Executive Summary
Every four years since 1975, PCOA conducts a Community Needs Assessment in Pima County that affords the community a look at the current state of older residents and the supportive services available to them, highlighting what we are collectively doing well, and where we need to improve. The Community Needs Assessment is a mandatory function of an Area Agency on Aging, which PCOA was designated in 1973, under the Older Americans Act of 1965. In the 2022-2023 Community Needs Assessment, we bolstered our time-tested three-pronged approach by revising our survey to reflect best practices in validated measurement, survey design, and data collection. Over a four-month period, we administered a 52-question survey to 3,626 people 50 years of age and older in Pima County, we held 11 listening sessions that were available both in person and digitally with Spanish interpretation, and we conducted five focus groups of providers in our community to assess the boots-on-the-ground perspective of aging in Pima County. Though the format for the assessment remained the same as years past, we significantly modified the 52-question survey. Rather than asking respondents to rank areas of concern, PCOA designed a survey to explore various aspects of their daily lives, including their home environment, neighborhood, community engagement, access to healthcare, personal health, and demographics. The data collected offers a comprehensive perspective on the experiences of older adults, as shared by those who participated. Our assessment had several key findings. Chief among them is the strength of our neighborhoods. Close to 70% of survey respondents spent time outside of their home, enjoying our beautiful desert Southwest. Whether in their yard, walking around, or visiting with neighbors, we know that regular time outdoors in nature is proven to decrease anxiety and depression and leads to better health outcomes. Our survey found this to be particularly true for people in their 60s and 70s, with accessibility to neighborhoods declining significantly with age. We also found that older adults were able to connect via technology–more so than the national average. Nearly 84% of survey respondents access the internet multiple times per week and 76.5% access the internet daily. This rapid adoption of new technologies helps to give home-bound older adults an opportunity to find community and engage, but it also leaves us vulnerable to new frauds and scams that can hurt older populations–a problem we must address in the coming years.
We found that older adults were able to connect via technology–more so than the national average. Nearly 84% of survey respondents access the internet multiple times per week and 76.5% access the internet daily.
A Report to the Community
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Pima Council on Aging
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