Document Type
Research Report
Publication Date
10-2019
Keywords
Swampscott, Massachusetts, age friendly communities, needs assessments
Disciplines
Demography, Population, and Ecology | Gerontology | Public Administration
Abstract
By the year 2030, 35% of Swampscott residents will be age 60 and older. In response to this demographic shift as well as in response to the desire of most residents to remain living in their community, the resident leaders of Swampscott, with support of the Town, have embarked on the journey to become a more age friendly community. They call themselves the Swampscott for All Ages Committee. The Swampscott for All Ages initiative is meant to ensure that Swampscott is and remains a place where older adults can comfortably and safely age in place. It is a resident-led committee with strong municipal support. This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Swampscott for All Ages Committee and the Town of Swampscott, to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Swampscott’s residents age 60 and older. Structured around livability principles embedded in the World Health Organization’s Age Friendly Community framework, the Swampscott for All Ages initiative considers physical infrastructure as well as social and service environments as it seeks to strengthen livability for Swampscott’s older residents. The contents of this report are designed to inform the Swampscott for All Ages Committee as it develops a plan for action to address the needs identified; and also intersect with and advise other ongoing efforts, including the development of the Swampscott Master Plan. This work also aligns with Governor Baker’s plan for an Age Friendly State.
Recommended Citation
Coyle, Caitlin; Mutchler, Jan; Velasco, Nidya; Berger, Sue; and Mailman, Rebecca, "Swampscott for All Ages: A Community Needs Assessment" (2019). Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications. 38.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/demographyofaging/38
Included in
Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Gerontology Commons, Public Administration Commons
Comments
Commissioned by the Town of Swampscott, Massachusetts.