impact: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
Staff Recommendation: N/A
Suggested Motion: N/A