Ensuring mobility-supporting environments for an aging population: critical actors and collaborations.

J Aging Res

Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.

Published: November 2011

Successful aging takes on an array of attributes, including optimal health and community participation. Research indicates that (1) persons with disabilities, including age-related disabilities, report frequent barriers to community participation, including unsuitable building design (43%), transportation (32%), and sidewalks/curbs (31%), and (2) many seniors report an inability to cross roads safely near their homes. This paper attempts to define mobility-related elements that contribute to optimal health and quality of life, within the context of successful aging. It then examines the impacts of community design on individual mobility, delving into which traditional and nontraditional actors-including architects, urban planners, transportation engineers, occupational therapists, and housing authorities-play critical roles in ensuring that community environments serve as facilitators (rather than barriers) to mobility. As America ages, mobility challenges for seniors will only increase unless both traditional aging specialists and many nontraditional actors make a concerted effort to address the challenges.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134094PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/138931DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

successful aging
8
optimal health
8
community participation
8
ensuring mobility-supporting
4
mobility-supporting environments
4
aging
4
environments aging
4
aging population
4
population critical
4
critical actors
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!