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Somerville Council on Aging presents senior survey, finds space limits, awareness gaps and financial insecurity among older residents
Summary
A UMass Boston-backed survey of Somerville residents aged 60+ found limited awareness of Council on Aging services, space constraints at local senior centers, transportation and housing concerns, and signs of financial insecurity; the council agreed to refer the report to its Equity Committee for further work.
Somerville’s Council on Aging (COA) on Wednesday presented results of a community survey of residents aged 60 and older, outlining gaps in program awareness, limited space at senior centers, transportation and housing challenges, and growing financial insecurity among older Somerville residents.
The survey and assessment were presented by Ashley Spiliotis, director of the Council on Aging, and Sierra Somerville, senior research associate at the UMass Boston Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging. The study combined U.S. Census data, interviews with city leaders and a community survey that received 1,519 responses from a random mailing and other outreach.
The findings: roughly 14 percent of Somerville residents are age 60 or older, and awareness of COA offerings is limited — 41 percent of survey respondents who never participate at the COA said they “don’t know…
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