Adopt a Walkable, Healthy Lifestyle and Live Longer Living in a walkable neighborhood gives options for walking right out your front door.ĥ. That means more seniors than ever desire an active lifestyle and seek opportunities to stay active. Aside from the active nature of the sport, Dillon found a new challenge in life that kept him going, “…a reason to get up in the morning.” He founded and chairs the association’s senior committee to get more retirees into the sport.Ī Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that only 32.5 percent of Americans over the age of 65 don’t have regular physical activity. His hobby turned into a life goal as he eventually worked to win a Professional Disc Golfing Association world champion title for his age range. New Trend – Active Seniors Stay Active Longer / Renewed Sense of Purposeĭon Dillon of Pennsylvania, now age 75, picked up the hobby of disk golf six years ago and slowly integrated himself into the sport. Let’s plan for it now for all ages of people.Ĥ. All of us will someday find we should no longer be driving and rely on public transportation. The EPA’s Growing Smarter report highlights, “Having the choice to get to downtown shopping or cultural events on our own terms and schedule, rather than waiting for a friend or an on-call van can ensure independent living for much longer.”ĭon’t think you have to worry about this? Imagine one day getting a call from your mom who says, “My doctor doesn’t think I should drive.” Fast forward a couple decades later and imagine your own eyesight gets worse, coordination and reflexes stall and you, too, need to find an alternate to a car.
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The less you have to depend on others, the more freedom you can enjoy. The Street used Walk Score to determine 10 cities where you can retire without having to use a car - around the country from Seattle to Miami.īeing able to create your own schedule and meet people to socialize, shop when you want or get out of the house means living a life you want in retirement. Lack of such options can have a profound impact on how ‘livable’ communities are and have a negative impact on the quality of life enjoyed by older adults in those communities.” Public transportation boosts mobility of seniors. About 15 percent of those over age 65 use public transit at least once time per month and more than half of them need specialized transportation, according to a Placemaking article.ĪARP’s report Advancing Mobility Options states, “One of the keys to economic and health security for adults age 50+ is their continued access to a range of viable mobility options within the community. But older adults increased their use of public transit by 40 percent between 20. “A 2002 study by the National Institute on Aging found that about 600,000 people who are 70 or older stop driving every year and become dependent on other forms of transportation.”Ī 2003 Brookings Institution study found that 79 percent of seniors age 65 and older live in car-dependent suburban and rural communities. Public transit becomes key for allowing seniors to remain independent. Men outlive their “drive-ability” by 7 years, women by 10 years. Of those, more than half - about 3.6 million people - stay home on any given day because they have no transportation, AARP says,” from a Washington Post article. “More than 20 percent of Americans age 65 or older do not drive. Independence builds self-worth and being able to move around your neighborhood is freeing. Transportation + Mobility to Leave the House Living in walkable neighborhoods means you are more likely to know your neighbors, participate in politics, engage socially and even trust people.Ģ. The American Journal of Public Health published a study that reveals older people living in walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods have higher levels of social interaction compared with those residing in car-dependent burbs. According to the EPA, in an age-friendly walkable neighborhood or town, regular social interaction is possible, convenient and more frequent. Older adults socialize more when living in walkable neighborhoods.
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But since baby boomers were the generation that built suburbia, many will want to maintain a quality of life in unwalkable neighborhoods. Many retirees choose to age in place - to avoid moving and remain in their homes as long as possible.