Senior Center Presents AARP Survey Showing Residents Want To Age in Place; Housing, Information Access and Safety Flagged

The West Allis Senior Center presented results from an AARP‑based “age‑friendly” community survey and steering‑committee work on March 18, reporting priorities and next steps to improve livability for older residents.

Shannon Burn, Senior Center Coordinator, said the survey (available November–mid‑December 2024) drew 345 responses from residents age 45 and older. Respondents skewed toward women and residents in their 60s but included people with disabilities and caregivers. The survey asked about AARP’s eight domains of livability and found several consistent themes: - Strong preference to age in place: 72% rated being able to live independently as they age as “extremely important,” and 47% of respondents said they plan to stay in their current residence and never move. Many respondents said accessible features (no‑step entrances, wider doorways, first‑floor bedrooms/bathrooms) are lacking in the local housing stock. - Housing affordability and accessibility gaps: respondents rated the availability of affordable, accessible housing poorly and reported insufficient options for assisted living, shared facilities and age‑friendly housing. - Information and digital access: nearly half of respondents said it is hard to find local information on services; many older residents prefer printed or in‑person communication and may not access digital‑only notices despite high general Wi‑Fi availability in public buildings. - Financial insecurity: concerns about cost‑of‑living increases and future income shortfalls were widespread; some respondents listed moving to lower‑cost areas as a possible future plan. - Safety and enforcement: a majority identified personal safety or security concerns as a factor in deciding to stay or move; many rated speed‑limit enforcement in the city as poor.

Next steps: the age‑friendly steering committee, which includes council representation, chose two AARP domains to prioritize for the next five years: housing, and civic participation & employment. The committee will develop measurable strategies and an action plan and host a public community conversation on April 8 (co‑hosted at Aurora West Allis Medical Center) to share results and collect public input.

Why it matters: the survey quantifies resident preferences on aging in place and identifies actionable policy areas (housing accessibility, communication strategies for older residents, and traffic enforcement) for municipal planning and service delivery.

Ending: staff invited council members and the public to join the April 8 community conversation and to contact the senior center for further involvement.

Speakers quoted: Shannon Burn (Senior Center Coordinator).