Social Participation
Community Challenges • Though there are many leisure and cultural activities that benefit all residents of the City of Tucson, older adults have specific needs that are different from those of younger people. Providing older adults with safe access and resources to participate in affordable leisure and cultural activities is critical to reducing social isolation. • A lack of transportation options can lead to lower-income or less-mobile people becoming socially isolated. • Creating visibility and access for diverse populations in Tucson, including Latinx, refugee, immigrant, and Native American communities, is critical to serving and engaging a diverse array of older adults. WhatTucson Has Done Engaging to reach specific populations, such as older adults or those with physical disabilities, has always presented a challenge; however the City of Tucson has taken specific steps to promote and include diverse populations in their programming. The City of Tucson has worked to include older adults through: • Reduced fares on public transit and in Parks and Recreation programming. • Investing in infrastructure, such as buses equipped with kneel and wheel chair ramps or lifts. • Providing accessible rider training sessions for older adults. • Supporting diverse cultural and ethnic community events/festivals, such as the All Souls Procession, Cyclovia Tucson, Dusk Music Festival, El Tour de Tucson, TENWEST Festival, the Tucson Festival of Books, the Martin Luther King
DOMAIN DESCRIPTION Access to leisure and cultural activities, including opportunities for older adults to socialize and engage with their peers, as well as with younger people.
Brief Statement of Survey Responses Pima Council on Aging’s Needs Assessment responses: • Thirty-seven percent of older adults indicated a concern about access to recreational or social activities. • Forty-four percent of older adults are concerned about loneliness and isolation. AARP Arizona’s survey responses: • Forty-eight percent rated activities geared specifically for older adults as fair or poor. • Twenty-three percent rated the city fair or poor regarding wellness program activities geared specially to older adults. • Nineteen percent rated the affordability of fitness activities offered to older adults as fair or poor.
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